2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 322,592 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.
There are so many nursing programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking. Our analysis looked at 960 schools in the United States to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the United States
The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Colleges.
Top 25 Top Schools for an Associate in Nursing
Our 2023 rankings named Helene Fuld College of Nursing the best school in the United States for nursing students working on their associate degree. HFCN is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of New York.
On average, nursing graduates from HFCN take out $27,942 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Saint Michael College of Allied Health is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Saint Michael College of Allied Health is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Alexandria.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Arnot Ogden Medical Center is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the small city of Elmira, Arnot Ogden Medical Center is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the city of San Mateo, Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts accumulate an average of around $20,947 in student debt.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Stanbridge University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Stanbridge is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Irvine.
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Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, L.A. County School of Nursing is a public school with a small student population.
Nursing majors at L.A. County School of Nursing take out an average of $21,695 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Standard Healthcare Services - College of Nursing came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking. Standard College of Nursing is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Falls Church.
On average, nursing graduates from Standard College of Nursing take out $30,701 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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With a ranking of #8, Excelsior College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the small city of Albany, Excelsior College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly large student population.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Excelsior College accumulate an average of around $23,429 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #9, Best Care College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Best Care College is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of East Orange.
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With a ranking of #10, Cochran School of Nursing did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Yonkers, Cochran School of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Cochran School of Nursing take out $29,255 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Ohio Medical Career College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Dayton, Ohio Medical Career College is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
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St. Joseph’s College of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #12 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse, St Joseph's College of Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at St Joseph's College of Nursing take out while working on their Associate Degree is $24,061. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $380.
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St Paul’s School of Nursing - Queens ranked #13 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Rego Park, St Paul's School of Nursing - Queens is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at St Paul's School of Nursing - Queens take out while working on their Associate Degree is $32,985. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $191.
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Unitek College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the large suburb of Fremont, Unitek College is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Unitek College carry an average student debtload of $26,043.
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Baptist Health System School of Health Professions came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking. Baptist Health System School of Health Professions is a small private for-profit school located in the city of San Antonio.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Baptist Health System School of Health Professions carry an average student debtload of $27,515. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $110, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Jersey College landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the large suburb of Teterboro, Jersey College is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Jersey College accumulate an average of around $35,837 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $89, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Delaware Technical Community College - Terry landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the small city of Dover, Delaware Tech is a public college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Delaware Tech carry an average student debtload of $18,104.
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Trident Technical College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Charleston, Trident Technical College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Trident Technical College accumulate an average of around $29,278 in student debt.
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Merced College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking. Merced Community College District is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Merced.
Nursing majors at Merced Community College District take out an average of $12,152 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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With a ranking of #20, St. Peter’s Hospital College of Nursing did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. St. Peter's Hospital College of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Albany.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at St. Peter's Hospital College of Nursing accumulate an average of around $27,313 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #21, Rasmussen University - Minnesota did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a small private for-profit school located in the city of St. Cloud.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Minnesota take out while working on their Associate Degree is $32,326. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $175.
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Rasmussen University - Florida ranked #22 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Rasmussen University - Florida is a moderately-sized private for-profit school located in the city of Ocala.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Rasmussen University - Florida carry an average student debtload of $32,326. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $175.
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Ambria College of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #23 on the list. Located in the small city of Hoffman Estates, Ambria College of Nursing is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Ambria College of Nursing take out $32,601 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Rasmussen University - Illinois landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Rasmussen University - Illinois is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Rockford.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Illinois take out while working on their Associate Degree is $32,326. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $175.
Full Nursing at Rasmussen University - Illinois Report
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Columbia Gorge Community College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the remote town of The Dalles, Columbia Gorge Community College is a public college with a fairly small student population.
Nursing majors at Columbia Gorge Community College take out an average of $29,728 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Full Nursing at Columbia Gorge Community College Report
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Remaining Award Winners
This list represents the remainder of the colleges awarded a Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 960 different United States nursing schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
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 Associate Degree Schools award.
Nursing by Region
View the Best Nursing 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 |
More Nursing Rankings
Nursing Related Rankings by Major
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 |
Most Popular Majors Related to Nursing
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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