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Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Kentucky

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2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Kentucky

28 Colleges
$57,601 Avg Salary
$21,889 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 Kentucky. In total, 6,395 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Kentucky.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for nursing students. 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 Kentucky ranking. This report analyzed 28 schools in Kentucky to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs 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 Kentucky

The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

Our analysis found Galen College of Nursing - Louisville to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in Kentucky. Galen College of Nursing - Louisville is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Louisville.

On average, nursing graduates from Galen College of Nursing - Louisville take out $35,636 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $111.

Full Nursing at Galen College of Nursing - Louisville Report

Out of the 28 schools in Kentucky that were part of this year’s ranking, Galen College of Nursing - ARH landed the # 2 spot on the list. Galen College of Nursing - ARH is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the town of Hazard.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Galen College of Nursing - ARH accumulate an average of around $35,636 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $111.

Read full report on Nursing at Galen College of Nursing - ARH

#3

Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, KY

Out of the 28 schools in Kentucky that were part of this year’s ranking, Western Kentucky University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Bowling Green, WKU is a public school with a large student population.

On average, nursing graduates from WKU take out $25,980 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Western Kentucky University Report

#4

Sullivan University

Louisville, KY

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Sullivan University is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Sullivan University is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Louisville.

Full Nursing at Sullivan University Report

#5

Midway University

Midway, KY

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Midway University is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the rural area of Midway, Midway is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Midway take out $25,148 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Midway University Report

#6

University of Pikeville

Pikeville, KY

University of Pikeville ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Kentucky list. Located in the remote town of Pikeville, UPIKE is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Nursing majors at UPIKE take out an average of $22,886 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

#7

ATA College

Louisville, KY

ATA College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Kentucky list. Located in the suburb of Louisville, ATA College is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at ATA College accumulate an average of around $40,674 in student debt.

Read More…

Beckfield College - Florence ranked #8 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Kentucky list. Located in the large suburb of Florence, Beckfield College - Florence is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Beckfield College - Florence take out $39,518 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Beckfield College - Florence

Gateway Community and Technical College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Kentucky ranking. Gateway is a small public school located in the suburb of Florence.

On average, nursing graduates from Gateway take out $25,591 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

Bluegrass Community and Technical College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Bluegrass Community and Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the large city of Lexington.

On average, nursing graduates from Bluegrass Community and Technical College take out $24,519 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Bluegrass Community and Technical College

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Mississippi 2,838
Alabama 7,364
Tennessee 6,004
Louisiana 3,502
Florida 21,209
Arkansas 2,882
West Virginia 1,771
Georgia 7,112
North Carolina 7,425
South Carolina 3,296
Virginia 6,775

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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