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2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

960 Colleges
$4,057 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$57,601 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 322,592 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

There are so many nursing programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one 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.

The Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 960 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for an Associate in Nursing

Our analysis found New Mexico Junior College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in the United States. Located in the remote town of Hobbs, New Mexico Junior College is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at New Mexico Junior College are $2,280 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at New Mexico Junior College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $19,434.

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#2

Coahoma Community College

Clarksdale, MS

The excellent associate degree programs at Coahoma Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in the United States. Coahoma Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Clarksdale.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Coahoma Community College are $3,003 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Coahoma Community College accumulate an average of around $21,203 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Coahoma Community College Report

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Out of the 960 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Oglala Lakota College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the rural area of Kyle, Oglala Lakota College is a public college with a small student population.

Oglala Lakota College undergraduate students pay an average of $2,684 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Oglala Lakota College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $11,529.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Clovis Community College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the remote town of Clovis, Clovis Community College is a public college with a small student population.

Clovis Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $2,984 in tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at Clovis Community College take out an average of $13,864 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, L.A. County School of Nursing is a public school with a small student population.

Nursing majors at L.A. County School of Nursing take out an average of $21,695 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health Report

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With a ranking of #6, Southeast Community College Area did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Southeast Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Lincoln.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Southeast Community College are $3,780 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Southeast Community College carry an average student debtload of $27,526.

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#7

Seattle Central College

Seattle, WA

Seattle Central College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Seattle, Seattle Central is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Seattle Central are $4,670 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Seattle Central accumulate an average of around $23,418 in student debt.

Seattle Central also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Full Nursing at Seattle Central College Report

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#8

Highline College

Des Moines, WA

Highline 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 #8 on the list. Highline is a small public school located in the large suburb of Des Moines.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Highline are $4,813 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Highline take out $17,371 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Highline also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

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#9

Central Arizona College

Coolidge, AZ

Central Arizona College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking. Pinal County Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Coolidge.

Pinal County Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,160 in tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at Pinal County Community College take out an average of $19,049 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Pinal County Community College also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.

Full Nursing at Central Arizona College Report

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#10

Panola College

Carthage, TX

Panola College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Panola College is a small public school located in the town of Carthage.

Panola College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,680 in tuition and fees each year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Panola College also did well on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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#11

Amarillo College

Amarillo, TX

Amarillo College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the midsize city of Amarillo, Amarillo College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Amarillo College are $4,704 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Amarillo College carry an average student debtload of $22,468.

In addition to its great value ranking, Amarillo College is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list.

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Arkansas State University - Newport did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #12 on the list. ASUN is a small public school located in the rural area of Newport.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at ASUN are $4,320 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at ASUN accumulate an average of around $20,883 in student debt.

ASUN excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list.

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#13

College of the Mainland

Texas City, TX

College of the Mainland ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the suburb of Texas City, COM is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at COM are $3,873 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at COM accumulate an average of around $24,607 in student debt.

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Neosho County Community College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking. Located in the town of Chanute, Neosho County Community College is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Neosho County Community College are $4,000 per year. Nursing majors at Neosho County Community College take out an average of $20,150 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Cloud County Community College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking. Cloud County Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Concordia.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Cloud County Community College are $3,570 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Cloud County Community College accumulate an average of around $22,223 in student debt.

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SOWELA Technical Community College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the small city of Lake Charles, SOWELA is a public college with a small student population.

SOWELA undergraduate students pay an average of $4,265 in tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at SOWELA take out an average of $15,984 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#17

South Plains College

Levelland, TX

South Plains 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 #17 on the list. South Plains College is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Levelland.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at South Plains College are $4,276 per year. On average, nursing graduates from South Plains College take out $19,364 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Wayne County Community College District came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking. Located in the large city of Detroit, WCCCD is a public college with a fairly large student population.

WCCCD undergraduate students pay an average of $3,998 in tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at WCCCD take out an average of $23,759 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#19

Camden County College

Blackwood, NJ

Camden County College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking. Camden County College is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Blackwood.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Camden County College are $3,744 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Camden County College accumulate an average of around $24,067 in student debt.

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With a ranking of #20, Rochester Community and Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Rochester Community and Technical College is a small public school located in the midsize city of Rochester.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Rochester Community and Technical College are $5,372 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Rochester Community and Technical College take out $27,212 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

In addition to its great value ranking, Rochester Community and Technical College is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list.

