2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa
Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in Iowa with 2,966 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022.
Today's nursing students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Nursing Degree Search has created the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 17 schools in Iowa to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs 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 Iowa
The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a associate degree.
Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Our analysis found St Luke’s College to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in Iowa. Located in the city of Sioux City, St Luke's College is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from St Luke's College carry an average student debtload of $14,584.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeast Iowa Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in the rural area of Calmar, NICC is a public school with a small student population.
Read full report on Nursing at Northeast Iowa Community College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Mercy College of Health Sciences. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Mercy College of Health Sciences is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Des Moines.
On average, nursing graduates from Mercy College of Health Sciences take out $25,555 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Northwest Iowa Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Northwest Iowa Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Sheldon.
Nursing majors at Northwest Iowa Community College take out an average of $14,766 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Read full report on Nursing at Northwest Iowa Community College
Out of the 17 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa Western Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Iowa Western Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Council Bluffs.
On average, nursing graduates from Iowa Western Community College take out $21,714 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Read full report on Nursing at Iowa Western Community College
Des Moines Area Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. DMACC is a very large public school located in the suburb of Ankeny.
Nursing majors at DMACC take out an average of $17,363 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
North Iowa Area Community College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the remote town of Mason City, North Iowa Area Community College is a public school with a small student population.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at North Iowa Area Community College accumulate an average of around $13,795 in student debt.
With a ranking of #8, Southeastern Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the town of West Burlington, Southeastern Community College is a public college with a small student population.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Southeastern Community College accumulate an average of around $18,790 in student debt.
Iowa Central Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the town of Fort Dodge, Iowa Central Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Iowa Central Community College take out $17,732 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Hawkeye Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Hawkeye Community College is a small public school located in the small city of Waterloo.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Hawkeye Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $20,604.
Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region
Explore all the Best Nursing Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Minnesota | 14,890 |
| South Dakota | 1,022 |
| North Dakota | 976 |
| Nebraska | 1,908 |
| Kansas | 2,633 |
| Missouri | 6,840 |
Nursing Related Rankings by Major
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 |
Majors Similar to Nursing
| 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.
Featured Schools
Request Info
|
Southern New Hampshire University You have goals. Southern New Hampshire University can help you get there. Whether you need a bachelor's degree to get into a career or want a master's degree to move up in your current career, SNHU has an online program for you. Find your degree from over 200 online programs. Learn More > |
NursingDegreeSearch.com provides higher-education, college and university, degree, program, career, salary, and other helpful information to students, faculty, institutions, and other internet audiences. Presented information and data are subject to change. Inclusion on this website does not imply or represent a direct relationship with the company, school, or brand. Information, though believed correct at time of publication, may not be correct, and no warranty is provided. Contact the schools to verify any information before relying on it. Financial aid may be available for those who qualify. The displayed options may include sponsored or recommended results, not necessarily based on your preferences.
© NursingDegreeSearch.com – All Rights Reserved.