2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 322,592 degrees and certificates were awarded to nursing students, making the major the most popular in the country.
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for healthcare students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
The Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking is one of many tools that Healthcare Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 89 schools in the Plains States Region to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for nursing students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 15% Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Our analysis found Oglala Lakota College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in the Plains States Region . Oglala Lakota College is a small public school located in the rural area of Kyle.
Oglala Lakota College undergraduate students pay an average of $2,684 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Oglala Lakota College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $11,529.
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Out of the 89 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Southeast Community College Area landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Lincoln, Southeast Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Southeast Community College are $3,780 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Southeast Community College carry an average student debtload of $27,526.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Neosho County Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Neosho County Community College is a small public school located in the remote town of Chanute.
Neosho County Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,000 in tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at Neosho County Community College take out an average of $20,150 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Cloud County Community College is a great value for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the rural area of Concordia, Cloud County Community College is a public school with a small student population.
Cloud County Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,570 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Cloud County Community College accumulate an average of around $22,223 in student debt.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Rochester Community and Technical College is a great value for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Rochester, Rochester Community and Technical College is a public school with a small student population.
Rochester Community and Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,372 in tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Rochester Community and Technical College take out $27,212 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Rochester Community and Technical College also is in the top 10% of our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
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Metropolitan Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the city of Omaha, MCC is a public college with a large student population.
MCC undergraduate students pay an average of $4,680 in tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from MCC take out $22,316 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Hutchinson Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Hutchinson Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Hutchinson.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Hutchinson Community College are $4,470 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Hutchinson Community College take out $24,634 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Northwest Technical College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. NTC is a small public school located in the remote town of Bemidji.
NTC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,380 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at NTC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $32,265.
NTC also took the #5 spot in our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region rankings.
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With a ranking of #9, Central Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Central Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Grand Island.
Central Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,590 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Central Community College accumulate an average of around $13,462 in student debt.
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North Hennepin Community College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. North Hennepin Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Brooklyn Park.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Hennepin Community College are $4,882 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at North Hennepin Community College accumulate an average of around $32,743 in student debt.
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Lake Region State College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the remote town of Devils Lake, Lake Region State College is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lake Region State College are $5,000 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Lake Region State College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $27,411.
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Mid-Plains Community College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Mid-Plains Community College is a small public school located in the remote town of North Platte.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Mid-Plains Community College are $4,320 a year. Nursing majors at Mid-Plains Community College take out an average of $19,256 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Anoka-Ramsey Community College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Coon Rapids, Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus are $5,515 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus take out while working on their Associate Degree is $28,625.
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Labette Community College | Parsons, KS |
| 15 | Western Iowa Tech Community College | Sioux City, IA |
| 16 | Inver Hills Community College | Inver Grove Heights, MN |
| 17 | Northeast Community College | Norfolk, NE |
| 17 | Garden City Community College | Garden City, KS |
Best Nursing Colleges by State
Explore the best nursing colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Minnesota | 14,890 |
| Iowa | 2,966 |
| Missouri | 6,840 |
| Nebraska | 1,908 |
| Kansas | 2,633 |
| South Dakota | 1,022 |
| North Dakota | 976 |
More Nursing Rankings in the Plains States Region
Nursing Related Majors for Nursing
One of 30 majors within the healthcare area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.
Nursing Concentrations
Majors Similar to Nursing
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 89,359 |
| Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services | 84,492 |
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
| Allied Health Professions | 82,308 |
| Public Health | 40,596 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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