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Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina

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2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina

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

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in North Carolina with 7,425 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022.

With all the nursing programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Our analysis looked at 52 schools in North Carolina 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 North Carolina

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 2023 rankings named Cabarrus College of Health Sciences the best school in North Carolina for nursing students working on their associate degree. Cabarrus College of Health Sciences is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Concord.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Cabarrus College of Health Sciences carry an average student debtload of $18,461.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Carolinas College of Health Sciences is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Charlotte, Carolinas College of Health Sciences is a public school with a small student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Carolinas College of Health Sciences accumulate an average of around $16,907 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Carolinas College of Health Sciences Report

Out of the 52 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Central Piedmont Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Charlotte, Central Piedmont Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Nursing at Central Piedmont Community College Report

#4

College of the Albemarle

Elizabeth City, NC

The excellent associate degree programs at College of the Albemarle helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in North Carolina. Located in the town of Elizabeth City, College of the Albemarle is a public school with a small student population.

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Out of the 52 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Brunswick Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the rural area of Bolivia, Brunswick Community College is a public school with a small student population.

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Surry Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Surry Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Dobson.

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Forsyth Technical Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem, Forsyth Tech is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Nursing majors at Forsyth Tech take out an average of $14,880 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Forsyth Technical Community College

#8

Craven Community College

New Bern, NC

Craven Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Craven Community College is a small public school located in the city of New Bern.

Full Nursing at Craven Community College Report

Richmond Community 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. Richmond Community College is a small public school located in the distant town of Hamlet.

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#10

Johnston Community College

Smithfield, NC

Johnston Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Located in the rural area of Smithfield, Johnston Community College is a public school with a small student population.

Full Nursing at Johnston Community College Report

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
Mississippi 2,838
Alabama 7,364
Kentucky 6,395
Tennessee 6,004
Louisiana 3,502
Florida 21,209
Arkansas 2,882
Georgia 7,112
West Virginia 1,771
South Carolina 3,296
Virginia 6,775

Nursing Concentrations

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

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

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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