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Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

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2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

112 Colleges
$57,601 Avg Salary
$21,889 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 322,592 degrees and certificates were awarded to nursing students, making the major the most popular in the country.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which nursing program is right for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 112 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a associate degree.

Top 15% Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

Our analysis found Helene Fuld College of Nursing to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in the Middle Atlantic Region . Located in the large city of New York, HFCN is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from HFCN carry an average student debtload of $27,942.

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Out of the 112 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Saint Michael College of Allied Health landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the city of Alexandria, Saint Michael College of Allied Health is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Nursing at Saint Michael College of Allied Health Report

The excellent associate degree programs at Arnot Ogden Medical Center helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Middle Atlantic Region . Arnot Ogden Medical Center is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Elmira.

Full Nursing at Arnot Ogden Medical Center Report

#4

Excelsior College

Albany, NY

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Excelsior College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Excelsior College is a large private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Albany.

On average, nursing graduates from Excelsior College take out $23,429 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#5

Best Care College

East Orange, NJ

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Best Care College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Located in the suburb of East Orange, Best Care College is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

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Cochran School of Nursing ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Cochran School of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Yonkers.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Cochran School of Nursing carry an average student debtload of $29,255.

Full Nursing at Cochran School of Nursing Report

With a ranking of #7, St. Joseph’s College of Nursing did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. St Joseph's College of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Syracuse.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at St Joseph's College of Nursing accumulate an average of around $24,061 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $380, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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St Paul’s School of Nursing - Queens ranked #8 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. St Paul's School of Nursing - Queens is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of Rego Park.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at St Paul's School of Nursing - Queens accumulate an average of around $32,985 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $191, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at St Paul’s School of Nursing - Queens

#9

Jersey College

Teterboro, NJ

Jersey College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Jersey College is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Teterboro.

On average, nursing graduates from Jersey College take out $35,837 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $89.

Full Nursing at Jersey College Report

With a ranking of #10, Delaware Technical Community College - Terry did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Delaware Tech is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Dover.

Nursing majors at Delaware Tech take out an average of $18,104 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Delaware Technical Community College - Terry Report

St. Peter’s Hospital 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 #11 on the list. Located in the city of Albany, St. Peter's Hospital College of Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from St. Peter's Hospital College of Nursing take out $27,313 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at St. Peter’s Hospital College of Nursing Report

Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Troy.

Nursing majors at Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing take out an average of $30,003 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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With a ranking of #13, Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the suburb of Lancaster, PA College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at PA College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $30,149. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $324, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#14

Union County College

Cranford, NJ

Union County College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #14 on the list. Union County College is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Cranford.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Union County College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $28,481.

Read full report on Nursing at Union County College

Bronx Community College landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the large city of Bronx, BCC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at BCC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $21,782.

Full Nursing at Bronx Community College Report

#16

County College of Morris

Randolph, NJ

County College of Morris landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. County College of Morris is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Randolph.

Full Nursing at County College of Morris Report

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 Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region award.

Rank College Location
17 St Paul’s School of Nursing - Staten Island Staten Island, NY
18 University of Pittsburgh - Titusville Titusville, PA
19 Eastern International College - Belleville Belleville, NJ
20 Harrisburg Area Community College Harrisburg, PA
21 La Roche University Pittsburgh, PA
22 Suffolk County Community College Selden, NY

Best Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best nursing schools for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic region.

State Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 11,477
New York 17,708
New Jersey 5,648
Maryland 4,104
Delaware 1,267
District of Columbia 990

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
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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