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Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

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2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

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

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 27,247 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

With all the nursing programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best 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 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 40 schools in the Rocky Mountains Region to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region

Check out the nursing associate degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

Our analysis found Carrington College, Boise to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in the Rocky Mountains Region . Carrington College, Boise is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the midsize city of Boise.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Carrington College, Boise accumulate an average of around $30,485 in student debt.

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#2

Fortis College - Salt Lake City

Salt Lake City, UT

The excellent associate degree programs at Fortis College - Salt Lake City helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Rocky Mountains Region . Fortis College - Salt Lake City is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Salt Lake City.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Fortis College - Salt Lake City take out while working on their Associate Degree is $36,049.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Denver College of Nursing is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Denver College of Nursing is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Denver.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Denver College of Nursing take out while working on their Associate Degree is $33,043.

Full Nursing at Denver College of Nursing Report

#4

North Idaho College

Coeur d'Alene, ID

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend North Idaho College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region list. NIC is a small public school located in the city of Coeur d'Alene.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at NIC accumulate an average of around $20,920 in student debt.

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#5

Nightingale College

Salt Lake City, UT

The excellent associate degree programs at Nightingale College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Rocky Mountains Region . Located in the midsize city of Salt Lake City, Nightingale College is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Nightingale College carry an average student debtload of $31,741.

Full Nursing at Nightingale College Report

#6

Otero Junior College

La Junta, CO

Otero Junior College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Otero JC is a small public school located in the remote town of La Junta.

On average, nursing graduates from Otero JC take out $30,299 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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With a ranking of #7, AmeriTech College - Draper did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. AmeriTech College - Draper is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Draper.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at AmeriTech College - Draper accumulate an average of around $28,725 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $267.

Full Nursing at AmeriTech College - Draper Report

#8

Miles Community College

Miles City, MT

Miles Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the town of Miles City, Miles Community College is a public college with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Miles Community College take out $31,452 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Utah Valley University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Rocky Mountains Region ranking. Located in the small city of Orem, UVU is a public college with a very large student population.

On average, nursing graduates from UVU take out $15,279 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Utah Valley University

With a ranking of #10, Weber State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Ogden, WSU is a public school with a very large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at WSU take out while working on their Associate Degree is $19,725.

Read full report on Nursing at Weber State University

Best Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best nursing colleges for a specific state in the Rocky Mountains region.

State Degrees Awarded
Colorado 6,496
Utah 17,535
Montana 745
Idaho 1,593
Wyoming 397

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

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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