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Southern Regional Technical College ranked #21 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the distant town of Thomasville, Southwest Georgia Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Southwest Georgia Technical College are $5,402 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Southwest Georgia Technical College carry an average student debtload of $13,212.

In addition to its great value ranking, Southwest Georgia Technical College is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list.

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With a ranking of #22, South Louisiana Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. South Louisiana Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize city of Lafayette.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at South Louisiana Community College are $4,205 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at South Louisiana Community College accumulate an average of around $23,640 in student debt.

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University of Arkansas Community College - Batesville ranked #23 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. UACCB is a small public school located in the remote town of Batesville.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UACCB are $3,438 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at UACCB accumulate an average of around $15,732 in student debt.

Full Nursing at University of Arkansas Community College - Batesville Report

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Alvin Community College came in at #24 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking. Located in the suburb of Alvin, Alvin is a public school with a small student population.

Alvin undergraduate students pay an average of $4,010 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Alvin carry an average student debtload of $18,713.

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#25

Centralia College

Centralia, WA

Centralia College ranked #25 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the town of Centralia, Centralia College is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Centralia College are $5,239 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Centralia College accumulate an average of around $12,250 in student debt.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Centralia College also did well on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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Rest of the Top 50 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools

#26

Wenatchee Valley College

Wenatchee, WA
#29

Tyler Junior College

Tyler, TX
#30

Hutchinson Community College

Hutchinson, KS
#33

Clarendon College

Clarendon, TX
#34

Lee College

Baytown, TX
#36

Delgado Community College

New Orleans, LA
#40

Central Community College

Grand Island, NE
#41

El Centro College

Dallas, TX
#43

North Hennepin Community College

Brooklyn Park, MN
#46

Merced College

Merced, CA
#49

Oakland Community College

Bloomfield Hills, MI
#50

Northeast Texas Community College

Mount Pleasant, TX

Remaining Award Winners

This section represents the rest of the schools awarded a Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 960 different United States nursing schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
51 Lake Region State College Devils Lake, ND
52 Mid-Plains Community College North Platte, NE
53 Umpqua Community College Roseburg, OR
54 Northcentral Technical College Wausau, WI
55 Lone Star College System The Woodlands, TX
56 Anoka-Ramsey Community College Coon Rapids, MN
57 Chattahoochee Technical College Marietta, GA
58 Labette Community College Parsons, KS
59 Bossier Parish Community College Bossier City, LA
60 Houston Community College Houston, TX
61 Western Iowa Tech Community College Sioux City, IA
62 Inver Hills Community College Inver Grove Heights, MN
63 Chippewa Valley Technical College Eau Claire, WI
64 Victoria College Victoria, TX
65 Garden City Community College Garden City, KS
65 Northeast Community College Norfolk, NE
67 Oconee Fall Line Technical College Sandersville, GA
68 Yakima Valley College Yakima, WA
69 Del Mar College Corpus Christi, TX
70 Lower Columbia College Longview, WA
71 Spokane Community College Spokane, WA
72 Butte College Oroville, CA
73 University of New Mexico - Gallup Campus Gallup, NM
74 Galveston College Galveston, TX
75 Odessa College Odessa, TX
76 West Georgia Technical College Waco, GA
77 Yuba College Marysville, CA
78 Cochran School of Nursing Yonkers, NY
79 University of Arkansas Rich Mountain Mena, AR
80 Seward County Community College Liberal, KS
81 Crowder College Neosho, MO
82 North Dakota State College of Science Wahpeton, ND
83 Ridgewater College Willmar, MN
84 Trident Technical College Charleston, SC
84 Ventura College Ventura, CA
86 Alexandria Technical & Community College Alexandria, MN
87 University of New Mexico - Taos Campus Ranchos de Taos, NM
88 Southern Crescent Technical College Griffin, GA
89 Pearl River Community College Poplarville, MS
90 Southwest Wisconsin Technical College Fennimore, WI
91 Barton County Community College Great Bend, KS
91 Arkansas Northeastern College Blytheville, AR
93 South Central College North Mankato, MN
93 Coastal Pines Technical College Waycross, GA
95 Rowan College of South Jersey Gloucester Campus Sewell, NJ
96 Modesto Junior College Modesto, CA
96 The University of Texas at Brownsville Brownsville, TX
98 Bronx Community College Bronx, NY
98 Century College White Bear Lake, MN
100 Raritan Valley Community College Branchburg, NJ
101 San Juan College Farmington, NM
101 Laredo College Laredo, TX
103 Georgia Northwestern Technical College Rome, GA
104 South Texas College McAllen, TX
105 Southeastern Technical College Vidalia, GA
106 Big Bend Community College Moses Lake, WA
107 Grayson College Denison, TX
107 Gwinnett Technical College Lawrenceville, GA
109 Southwestern Oregon Community College Coos Bay, OR
110 Meridian Community College Meridian, MS
111 Schoolcraft College Livonia, MI
112 Northeast Iowa Community College Calmar, IA
113 St Cloud Technical and Community College Saint Cloud, MN
114 Temple College Temple, TX
115 Lake Area Technical Institute Watertown, SD
116 Mississippi Delta Community College Moorhead, MS
116 Itawamba Community College Fulton, MS
118 Western Technical College La Crosse, WI
119 Gateway Technical College Kenosha, WI
120 Antelope Valley College Lancaster, CA
121 North Georgia Technical College Clarkesville, GA
121 Blackhawk Technical College Janesville, WI
123 El Paso Community College El Paso, TX
124 Cabrillo College Aptos, CA
125 Rogue Community College Grants Pass, OR
126 Northeast Wisconsin Technical College Green Bay, WI
126 Glendale Community College Glendale, CA
128 Moraine Park Technical College Fond du Lac, WI
129 Johnson County Community College Overland Park, KS
130 Lake Superior College Duluth, MN
131 Fox Valley Technical College Appleton, WI
131 Delta College University Center, MI
133 Dodge City Community College Dodge City, KS
134 Moorpark College Moorpark, CA
134 Cuesta College San Luis Obispo, CA
134 Howard College Big Spring, TX
137 Central Lakes College - Brainerd Brainerd, MN
138 Columbia Gorge Community College The Dalles, OR
139 Northland Community and Technical College Thief River Falls, MN
140 Bellingham Technical College Bellingham, WA
141 Angelina College Lufkin, TX
142 Waukesha County Technical College Pewaukee, WI
143 Vernon College Vernon, TX
143 Weatherford College Weatherford, TX

