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Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Missouri

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2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Missouri

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

22 Colleges
$9,803 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$57,601 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in Missouri with 6,840 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which healthcare program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Healthcare Degree Search has developed this Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Missouri ranking. This report analyzed 22 schools in Missouri to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

#1

Saint Louis Community College

Saint Louis, MO

Our analysis found Saint Louis Community College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in Missouri. Saint Louis Community College is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Saint Louis.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Saint Louis Community College are $5,295 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Saint Louis Community College accumulate an average of around $19,692 in student debt.

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#2

East Central College

Union, MO

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend East Central College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Missouri list. Located in the rural area of Union, East Central College is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at East Central College are $4,392 a year. Nursing majors at East Central College take out an average of $22,338 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#3

Crowder College

Neosho, MO

The excellent associate degree programs at Crowder College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in Missouri. Crowder College is a small public school located in the town of Neosho.

Crowder College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,088 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at Crowder College take out an average of $17,349 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#4

St Charles Community College

Cottleville, MO

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend St Charles Community College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Missouri list. Located in the large suburb of Cottleville, SCC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

SCC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,190 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from SCC carry an average student debtload of $21,767.

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The excellent associate degree programs at State Technical College of Missouri helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in Missouri. Located in the rural area of Linn, STC is a public college with a small student population.

STC undergraduate students pay an average of $7,095 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, STC is ranked #2 for overall quality for nursing in Missouri.

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State Fair Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. State Fair Community College is a small public school located in the town of Sedalia.

State Fair Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,680 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at State Fair Community College accumulate an average of around $25,352 in student debt.

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North Central Missouri College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Missouri ranking. NCMC is a small public school located in the town of Trenton.

NCMC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,910 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at NCMC accumulate an average of around $24,833 in student debt.

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Missouri State University - West Plains ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Missouri list. Located in the town of West Plains, Missouri State West Plains is a public school with a small student population.

Missouri State West Plains undergraduate students pay an average of $4,800 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Missouri State West Plains take out $19,841 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#9

Mineral Area College

Park Hills, MO

With a ranking of #9, Mineral Area College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the distant town of Park Hills, MAC is a public college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MAC are $5,200 per year. Nursing majors at MAC take out an average of $15,601 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#10

Jefferson College

Hillsboro, MO

Jefferson College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the rural area of Hillsboro, JeffCo is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at JeffCo are $6,030 a year. On average, nursing graduates from JeffCo take out $25,514 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Jefferson College Report

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Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 14,890
Iowa 2,966
Nebraska 1,908
Kansas 2,633
South Dakota 1,022
North Dakota 976

Nursing is one of 30 different types of healthcare programs to choose from.

Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 266,651
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,104
Nursing Administration 9,838
Nursing Practice 7,992
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 5,092
Nursing Science 4,600
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,287
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,021
Nurse Anesthetist 1,936
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 1,883
Critical Care Nursing 773
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 563
School Nursing 553
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 509
Clinical Nurse Leader 444
Clinical Nurse Specialist 419
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 331
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 181
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 57
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 53
Palliative Care Nursing 14
Forensic Nursing 14

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 22 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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