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Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee

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2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee

17 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 Tennessee. In total, 6,004 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Tennessee.

There are so many nursing programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one 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 Tennessee ranking. Our analysis looked at 17 schools in Tennessee to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences 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 Tennessee

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

Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Southwest Tennessee Community College the best school in Tennessee for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the large city of Memphis, Southwest is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Southwest carry an average student debtload of $21,348.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Jackson State Community College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list. JSCC is a small public school located in the small city of Jackson.

Nursing majors at JSCC take out an average of $12,975 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#3

Southern Adventist University

Collegedale, TN

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Southern Adventist University is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the suburb of Collegedale, Southern Adventist is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Southern Adventist take out $24,595 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Out of the 17 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Lincoln Memorial University landed the # 4 spot on the list. LMU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the town of Harrogate.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at LMU take out while working on their Associate Degree is $24,304. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $86, based 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 Dyersburg State Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the town of Dyersburg, DSCC is a public college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at DSCC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $14,708.

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With a ranking of #6, Motlow State Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the rural area of Tullahoma, Motlow is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Motlow carry an average student debtload of $10,802.

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Northeast State 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 #7 on the list. Located in the rural area of Blountville, Northeast State Technical Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Northeast State Technical Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $10,274.

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Columbia State Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Columbia State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Columbia.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Columbia State Community College carry an average student debtload of $20,585.

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With a ranking of #9, Chattanooga State Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Chattanooga State Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Chattanooga.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Chattanooga State Community College accumulate an average of around $20,491 in student debt.

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Fortis Institute - Nashville landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Fortis Institute - Nashville is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Nashville.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Fortis Institute - Nashville carry an average student debtload of $35,696.

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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
Louisiana 3,502
Mississippi 2,838
Florida 21,209
Arkansas 2,882
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 17 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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