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Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa

18 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 Iowa. In total, 2,966 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Iowa.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for healthcare students. 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 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 Iowa ranking. Our analysis looked at 18 schools in Iowa 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.

Our 2023 rankings named Des Moines Area Community College the most popular school in Iowa for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the suburb of Ankeny, DMACC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Of the 166 students majoring in nursing at DMACC, 10% are male and 90% are female.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at DMACC accumulate an average of around $23,473 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Des Moines Area Community College Report

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#2

Iowa Western Community College

Council Bluffs, IA

The in-demand associate degree programs at Iowa Western Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Iowa. Located in the small city of Council Bluffs, Iowa Western Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

About 90% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 10% are male.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Iowa Western Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $27,290.

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#3

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, IA

The in-demand associate degree programs at Kirkwood Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Iowa. Located in the city of Cedar Rapids, Kirkwood Community College is a public college with a large student population.

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

On average, nursing graduates from Kirkwood Community College take out $27,483 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Out of the 18 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeast Iowa Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list. NICC is a small public school located in the rural area of Calmar.

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

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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Eastern Iowa Community College District is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Eastern Iowa Community Colleges is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize city of Davenport.

Women make up 94% of the nursing majors at the school.

On average, nursing graduates from Eastern Iowa Community Colleges take out $27,563 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Western Iowa Tech Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Western Iowa Tech Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Sioux City.

Of the 81 students majoring in nursing at Western Iowa Tech Community College, 10% are male and 90% are female.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Western Iowa Tech Community College carry an average student debt load of $24,421.

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With a ranking of #7, Iowa Central Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Iowa Central Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the remote town of Fort Dodge.

Of the 75 students majoring in nursing at Iowa Central Community College, 8% are male and 92% are female.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Iowa Central Community College accumulate an average of around $26,954 in student debt.

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#8

Southeastern Community College

West Burlington, IA

Southeastern Community College ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Southeastern Community College is a small public school located in the remote town of West Burlington.

Women make up 94% of the nursing majors at the school.

On average, nursing graduates from Southeastern Community College take out $25,483 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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North Iowa Area 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 #9 on the list. North Iowa Area Community College is a small public school located in the remote town of Mason City.

Women make up 85% of the nursing majors at the school.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from North Iowa Area Community College carry an average student debt load of $19,728.

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Mercy College of Health Sciences ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in the medium-sized city of Des Moines, Mercy College of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

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

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Mercy College of Health Sciences carry an average student debt load of $33,251.

Full Nursing at Mercy College of Health Sciences Report

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Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 14,890
Missouri 6,840
Nebraska 1,908
Kansas 2,633
South Dakota 1,022
North Dakota 976

One of 30 majors within the healthcare area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Nursing Concentrations

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

Majors Similar to Nursing

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 18 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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