2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region
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.
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Out of the 99 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Galen College of Nursing - San Antonio landed the # 2 spot on the list. Galen College of Nursing - San Antonio is a small private for-profit school located in the large 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.
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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 very 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.
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Out of the 99 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Central Arizona College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the rural area of Coolidge, Pinal County Community College is a public college 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.
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The excellent associate degree programs at Northeast Texas Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Southwest Region . Located in the rural area of Mount Pleasant, NTCC is a public school with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from NTCC take out $22,867 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Carrington College, Mesquite came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Mesquite, Carrington College, Mesquite is a private for-profit school with a fairly 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.
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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 city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public school 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.
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Weatherford College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Weatherford College is a medium-sized public school located in the fringe 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.
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Lone Star College System landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. North Harris Montgomery is a fairly 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.
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Panola College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the distant town of Carthage, Panola College is a public college with a small student population.
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Amarillo College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Amarillo College is a moderately-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.
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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 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.
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Mohave Community College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. 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.
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Del Mar College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. DMC is a fairly 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.
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Request InformationHonorable 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 |
More Nursing Rankings in the Southwest Region
Rankings in Majors Related to Nursing
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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