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Best Value Nursing Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

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2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

71 Colleges
$10,398 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$68,192 Avg Salary

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

#1

Western Governors University

Salt Lake City, UT

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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$4,416 Average Tuition & Fees

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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#4

Otero Junior College

La Junta, CO
$6,563 Average Tuition & Fees

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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#5

College of Eastern Idaho

Idaho Falls, ID
$6,222 Average Tuition & Fees

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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$7,344 Average Tuition & Fees

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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$6,631 Average Tuition & Fees

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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$6,592 Average Tuition & Fees

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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#10

North Idaho College

Coeur d'Alene, ID

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.

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Additional 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

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 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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