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Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region

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2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

118 Colleges
$6,614 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 26,717 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. 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 Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 118 schools in the Far Western US Region 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.

When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top 15% Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

Our analysis found Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in the Far Western US Region . L.A. County School of Nursing is a fairly small public school located in the city of Los Angeles.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from L.A. County School of Nursing carry an average student debtload of $21,695.

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

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#2

Seattle Central College

Seattle, WA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Seattle Central College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Seattle Central is a small public school located in the large city of Seattle.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Seattle Central are $4,670 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Seattle Central take out while working on their Associate Degree is $23,418.

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#3

Highline College

Des Moines, WA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Highline College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the large suburb of Des Moines, Highline is a public college with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Highline are $4,813 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Highline accumulate an average of around $17,371 in student debt.

Highline also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools in this category.

Full Nursing at Highline College Report

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#4

Centralia College

Centralia, WA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Centralia College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Centralia College is a small public school located in the distant town of Centralia.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Centralia College are $5,239 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Centralia College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $12,250.

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#5

Wenatchee Valley College

Wenatchee, WA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Wenatchee Valley College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the small city of Wenatchee, WVC is a public school with a small student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WVC are $4,734 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at WVC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $20,904.

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#6

Merced College

Merced, CA

Merced College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the small city of Merced, Merced Community College District is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Merced Community College District are $7,444 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Merced Community College District carry an average student debtload of $12,152.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Merced Community College District is ranked #1 for overall quality for nursing in the Far Western US Region .

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#7

Umpqua Community College

Roseburg, OR

Umpqua Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the rural area of Roseburg, Umpqua Community College is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Umpqua Community College are $5,945 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Umpqua Community College accumulate an average of around $21,230 in student debt.

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#8

Yakima Valley College

Yakima, WA

Yakima Valley College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the small city of Yakima, YVC is a public college with a small student population.

YVC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,352 in tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from YVC take out $21,518 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#9

Lower Columbia College

Longview, WA

Lower Columbia 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 #9 on the list. LCC is a small public school located in the small city of Longview.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LCC are $5,403 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at LCC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $21,451.

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Spokane Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Spokane Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Spokane.

Spokane Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,135 in tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at Spokane Community College take out an average of $23,946 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#11

Butte College

Oroville, CA

Butte 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 #11 on the list. Located in the rural area of Oroville, Butte College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Butte College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,848 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Butte College carry an average student debtload of $19,826.

Butte College also made our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list, coming in at #5.

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#12

Yuba College

Marysville, CA

Yuba College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Yuba College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Marysville.

Yuba College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,488 in tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Yuba College take out $11,836 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Yuba College also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

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#13

Ventura College

Ventura, CA

With a ranking of #13, Ventura College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Ventura College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Ventura.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ventura College are $7,398 per year. On average, nursing graduates from Ventura College take out $18,169 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Ventura College also is in the top 15% of our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking.

Full Nursing at Ventura College Report

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#14

Modesto Junior College

Modesto, CA

With a ranking of #14, Modesto Junior College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. MJC is a large public school located in the midsize city of Modesto.

MJC undergraduate students pay an average of $8,550 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at MJC accumulate an average of around $16,015 in student debt.

MJC also made our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list, coming in at #3.

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#15

Big Bend Community College

Moses Lake, WA

Big Bend Community College landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Big Bend Community College is a small public school located in the town of Moses Lake.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Big Bend Community College are $5,098 a year.

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Southwestern Oregon Community College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. SWOCC is a small public school located in the remote town of Coos Bay.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at SWOCC are $6,483 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at SWOCC accumulate an average of around $21,611 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Southwestern Oregon Community College Report

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#17

Antelope Valley College

Lancaster, CA

Antelope Valley College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Antelope Valley College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Lancaster.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Antelope Valley College are $6,980 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Antelope Valley College take out $15,472 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great value schools for Nursing students in the Far Western US Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region award.

Rank College Location
18 Cabrillo College Aptos, CA
19 Rogue Community College Grants Pass, OR
20 Glendale Community College Glendale, CA
21 Moorpark College Moorpark, CA
21 Cuesta College San Luis Obispo, CA
23 Columbia Gorge Community College The Dalles, OR

Best Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best nursing schools for a specific state in the Far Western US region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 3,851
California 18,329
Nevada 2,015
Alaska 177
Hawaii 535
Oregon 1,502

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 26 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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