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Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region

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

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

107 Colleges
$4,725 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$35,909 Avg Salary

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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. This report analyzed 107 schools in the Southwest Region to see which ones offered the best value programs for practical nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

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

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

Top 15% Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools

$2,280 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named New Mexico Junior College the best value school in the Southwest Region for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. New Mexico Junior College is a small public school located in the town of Hobbs.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at New Mexico Junior College are $2,280 a year.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at New Mexico Junior College Report

$2,984 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Clovis Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best practical nursing and nursing assistants schools in the Southwest Region . Clovis Community College is a small public school located in the remote town of Clovis.

Clovis Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $2,984 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at Clovis Community College take out is $10,122.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Clovis Community College Report

#3

Panola College

Carthage, TX

The excellent programs at Panola College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best practical nursing and nursing assistants schools in the Southwest Region . Located in the distant town of Carthage, Panola College is a public college with a small student population.

Panola College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,680 in tuition and fees each year.

Panola College also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Panola College

#4

Amarillo College

Amarillo, TX

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Amarillo College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region list. Amarillo College is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize city of Amarillo.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Amarillo College are $4,704 per year. Practical Nursing majors at Amarillo College take out an average of $13,682 in student loans while working on their egree.

Amarillo College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region list.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Amarillo College Report

#5

Tyler Junior College

Tyler, TX
$4,440 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Tyler Junior College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the medium-sized city of Tyler, Tyler Junior College is a public school 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. On average, practical nursing graduates from Tyler Junior College take out $12,883 in student loans while working on their degree.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Tyler Junior College

#6

Victoria College

Victoria, TX
$4,872 Average Tuition & Fees

Victoria College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. 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. The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at Victoria College take out is $12,452.

Read More…

#7

South Plains College

Levelland, TX
$4,276 Average Tuition & Fees

South Plains College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. It came in at #7 on the list. Located in the distant town of Levelland, South Plains College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at South Plains College are $4,276 a year. After completing their degree, practical nursing graduates from South Plains College carry an average student debtload of $14,750.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at South Plains College

$4,010 Average Tuition & Fees

Alvin Community College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region list. Alvin is a small public school located in the large suburb of Alvin.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Alvin are $4,010 per year. After completing their degree, practical nursing graduates from Alvin carry an average student debtload of $12,463.

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#9

El Centro College

Dallas, TX

El Centro College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at El Centro College are $6,000 per year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, El Centro College also did well on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read More…

#10

College of the Mainland

Texas City, TX
$3,873 Average Tuition & Fees

College of the Mainland came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. COM is a small public school located in the suburb of Texas City.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at COM are $3,873 per year.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at College of the Mainland

#11

Clarendon College

Clarendon, TX
$4,176 Average Tuition & Fees

Clarendon College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Clarendon College is a small public school located in the rural area of Clarendon.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Clarendon College are $4,176 a year.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Clarendon College Report

$5,040 Average Tuition & Fees

San Jacinto Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. It came in at #12 on the list. Located in the suburb of Pasadena, San Jacinto College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Jacinto College are $5,040 per year. After completing their degree, practical nursing graduates from San Jacinto College carry an average student debtload of $11,000.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at San Jacinto Community College

$4,008 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #14, New Mexico State University - Carlsbad did quite well on this year’s best value schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. 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.

Read More…

#15

Del Mar College

Corpus Christi, TX

Del Mar College landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value practical nursing and nursing assistants programs. DMC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Corpus Christi.

DMC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,930 in tuition and fees each year.

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#16

Northeast Texas Community College

Mount Pleasant, TX

Northeast Texas Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. It came in at #16 on the list. Located in the rural area of Mount Pleasant, NTCC is a public school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NTCC are $6,449 per year. After completing their degree, practical nursing graduates from NTCC carry an average student debtload of $9,500.

In addition to its great value ranking, NTCC is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region list.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Northeast Texas Community College

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great value schools for Nursing & Nursing Assistants students in the Southwest Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Southwest Region award.

Rank College Location
17 Wharton County Junior College Wharton, TX
18 Angelina College Lufkin, TX
19 El Paso Community College El Paso, TX
20 Galveston College Galveston, TX
21 Lee College Baytown, 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.

  • 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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