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great value schools for Nursing students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools award.

Rank College Location
145 Walla Walla Community College Walla Walla, WA
145 Shoreline Community College Shoreline, WA
145 Arkansas State University - Mountain Home Mountain Home, AR
145 Mohave Community College Kingman, AZ
149 Northwest Iowa Community College Sheldon, IA
149 Southside College of Health Sciences Colonial Heights, VA
151 San Joaquin Delta College Stockton, CA
152 Gavilan College Gilroy, CA
153 LaGuardia Community College Long Island City, NY
154 Augusta Technical College Augusta, GA
155 McLennan Community College Waco, TX
156 Otero Junior College La Junta, CO
157 James A Rhodes State College Lima, OH
158 Minnesota State Community and Technical College Fergus Falls, MN
159 Normandale Community College Bloomington, MN
160 Santa Fe Community College Santa Fe, NM
161 Ocean County College Toms River, NJ
161 Southeastern Community College West Burlington, IA
163 Wiregrass Georgia Technical College Valdosta, GA
164 Ivy Tech Community College Indianapolis, IN
164 Iowa Western Community College Council Bluffs, IA
166 Midland College Midland, TX
166 College of the Sequoias Visalia, CA
168 Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa, CA
169 Jefferson Community College Watertown, NY
169 Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College Shell Lake, WI
171 Eastern Maine Community College Bangor, ME
171 Fresno City College Fresno, CA
173 Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas Helena, AR
174 Southwest Mississippi Community College Summit, MS
175 Navarro College Corsicana, TX
176 Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara, CA
177 Henry Ford College Dearborn, MI
178 College of Eastern Idaho Idaho Falls, ID
179 Baltimore City Community College Baltimore, MD
179 Mid-State Technical College Wisconsin Rapids, WI
181 Harford Community College Bel Air, MD
181 Washtenaw Community College Ann Arbor, MI
183 Central Georgia Technical College Warner Robins, GA
184 Imperial Valley College Imperial, CA
184 Lakeshore Technical College Cleveland, WI
186 Hibbing Community College Hibbing, MN
187 Bismarck State College Bismarck, ND
188 Oregon Coast Community College Newport, OR
189 Mendocino College Ukiah, CA
189 Marshalltown Community College Marshalltown, IA
191 New Mexico State University - Dona Ana Las Cruces, NM
191 Northwest Mississippi Community College Senatobia, MS

Nursing by Region

View the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

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 25 schools only.

  • 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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