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Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

23 Colleges
$57,700 Avg Salary
$16,287 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Pennsylvania. In total, 11,477 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Pennsylvania.

Today's nursing students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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 Pennsylvania ranking. This report analyzed 23 schools in Pennsylvania to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs 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 Pennsylvania

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

Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences the best school in Pennsylvania for nursing students working on their associate degree. PA College is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Lancaster.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at PA College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $17,862. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $341, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend University of Pittsburgh - Titusville. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the town of Titusville, Pitt Titusville is a public college with a fairly small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Pitt Titusville take out while working on their Associate Degree is $22,479. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $343, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Pittsburgh - Titusville

The excellent associate degree programs at Harrisburg Area Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Pennsylvania. Located in the small city of Harrisburg, HACC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Nursing majors at HACC take out an average of $23,946 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Harrisburg Area Community College Report

#4

La Roche University

Pittsburgh, PA

The excellent associate degree programs at La Roche University helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Pennsylvania. Located in the suburb of Pittsburgh, La Roche is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Full Nursing at La Roche University Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Pennsylvania College of Technology. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the city of Williamsport, Penn College is a public college with a small student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Penn College accumulate an average of around $30,108 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Pennsylvania College of Technology Report

Luzerne County Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Luzerne County Community College is a small public school located in the suburb of Nanticoke.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Luzerne County Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $17,441.

Full Nursing at Luzerne County Community College Report

Mercyhurst University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the city of Erie, Mercyhurst is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Mercyhurst take out $24,640 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Mercyhurst University

University of Pittsburgh - Bradford ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the town of Bradford, Pitt Bradford is a public college with a small student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Pitt Bradford accumulate an average of around $22,479 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $343, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Pittsburgh - Bradford

Best Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

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

Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 262,974
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,647
Nursing Practice 8,862
Nursing Administration 8,663
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 4,717
Nursing Science 4,701
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,895
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,075
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 2,011
Nurse Anesthetist 1,768
Critical Care Nursing 747
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 622
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 567
School Nursing 539
Clinical Nurse Leader 502
Clinical Nurse Specialist 340
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 269
Women’s Health Nurse/Nursing 262
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 192
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 87
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 26
Forensic Nursing 23
Palliative Care Nursing 13

Majors Similar to Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 85,339

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 23 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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