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Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

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2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

23 Colleges
$14,836 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$57,601 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for nursing majors pursuing a associate degree.

Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Harrisburg Area Community College the best value school in Pennsylvania for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the small city of Harrisburg, HACC is a public college with a fairly 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 did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list.

Full Nursing at Harrisburg Area Community College Report

#2

Lehigh Carbon Community College

Schnecksville, PA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Lehigh Carbon Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. LCCC is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Schnecksville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at LCCC are $8,430 per year. On average, nursing graduates from LCCC take out $27,844 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Community College of Allegheny County. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. CCAC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Pittsburgh.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at CCAC are $8,323 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from CCAC carry an average student debtload of $24,892.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Luzerne County Community College is a great value for nursing students working on their associate degree. Luzerne County Community College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Nanticoke.

Luzerne County Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $10,020 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Luzerne County Community College accumulate an average of around $26,721 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Luzerne County Community College

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 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 made our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list, coming in at #1.

Full Nursing at University of Pittsburgh - Titusville Report

Bucks County Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Located in the rural area of Newtown, Bucks County Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Bucks County Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $9,098 in in-state tuition and fees each 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.

Read More…

#7

Lock Haven University

Lock Haven, PA

Lock Haven University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania ranking. LHU is a small public school located in the distant town of Lock Haven.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at LHU are $10,878 a 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 landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. BC3 is a small public school located in the fringe town of Butler.

BC3 undergraduate students pay an average of $8,400 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at BC3 take out while working on their Associate Degree is $19,124.

Read More…

Clarion University of Pennsylvania ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Pennsylvania list. Located in the town of Clarion, Clarion University is a public school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Clarion University are $11,173 per year. On average, nursing graduates from Clarion University take out $30,813 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Clarion University of Pennsylvania Report

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 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

Best 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

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

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.

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