Find Nursing Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools

Find Schools Near

2023 Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools

108 Colleges
$41,222 Avg Salary
$20,983 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree 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.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which nursing program is right for you. 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 Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 108 schools in the United States to see which associate degree programs were the most popular for nursing students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for practical nursing majors pursuing a associate degree.

#1

Unitek College

Fremont, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Unitek College the most popular school in the United States for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Unitek College is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Fremont.

About 82% of the students majoring in practical nursing at the school are women while 18% are male.

After completing their Associate Degree, practical nursing graduates from Unitek College carry an average student debt load of $20,602. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $184.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools list. Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a small private for-profit school located in the midsize city of San Mateo.

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

While working on their Associate Degree, practical nursing majors at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts accumulate an average of around $18,804 in student debt.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts Report

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Carrington College, Sacramento is a great place for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Sacramento, Carrington College, Sacramento is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

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

After completing their Associate Degree, practical nursing graduates from Carrington College, Sacramento carry an average student debt load of $31,342.

Read More…

#4

Del Mar College

Corpus Christi, TX

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Del Mar College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools list. DMC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Corpus Christi.

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

Read More…

Out of the 108 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Bates Technical College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Bates Technical College is a small public school located in the city of Tacoma.

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

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Bates Technical College

#6

Pacific College

Costa Mesa, CA

Pacific College ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Costa Mesa, Pacific College is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Women make up 96% of the practical nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Associate Degree, practical nursing majors at Pacific College accumulate an average of around $20,773 in student debt.

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

Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Metro ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools list. Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Metro is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Juan.

About 82% of the students majoring in practical nursing at the school are women while 18% are male.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Metro

With a ranking of #8, Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Located in the small city of Arecibo, Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Of the 64 students majoring in practical nursing at Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo, 16% are male and 84% are female.

After completing their Associate Degree, practical nursing graduates from Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo carry an average student debt load of $7,633.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo

#9

Coconino Community College

Flagstaff, AZ

Coconino Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools list. Coconino Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Flagstaff.

Of the 57 students majoring in practical nursing at Coconino Community College, 16% are male and 84% are female.

While working on their Associate Degree, practical nursing majors at Coconino Community College accumulate an average of around $18,392 in student debt.

Read More…

#10

PITC Institute

Wyncote, PA

PITC Institute landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree practical nursing and nursing assistants programs. PITC Institute is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Wyncote.

About 96% of the students majoring in practical nursing at the school are women while 4% are male.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at PITC Institute

#11

ATA College

Louisville, KY

With a ranking of #11, ATA College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Louisville, ATA College is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Of the 47 students majoring in practical nursing at ATA College, 4% are male and 96% are female.

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

Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Aguadilla ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools list. Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Aguadilla is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Aguadilla.

About 78% of the students majoring in practical nursing at the school are women while 23% are male.

Read More…

With a ranking of #13, North Dakota State College of Science did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Located in the distant town of Wahpeton, North Dakota State College of Science is a public school with a small student population.

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

After completing their Associate Degree, practical nursing graduates from North Dakota State College of Science carry an average student debt load of $23,924.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at North Dakota State College of Science Report

#14

Green River College

Auburn, WA

Green River College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for practical nursing and nursing assistants students to get a associate degree. It came in at #14 on the list. GRC is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Auburn.

About 89% of the students majoring in practical nursing at the school are women while 11% are male.

On average, practical nursing graduates from GRC take out $18,657 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Green River College Report

#15

Long Beach City College

Long Beach, CA

With a ranking of #15, Long Beach City College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Located in the large city of Long Beach, Long Beach City College is a public college with a very large student population.

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

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Long Beach City College

Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Guayama did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for practical nursing and nursing assistants students to get a associate degree. It came in at #16 on the list. Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Guayama is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Guayama.

Of the 34 students majoring in practical nursing at Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Guayama, 21% are male and 79% are female.

On average, practical nursing graduates from Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Guayama take out $7,154 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Guayama

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
17 Platt College - Tulsa Tulsa, OK
18 Citrus College Glendora, CA
19 Arkansas Tech University Russellville, AR
20 Riverside City College Riverside, CA
21 Dickinson State University Dickinson, ND

Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants by Region

View the Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

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.

Featured Schools

Find Nursing Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited nursing schools across the U.S.