2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Nursing 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.
Today's healthcare students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Healthcare Degree Search has developed this Best Value Nursing Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. This report analyzed 71 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region to see which ones offered the best value programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Nursing Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Western Governors University the best value school in the Rocky Mountains Region for nursing students. WGU is a very large private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Salt Lake City.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WGU are $7,452 per year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at WGU accumulate an average of around $21,420 in student debt.
WGU also took the #2 spot in our Best Nursing Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region rankings.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Brigham Young University - Idaho. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Located in the town of Rexburg, BYU - I is a private not-for-profit college with a very large student population.
BYU - I undergraduate students pay an average of $4,416 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from BYU - I carry an average student debtload of $13,750.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brigham Young University - Provo. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. Located in the midsize city of Provo, BYU is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at BYU are $6,120 per year. On average, nursing graduates from BYU take out $8,340 in student loans while working on their degree.
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The excellent programs at Otero Junior College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Rocky Mountains Region . Located in the town of La Junta, Otero JC is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Otero JC are $6,563 a year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Otero JC accumulate an average of around $31,200 in student debt.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend College of Eastern Idaho. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. CEI is a small public school located in the small city of Idaho Falls.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at CEI are $6,222 a year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at CEI accumulate an average of around $29,455 in student debt.
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Colorado Northwestern Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. CNCC is a small public school located in the rural area of Rangely.
CNCC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,596 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at CNCC accumulate an average of around $20,000 in student debt.
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College of Western Idaho came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Located in the rural area of Nampa, CWI is a public school with a fairly large student population.
CWI undergraduate students pay an average of $7,344 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at CWI take out is $18,937.
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Trinidad State Junior College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the town of Trinidad, Trinidad State Junior College is a public school with a small student population.
Trinidad State Junior College undergraduate students pay an average of $6,631 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Trinidad State Junior College carry an average student debtload of $22,353.
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Lamar Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. LCC is a fairly small public school located in the remote town of Lamar.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LCC are $6,592 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at LCC take out is $27,865.
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North Idaho College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the city of Coeur d'Alene, NIC is a public school with a small student population.
NIC undergraduate students pay an average of $8,736 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from NIC carry an average student debtload of $18,841.
Request InformationAdditional Noteworthy Schools
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 Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region award.
Rank | College | Location |
---|---|---|
11 | Denver College of Nursing | Denver, CO |
12 | College of Southern Idaho | Twin Falls, ID |
13 | Miles Community College | Miles City, MT |
13 | Northeastern Junior College | Sterling, CO |
Best Nursing Colleges by State
Explore the best nursing colleges for a specific state in the Rocky Mountains region.
State | Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
Colorado | 6,496 |
Utah | 17,535 |
Idaho | 1,593 |
Montana | 745 |
Wyoming | 397 |
More Nursing Rankings in the Rocky Mountains Region
Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing is one of 30 different types of healthcare programs to choose from.
Nursing Focus Areas
Most Popular Related Majors
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.