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Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Virginia

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Virginia

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

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Virginia. In total, 6,775 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Virginia.

It's not easy to decide which healthcare program to enroll in when you have so many options available. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Healthcare Degree Search has developed this Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Virginia ranking. This report analyzed 30 schools in Virginia to see which ones were the most popular associate degree programs 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 colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing a associate degree.

#1

ECPI University

Virginia Beach, VA

Our analysis found ECPI University to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in Virginia. ECPI University is a large private for-profit school located in the city of Virginia Beach.

Women make up 91% of the nursing majors at the school.

Nursing majors at ECPI University take out an average of $35,025 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $174.

Read full report on Nursing at ECPI University

Out of the 30 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach landed the # 2 spot on the list. Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Virginia Beach.

About 95% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 5% are male.

Nursing majors at Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach take out an average of $34,394 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $171, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

#3

Germanna Community College

Locust Grove, VA

Out of the 30 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, Germanna Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the rural area of Locust Grove, Germanna Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

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

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Germanna Community College carry an average student debt load of $18,248.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Reynolds Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Virginia list. Located in the large suburb of Richmond, Reynolds Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

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

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Reynolds Community College accumulate an average of around $22,331 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Reynolds Community College Report

Out of the 30 schools in Virginia that were part of this year’s ranking, John Tyler Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. John Tyler Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Chester.

Women make up 86% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at John Tyler Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $18,508.

Read full report on Nursing at John Tyler Community College

Lord Fairfax Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Virginia list. Located in the rural area of Middletown, Lord Fairfax Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

About 92% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 8% are male.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Lord Fairfax Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $20,164.

Full Nursing at Lord Fairfax Community College Report

#7

Centra College of Nursing

Lynchburg, VA

Centra College of Nursing landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Lynchburg, Centra College of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

About 88% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 12% are male.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Centra College of Nursing take out while working on their Associate Degree is $24,398.

Read full report on Nursing at Centra College of Nursing

Northern Virginia Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. Located in the large suburb of Annandale, Northern Virginia Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 80% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Northern Virginia Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $22,241.

Full Nursing at Northern Virginia Community College Report

With a ranking of #9, Riverside College of Health Careers did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Newport News, Riverside College of Health Careers is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Of the 85 students majoring in nursing at Riverside College of Health Careers, 5% are male and 95% are female.

Nursing majors at Riverside College of Health Careers take out an average of $29,751 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Riverside College of Health Careers Report

Virginia Highlands 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 #10 on the list. Located in the small suburb of Abingdon, VHCC is a public college with a small student population.

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

On average, nursing graduates from VHCC take out $11,470 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Virginia Highlands Community College Report

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Florida 21,209
North Carolina 7,425
Tennessee 6,004
Georgia 7,112
Kentucky 6,395
West Virginia 1,771
Alabama 7,364
Louisiana 3,502
Mississippi 2,838
South Carolina 3,296
Arkansas 2,882

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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