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

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in Tennessee with 6,004 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022.

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 analysis found Southwest Tennessee Community College to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in Tennessee. Located in the city of Memphis, Southwest is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Jackson State Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. JSCC is a small public school located in the small city of Jackson.

Full Nursing at Jackson State Community College Report

#3

Southern Adventist University

Collegedale, TN

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Southern Adventist University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the suburb of Collegedale, Southern Adventist is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Nursing majors at Southern Adventist take out an average of $21,339 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Southern Adventist University

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.

On average, nursing graduates from LMU take out $17,251 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 $101.

Read full report on Nursing at Lincoln Memorial University

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Dyersburg State Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the town of Dyersburg, DSCC is a public school with a small student population.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from DSCC carry an average student debtload of $8,390.

Full Nursing at Dyersburg State Community College Report

Motlow State Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in the rural area of Tullahoma, Motlow is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

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Northeast State Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Located in the rural area of Blountville, Northeast State Technical Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Full Nursing at Northeast State Community College Report

With a ranking of #8, Columbia State Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Columbia State Community College is a small public school located in the town of Columbia.

Nursing majors at Columbia State Community College take out an average of $13,609 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Columbia State Community College

Chattanooga State Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Chattanooga State Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Chattanooga.

Nursing majors at Chattanooga State Community College take out an average of $15,771 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Fortis Institute - Nashville ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list. 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 $26,218.

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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
Kentucky 6,395
Arkansas 2,882
Louisiana 3,502
Florida 21,209
West Virginia 1,771
North Carolina 7,425
South Carolina 3,296
Virginia 6,775
Georgia 7,112

Nursing Focus Areas

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 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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