2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 39,944 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which healthcare program is right for you. 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 Southwest Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 181 schools in the Southwest Region to see which 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.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 25 Best Southwest Region Schools for Affordable Quality in Nursing
Our 2023 rankings named New Mexico Junior College the best value school in the Southwest Region for nursing students. New Mexico Junior College is a small public school located in the remote town of Hobbs.
New Mexico Junior College undergraduate students pay an average of $2,280 in tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from New Mexico Junior College take out $17,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Aspen University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. Aspen University is a medium-sized private for-profit school located in the large city of Denver.
Aspen University undergraduate students pay an average of $5,170 in tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at Aspen University take out an average of $35,922 in student loans while working on their egree.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Aspen University is ranked #3 for overall quality for nursing in the Southwest Region .
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Clovis Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. Clovis Community College is a small public school located in the remote town of Clovis.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Clovis Community College are $2,984 a year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Clovis Community College carry an average student debtload of $11,473.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Central Arizona College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the rural area of Coolidge, Pinal County Community College is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Pinal County Community College are $5,160 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Pinal County Community College take out is $15,679.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Pinal County Community College also did well on our Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Out of the 181 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Panola College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the town of Carthage, Panola College is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Panola College are $4,680 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Panola College also did well on our Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Amarillo College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Amarillo College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Amarillo.
Amarillo College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,704 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Amarillo College take out is $21,240.
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College of the Mainland came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. COM is a small public school located in the midsize suburb of Texas City.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at COM are $3,873 a year. On average, nursing graduates from COM take out $20,290 in student loans while working on their degree.
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South Plains College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the town of Levelland, South Plains College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
South Plains College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,276 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at South Plains College take out is $12,750.
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Alvin Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Alvin is a small public school located in the suburb of Alvin.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Alvin are $4,010 per year. Nursing majors at Alvin take out an average of $15,511 in student loans while working on their egree.
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New Mexico State University - Carlsbad came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. NMSU Carlsbad is a small public school located in the rural area of Carlsbad.
NMSU Carlsbad undergraduate students pay an average of $4,008 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at NMSU Carlsbad take out is $17,900.
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With a ranking of #11, Tyler Junior College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Located in the city of Tyler, Tyler Junior College is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Tyler Junior College are $4,440 a year. Nursing majors at Tyler Junior College take out an average of $18,814 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Clarendon College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #12 on the list. Clarendon College is a small public school located in the rural area of Clarendon.
Clarendon College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,176 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Clarendon College accumulate an average of around $20,000 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #13, Lee College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Located in the city of Baytown, Lee College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lee College are $4,302 per year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Lee College carry an average student debtload of $14,500.
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Wharton County Junior College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the distant town of Wharton, Wharton County Junior College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Wharton County Junior College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,872 in tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Wharton County Junior College take out $14,006 in student loans while working on their degree.
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San Jacinto Community College landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the large suburb of Pasadena, San Jacinto College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
San Jacinto College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,040 in tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at San Jacinto College take out an average of $12,750 in student loans while working on their egree.
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El Centro College landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the large city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public school with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at El Centro College are $6,000 per year. Nursing majors at El Centro College take out an average of $18,559 in student loans while working on their egree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, El Centro College also is in the top 5% of our Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.
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With a ranking of #17, Northeast Texas Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Located in the rural area of Mount Pleasant, NTCC is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NTCC are $6,449 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at NTCC take out is $20,000.
NTCC also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
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Lone Star College System ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. North Harris Montgomery is a fairly large public school located in the city of The Woodlands.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Harris Montgomery are $6,168 per year. Nursing majors at North Harris Montgomery take out an average of $13,797 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Collin County Community College District landed the #19 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Collin County Community College District is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of McKinney.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Collin County Community College District are $5,104 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Collin County Community College District take out is $14,970.
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Houston Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #20 on the list. Houston Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Houston.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Houston Community College are $5,460 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Houston Community College take out is $21,000.
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Victoria College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. Victoria College is a small public school located in the city of Victoria.
Victoria College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,872 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Victoria College carry an average student debtload of $18,507.
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Del Mar College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #22 on the list. DMC is a large public school located in the large city of Corpus Christi.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at DMC are $5,930 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at DMC take out is $10,429.
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University of New Mexico - Gallup Campus did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #23 on the list. UNM Gallup is a small public school located in the rural area of Gallup.
UNM Gallup undergraduate students pay an average of $4,708 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from UNM Gallup carry an average student debtload of $14,796.
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Galveston College landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Galveston College is a small public school located in the fringe town of Galveston.
Galveston College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,200 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Galveston College take out is $17,757.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Galveston College also did well on our Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Odessa College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #25 on the list. Odessa College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Odessa.
Odessa College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,398 in tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Odessa College take out $11,875 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great value schools for Nursing students in the Southwest Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | San Juan College | Farmington, NM |
| 29 | South Texas College | McAllen, TX |
| 30 | Temple College | Temple, TX |
| 30 | Laredo College | Laredo, TX |
| 32 | El Paso Community College | El Paso, TX |
| 33 | Howard College | Big Spring, TX |
| 34 | Angelina College | Lufkin, TX |
| 35 | Grayson College | Denison, TX |
| 36 | Weatherford College | Weatherford, TX |
| 36 | Vernon College | Vernon, TX |
Best Nursing Colleges by State
Explore the best nursing schools for a specific state in the Southwest region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Texas | 21,862 |
| Arizona | 12,966 |
| Oklahoma | 3,009 |
| New Mexico | 1,390 |
More Nursing Rankings in the Southwest 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
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.
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