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Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

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2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

99 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 the United States with 39,944 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which nursing program is right for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

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 the Southwest Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 99 schools in the Southwest Region to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a associate degree.

Top 15% Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Baptist Health System School of Health Professions the best school in the Southwest Region for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of San Antonio, Baptist Health System School of Health Professions is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Nursing majors at Baptist Health System School of Health Professions take out an average of $27,515 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $110.

Read full report on Nursing at Baptist Health System School of Health Professions

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Galen College of Nursing - San Antonio. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Galen College of Nursing - San Antonio is a small private for-profit school located in the city of San Antonio.

Nursing majors at Galen College of Nursing - San Antonio take out an average of $35,636 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $111.

Full Nursing at Galen College of Nursing - San Antonio Report

#3

South Texas College

McAllen, TX

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend South Texas College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the midsize city of McAllen, South Texas College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Nursing majors at South Texas College take out an average of $11,425 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at South Texas College Report

#4

Central Arizona College

Coolidge, AZ

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Central Arizona College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the rural area of Coolidge, Pinal County Community College is a public school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Pinal County Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $19,049.

Full Nursing at Central Arizona College Report

#5

Northeast Texas Community College

Mount Pleasant, TX

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Northeast Texas Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the rural area of Mount Pleasant, NTCC is a public college with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from NTCC take out $22,867 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Northeast Texas Community College

Carrington College, Mesquite landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the suburb of Mesquite, Carrington College, Mesquite is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Carrington College, Mesquite accumulate an average of around $30,485 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Carrington College, Mesquite

#7

El Centro College

Dallas, TX

El Centro 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 large city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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

Full Nursing at El Centro College Report

#8

Weatherford College

Weatherford, TX

Weatherford College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Weatherford College is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Weatherford.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Weatherford College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $20,388.

Read full report on Nursing at Weatherford College

#9

Lone Star College System

The Woodlands, TX

With a ranking of #9, Lone Star College System did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. North Harris Montgomery is a very large public school located in the city of The Woodlands.

Nursing majors at North Harris Montgomery take out an average of $19,210 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Lone Star College System

#10

Panola College

Carthage, TX

Panola College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the town of Carthage, Panola College is a public college with a small student population.

Full Nursing at Panola College Report

#11

Amarillo College

Amarillo, TX

With a ranking of #11, Amarillo College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Amarillo College is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Amarillo.

Nursing majors at Amarillo College take out an average of $22,468 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Amarillo College

Austin Community College District came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the large city of Austin, Austin Community College District is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Nursing majors at Austin Community College District take out an average of $18,983 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Austin Community College District

#13

Mohave Community College

Kingman, AZ

With a ranking of #13, Mohave Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. MCC is a small public school located in the rural area of Kingman.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at MCC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $24,170.

Read full report on Nursing at Mohave Community College

#14

Del Mar College

Corpus Christi, TX

Del Mar College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. DMC is a large public school located in the city of Corpus Christi.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at DMC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $12,323.

Full Nursing at Del Mar College Report

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Nursing students in the Southwest Region that almost earned our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region award.

Rank College Location
15 Temple College Temple, TX
16 Texas State Technical College Waco, TX
17 San Jacinto Community College Pasadena, TX
18 Houston Community College Houston, TX
19 Tarrant County College District Fort Worth, TX

Best Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best nursing schools for a specific state in the Southwest region.

State Degrees Awarded
Arizona 12,966
Texas 21,862
New Mexico 1,390
Oklahoma 3,009

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

Majors Similar to Nursing

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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