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Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region

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2023 Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region

107 Colleges
$35,909 Avg Salary
$13,948 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants School for You

With 84,274 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, practical nursing and nursing assistants is the #2 most popular major in the United States.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for nursing students. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

The Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 107 schools in the Southwest Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region

The following schools top our list of the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Colleges.

Top 15% Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools

#1

Texas Health School

Houston, TX

Our 2023 rankings named Texas Health School the best school in the Southwest Region for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. Texas Health School is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Houston.

On average, practical nursing graduates from Texas Health School take out $22,274 in student loans while working on their degree.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Galen College of Nursing - San Antonio is a great place for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. Galen College of Nursing - San Antonio is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of San Antonio.

The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at Galen College of Nursing - San Antonio take out is $16,353. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $107, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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Out of the 107 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Autry Technology Center landed the # 3 spot on the list. Autry Technology Center is a small public school located in the town of Enid.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend East Valley Institute of Technology. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region list. EVIT is a fairly small public school located in the large city of Mesa.

The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at EVIT take out is $12,993.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Platt College - Tulsa. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region list. Platt College - Tulsa is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Tulsa.

Practical Nursing majors at Platt College - Tulsa take out an average of $16,263 in student loans while working on their egree.

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Regional Center for Border Health came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Regional Center for Border Health is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Yuma.

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#7

Pioneer Technology Center

Ponca City, OK

Pioneer Technology Center came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Pioneer Technology Center is a small public school located in the remote town of Ponca City.

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#8

El Centro College

Dallas, TX

El Centro College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public school with a very large student population.

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With a ranking of #9, Baptist Health System School of Health Professions did quite well on this year’s best schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. Located in the city of San Antonio, Baptist Health System School of Health Professions is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

On average, practical nursing graduates from Baptist Health System School of Health Professions take out $16,967 in student loans while working on their degree.

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Kiamichi Technology Center-McAlester ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region list. KTC McAlester is a fairly small public school located in the town of McAlester.

After completing their degree, practical nursing graduates from KTC McAlester carry an average student debtload of $9,500.

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Concorde Career College - Dallas ranked #11 on this year’s Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the large city of Dallas, Concorde Career College - Dallas is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at Concorde Career College - Dallas take out is $17,261.

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#12

Northeast Texas Community College

Mount Pleasant, TX

Northeast Texas Community College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best practical nursing and nursing assistants programs. Located in the rural area of Mount Pleasant, NTCC is a public college with a small student population.

After completing their degree, practical nursing graduates from NTCC carry an average student debtload of $9,500.

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#13

Panola College

Carthage, TX

Panola College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best practical nursing and nursing assistants programs. Located in the distant town of Carthage, Panola College is a public college with a small student population.

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GateWay Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. It came in at #14 on the list. GateWay Community College is a small public school located in the city of Phoenix.

While working on their degree, practical nursing majors at GateWay Community College accumulate an average of around $13,728 in student debt.

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Concorde Career College - Grand Prairie came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Concorde Career College - Grand Prairie is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Grand Prairie.

Practical Nursing majors at Concorde Career College - Grand Prairie take out an average of $20,875 in student loans while working on their egree.

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With a ranking of #16, Pontotoc Technology Center did quite well on this year’s best schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. Pontotoc Technology Center is a small public school located in the rural area of Ada.

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Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region award.

Rank College Location
17 Amarillo College Amarillo, TX
18 North Central Texas College Gainesville, TX
19 Del Mar College Corpus Christi, TX
20 Great Plains Technology Center Lawton, OK
21 Angelina College Lufkin, TX

Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Colleges by State

Explore the best practical nursing and nursing assistants colleges for a specific state in the Southwest region.

State Degrees Awarded
Arizona 57
Texas 97
New Mexico 0
Oklahoma 57

Practical Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training 44,900
Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant/Aide 34,557
Other Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants 4,817

Related Major Annual Graduates
Nursing 322,592

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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