2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You
Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Pennsylvania. In total, 11,477 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Pennsylvania.
Today's nursing students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Our analysis looked at 23 schools in Pennsylvania to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for nursing students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
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. 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.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Our analysis found Harrisburg Area Community College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in Pennsylvania. Located in the city of Harrisburg, HACC is a public college with a large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at HACC are $8,295 per year. On average, nursing graduates from HACC take out $31,597 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
HACC also took the #2 spot in our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania rankings.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Lehigh Carbon Community College is a great value for nursing students working on their associate degree. LCCC is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Schnecksville.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at LCCC are $8,430 a year. On average, nursing graduates from LCCC take out $27,844 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Community College of Allegheny County is a great value for nursing students working on their associate degree. CCAC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Pittsburgh.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CCAC are $8,323 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from CCAC carry an average student debtload of $24,892.
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Out of the 23 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, Luzerne County Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Luzerne County Community College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Nanticoke.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Luzerne County Community College are $10,020 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Luzerne County Community College accumulate an average of around $26,721 in student debt.
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Out of the 23 schools in Pennsylvania that were part of this year’s ranking, University of Pittsburgh - Titusville landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of Titusville, Pitt Titusville is a public college with a fairly small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Pitt Titusville are $11,792 per year. Nursing majors at Pitt Titusville take out an average of $23,541 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $270.
Pitt Titusville also took the #1 spot in our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania rankings.
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Bucks County 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 #6 on the list. Located in the rural area of Newtown, Bucks County Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bucks County Community College are $9,098 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Bucks County Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $24,386.
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Lock Haven University ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. LHU is a small public school located in the distant town of Lock Haven.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LHU are $10,878 per year. On average, nursing graduates from LHU take out $28,436 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
LHU also took the #5 spot in our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania rankings.
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Butler County Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. BC3 is a small public school located in the town of Butler.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at BC3 are $8,400 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at BC3 take out while working on their Associate Degree is $19,124.
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Clarion University of Pennsylvania came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. Located in the town of Clarion, Clarion University is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Clarion University are $11,173 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Clarion University take out $30,813 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Montgomery County Community College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Montco is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Blue Bell.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Montco are $10,350 per year. On average, nursing graduates from Montco take out $24,579 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Full Nursing at Montgomery County Community College Report
Request InformationBest Value Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region
Explore all the Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.
State | Degrees Awarded |
---|---|
New York | 17,708 |
New Jersey | 5,648 |
Maryland | 4,104 |
Delaware | 1,267 |
District of Columbia | 990 |
More Nursing Rankings in Pennsylvania
Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing Focus Areas
Majors Similar to Nursing
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 23 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.