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2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Connecticut

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

8 Colleges
$11,721 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$57,601 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in Connecticut with 3,058 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. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Nursing Degree Search has created the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Connecticut to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 8 schools in Connecticut 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.

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.

2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Connecticut

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Colleges.

Best Connecticut Schools for Affordable Quality for an Associate in Nursing

#1

Gateway Community College

New Haven, CT

Our 2023 rankings named Gateway Community College the best value school in Connecticut for nursing students working on their associate degree. Gateway Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of New Haven.

Gateway Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,496 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Gateway Community College carry an average student debtload of $15,460.

Gateway Community College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Connecticut list.

Read full report on Nursing at Gateway Community College

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Capital Community College is a great value for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Hartford, Capital Community College is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Capital Community College are $4,596 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Capital Community College carry an average student debtload of $20,559.

Capital Community College also took the #3 spot in our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Connecticut rankings.

Read More…

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Naugatuck Valley Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Connecticut list. Naugatuck Valley Community College is a small public school located in the midsize suburb of Waterbury.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Naugatuck Valley Community College are $4,516 per year. Nursing majors at Naugatuck Valley Community College take out an average of $18,245 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Naugatuck Valley Community College also took the #4 spot in our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Connecticut rankings.

Read full report on Nursing at Naugatuck Valley Community College

Out of the 8 schools in Connecticut that were part of this year’s ranking, Norwalk Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Norwalk, NCC is a public school with a small student population.

NCC undergraduate students pay an average of $4,586 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at NCC accumulate an average of around $20,514 in student debt.

NCC also made our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Connecticut list, coming in at #5.

Read full report on Nursing at Norwalk Community College

The excellent associate degree programs at Three Rivers Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in Connecticut. Three Rivers Community College is a small public school located in the small city of Norwich.

Three Rivers Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,596 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Three Rivers Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $15,961.

Full Nursing at Three Rivers Community College Report

Northwestern Connecticut Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Connecticut ranking. NCCC is a small public school located in the town of Winsted.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NCCC are $4,556 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at NCCC accumulate an average of around $15,473 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Northwestern Connecticut Community College Report

#7

Goodwin College

East Hartford, CT

Goodwin College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Located in the city of East Hartford, Goodwin is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Goodwin are $21,188 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Goodwin take out while working on their Associate Degree is $48,917. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $191.

Read More…

#8

Sacred Heart University

Fairfield, CT

Sacred Heart University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Connecticut ranking. Located in the suburb of Fairfield, Sacred Heart is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.

Sacred Heart undergraduate students pay an average of $45,230 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Sacred Heart accumulate an average of around $33,830 in student debt.

Sacred Heart did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Connecticut list.

Read More…

Best Value Nursing Colleges in the New England Region

Explore all the Best Value Nursing Schools in the New England Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
New Hampshire 2,129
Massachusetts 6,626
Vermont 390
Maine 1,262
Rhode Island 1,091

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 8 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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