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Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota

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2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota

21 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 Minnesota with 14,890 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which nursing program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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.

The Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 21 schools in Minnesota to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs 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 Minnesota

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

Our analysis found Rasmussen University - Minnesota to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in Minnesota. Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a small private for-profit school located in the small city of St. Cloud.

Nursing majors at Rasmussen University - Minnesota take out an average of $32,326 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $175, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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The excellent associate degree programs at Northwest Technical College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Minnesota. Located in the remote town of Bemidji, NTC is a public school with a fairly small student population.

Nursing majors at NTC take out an average of $32,265 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Northwest Technical College Report

The excellent associate degree programs at Rochester Community and Technical College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Minnesota. Rochester Community and Technical College is a small public school located in the city of Rochester.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Rochester Community and Technical College accumulate an average of around $27,212 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Rochester Community and Technical College

#4

Inver Hills Community College

Inver Grove Heights, MN

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Inver Hills Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota list. IHCC is a small public school located in the suburb of Inver Grove Heights.

Nursing majors at IHCC take out an average of $27,410 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Inver Hills Community College Report

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Anoka-Ramsey Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Coon Rapids.

Nursing majors at Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus take out an average of $28,625 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Minnesota West Community and Technical College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Minnesota West is a small public school located in the remote town of Granite Falls.

Read full report on Nursing at Minnesota West Community and Technical College

#7

Ridgewater College

Willmar, MN

Ridgewater College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the remote town of Willmar, Ridgewater College is a public school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Ridgewater College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $27,352.

Full Nursing at Ridgewater College Report

Alexandria Technical & Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota ranking. Located in the remote town of Alexandria, ATCC is a public college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at ATCC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $22,681.

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#9

South Central College

North Mankato, MN

South Central College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota ranking. Located in the small suburb of North Mankato, South Central College is a public college with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from South Central College take out $29,249 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at South Central College

Hibbing 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 #10 on the list. Located in the town of Hibbing, Hibbing Community College is a public school with a fairly small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Hibbing Community College take out $26,020 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Hibbing Community College

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
South Dakota 1,022
North Dakota 976
Nebraska 1,908
Kansas 2,633
Iowa 2,966
Missouri 6,840

Nursing Focus Areas

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

Related Major Annual Graduates
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 21 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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