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Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Arizona

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2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Arizona

20 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 Arizona with 12,966 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. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

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 Arizona ranking. Our analysis looked at 20 schools in Arizona 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 Arizona

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

#1

Central Arizona College

Coolidge, AZ

Our analysis found Central Arizona College to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in Arizona. Located in the rural area of Coolidge, Pinal County Community College is a public college with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Pinal County Community College take out $17,263 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Mohave Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. MCC is a small public school located in the rural area of Kingman.

On average, nursing graduates from MCC take out $15,324 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Mohave Community College

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend GateWay Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Arizona list. GateWay Community College is a small public school located in the city of Phoenix.

Nursing majors at GateWay Community College take out an average of $9,300 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at GateWay Community College

#4

Eastern Arizona College

Thatcher, AZ

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Eastern Arizona College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Arizona list. Located in the town of Thatcher, Eastern Arizona College is a public college with a small student population.

Full Nursing at Eastern Arizona College Report

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Carrington College-Mesa is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the large city of Mesa, Carrington College-Mesa is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Carrington College-Mesa accumulate an average of around $28,284 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $252.

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Estrella Mountain Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Arizona list. Estrella Mountain Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Avondale.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Estrella Mountain Community College carry an average student debtload of $11,440.

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Scottsdale 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 Scottsdale, Scottsdale Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Nursing majors at Scottsdale Community College take out an average of $8,208 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Scottsdale Community College

Arizona Western College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Yuma, AWC is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Full Nursing at Arizona Western College Report

Glendale Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Arizona ranking. Located in the large suburb of Glendale, Glendale Community College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Nursing majors at Glendale Community College take out an average of $8,335 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Glendale Community College

Pima Medical Institute - Mesa came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Arizona ranking. Located in the large city of Mesa, PMI Mesa is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Nursing majors at PMI Mesa take out an average of $26,135 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 $215.

Read full report on Nursing at Pima Medical Institute - Mesa

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southwest Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Area or other specific states within that region.

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

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 20 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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