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Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Arkansas

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2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Arkansas

19 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 Arkansas with 2,882 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which nursing program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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 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 Arkansas ranking. Our analysis looked at 19 schools in Arkansas 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 Arkansas

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 Baptist Health College - Little Rock to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in Arkansas. BHCLR is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Little Rock.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from BHCLR carry an average student debtload of $26,388. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $87.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arkansas State University - Newport. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Arkansas list. ASUN is a small public school located in the rural area of Newport.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at ASUN accumulate an average of around $20,883 in student debt.

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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Jefferson Regional Medical Center School of Nursing is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. JRMC School of Nursing is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the small city of Pine Bluff.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from JRMC School of Nursing carry an average student debtload of $20,223.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Arkansas State University - Main Campus. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Arkansas list. A-State is a large public school located in the small city of Jonesboro.

On average, nursing graduates from A-State take out $26,458 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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The excellent associate degree programs at NorthWest Arkansas Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Arkansas. NWACC is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Bentonville.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from NWACC carry an average student debtload of $18,630.

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#6

Arkansas Tech University

Russellville, AR

Arkansas Tech University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. ATU is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Russellville.

Nursing majors at ATU take out an average of $26,231 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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With a ranking of #7, University of Arkansas at Little Rock did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Little Rock, UA Little Rock is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at UA Little Rock accumulate an average of around $31,418 in student debt.

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University of Arkansas Community College - Morrilton 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 town of Morrilton, UACCM is a public school with a small student population.

Nursing majors at UACCM take out an average of $26,531 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Arkansas State University Three Rivers ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Arkansas list. Located in the fringe town of Malvern, ASU Three Rivers is a public school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at ASU Three Rivers take out while working on their Associate Degree is $30,774.

Full Nursing at Arkansas State University Three Rivers Report

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University of Arkansas Community College - Batesville landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. UACCB is a small public school located in the town of Batesville.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at UACCB accumulate an average of around $15,732 in student debt.

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Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Alabama 7,364
Kentucky 6,395
Tennessee 6,004
Louisiana 3,502
Mississippi 2,838
Florida 21,209
North Carolina 7,425
West Virginia 1,771
Georgia 7,112
South Carolina 3,296
Virginia 6,775

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

Related Major Annual Graduates
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 19 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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