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Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

151 Colleges
$57,601 Avg Salary
$21,889 Avg Student Debt

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.

Today's healthcare students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Healthcare Degree Search has created its Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 151 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which associate degree programs were the most popular for healthcare students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Colleges.

#1

Ivy Tech Community College

Indianapolis, IN

Our analysis found Ivy Tech Community College to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the large city of Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College is a public college with a very large student population.

Of the 1,366 students majoring in nursing at Ivy Tech Community College, 11% are male and 89% are female.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Ivy Tech Community College carry an average student debt load of $20,860.

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Out of the 151 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Rasmussen University - Illinois landed the # 2 spot on the list. Rasmussen University - Illinois is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Rockford.

Women make up 92% of the nursing majors at the school.

Nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Illinois take out an average of $32,326 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $175.

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Out of the 151 schools in the Great Lakes Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Cuyahoga Community College District landed the # 3 spot on the list. Cuyahoga Community College District is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Cleveland.

Women make up 84% of the nursing majors at the school.

Nursing majors at Cuyahoga Community College District take out an average of $21,617 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#4

Hondros College of Nursing

Westerville, OH

The in-demand associate degree programs at Hondros College of Nursing helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in the Great Lakes Region . Hondros College of Nursing is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Westerville.

Women make up 93% of the nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Hondros College of Nursing accumulate an average of around $40,873 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $125.

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The in-demand associate degree programs at Galen College of Nursing - Cincinnati helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the large suburb of Cincinnati, Galen College of Nursing - Cincinnati is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Of the 222 students majoring in nursing at Galen College of Nursing - Cincinnati, 9% are male and 91% are female.

On average, nursing graduates from Galen College of Nursing - Cincinnati take out $35,636 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $111.

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#6

Owens Community College

Perrysburg, OH

With a ranking of #6, Owens Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Owens State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Perrysburg.

About 86% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 14% are male.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Owens State Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $30,639.

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#7

Henry Ford College

Dearborn, MI

Henry Ford College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the midsize city of Dearborn, Henry Ford College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

About 78% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 22% are male.

Nursing majors at Henry Ford College take out an average of $27,674 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Lansing Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. LCC is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Lansing.

Of the 198 students majoring in nursing at LCC, 24% are male and 76% are female.

On average, nursing graduates from LCC take out $28,140 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Northeast Wisconsin Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Green Bay, NWTC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

About 93% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 7% are male.

On average, nursing graduates from NWTC take out $21,872 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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With a ranking of #10, Central Ohio Technical College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the small suburb of Newark, COTC is a public college with a small student population.

Of the 189 students majoring in nursing at COTC, 17% are male and 83% are female.

On average, nursing graduates from COTC take out $25,409 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Madison Area Technical College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Madison College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Madison.

Of the 181 students majoring in nursing at Madison College, 10% are male and 90% are female.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Madison College accumulate an average of around $26,980 in student debt.

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Chippewa Valley Technical College ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. CVTC is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Eau Claire.

Women make up 92% of the nursing majors at the school.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from CVTC carry an average student debt load of $24,781.

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#13

Schoolcraft College

Livonia, MI

Schoolcraft College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Schoolcraft College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Livonia.

Of the 167 students majoring in nursing at Schoolcraft College, 13% are male and 87% are female.

On average, nursing graduates from Schoolcraft College take out $24,773 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Bryant & Stratton College - Wauwatosa ranked #14 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Bryant & Stratton College - Wauwatosa is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Wauwatosa.

Of the 157 students majoring in nursing at Bryant & Stratton College - Wauwatosa, 7% are male and 93% are female.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Bryant & Stratton College - Wauwatosa accumulate an average of around $34,394 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $171, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Columbus State Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #15 on the list. Columbus State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Columbus.

Women make up 87% of the nursing majors at the school.

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#16

Clark State Community College

Springfield, OH

Clark State Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #16 on the list. Clark State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Springfield.

About 84% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 16% are male.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Clark State Community College carry an average student debt load of $28,566.

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Lorain County Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #17 on the list. LCCC is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Elyria.

Women make up 89% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at LCCC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $25,698.

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#18

Delta College

University Center, MI

Delta College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Delta College is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of University Center.

Women make up 88% of the nursing majors at the school.

On average, nursing graduates from Delta College take out $21,140 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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With a ranking of #18, City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Malcolm X College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Chicago.

Women make up 82% of the nursing majors at the school.

On average, nursing graduates from Malcolm X College take out $18,740 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Sinclair Community College landed the #20 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Dayton, Sinclair Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

About 88% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 13% are male.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Sinclair Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $24,962.

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#21

Mercy College of Ohio

Toledo, OH

Mercy College of Ohio ranked #21 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Mercy College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Toledo.

Women make up 90% of the nursing majors at the school.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Mercy College carry an average student debt load of $35,681. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $149, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Milwaukee Area Technical College landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. Located in the large city of Milwaukee, MATC is a public school with a large student population.

Of the 126 students majoring in nursing at MATC, 12% are male and 88% are female.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at MATC accumulate an average of around $27,388 in student debt.

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional popular schools for Nursing students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
23 Macomb Community College Warren, MI
23 William Rainey Harper College Palatine, IL
23 Washtenaw Community College Ann Arbor, MI
26 Oakland Community College Bloomfield Hills, MI
27 University of Rio Grande Rio Grande, OH
28 Lakeland Community College Kirtland, OH
28 Gateway Technical College Kenosha, WI
30 Rasmussen University - Wisconsin Green Bay, WI
30 Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove, IL

Best Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best nursing schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Illinois 21,938
Ohio 13,973
Michigan 7,345
Indiana 7,922
Wisconsin 5,410

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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