2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 31,555 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.
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 the Plains States Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 89 schools in the Plains States 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.
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 15% Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Oglala Lakota College the best value school in the Plains States Region for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the rural area of Kyle, Oglala Lakota College is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Oglala Lakota College are $2,684 a 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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Out of the 89 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Southeast Community College Area landed the # 2 spot on the list. Southeast Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the large 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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Out of the 89 schools in the Plains States Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Neosho County Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the remote town of Chanute, Neosho County Community College is a public college with a small student population.
Neosho County Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,000 in tuition and fees each 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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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Cloud County Community College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. 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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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Rochester Community and Technical College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Rochester Community and Technical College is a small public school located in the city of Rochester.
Rochester Community and Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,372 in tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Rochester Community and Technical College take out $27,212 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Rochester Community and Technical College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list.
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Metropolitan 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. MCC is a large public school located in the city of Omaha.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at MCC are $4,680 a year. On average, nursing graduates from MCC take out $22,316 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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With a ranking of #7, Hutchinson Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the distant town of Hutchinson, Hutchinson Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Hutchinson Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,470 in tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Hutchinson Community College take out $24,634 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Northwest Technical 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. Located in the remote town of Bemidji, NTC is a public school with a fairly small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NTC are $6,380 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at NTC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $32,265.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, NTC is ranked #2 for overall quality for nursing in the Plains States Region .
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Central Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the city of Grand Island, Central Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Central Community College are $4,590 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Central Community College accumulate an average of around $13,462 in student debt.
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North Hennepin Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Located in the suburb of Brooklyn Park, North Hennepin Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
North Hennepin Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,882 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at North Hennepin Community College accumulate an average of around $32,743 in student debt.
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Lake Region State College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list. Lake Region State College is a small public school located in the town of Devils Lake.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lake Region State College are $5,000 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Lake Region State College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $27,411.
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Mid-Plains Community College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking. Located in the town of North Platte, Mid-Plains Community College is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mid-Plains Community College are $4,320 per year. Nursing majors at Mid-Plains Community College take out an average of $19,256 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Anoka-Ramsey Community College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Coon Rapids.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus are $5,515 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus take out while working on their Associate Degree is $28,625.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus also is in the top 15% of our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking.
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Here are some additional great value schools for Nursing students in the Plains States Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 14 | Labette Community College | Parsons, KS |
| 15 | Western Iowa Tech Community College | Sioux City, IA |
| 16 | Inver Hills Community College | Inver Grove Heights, MN |
| 17 | Northeast Community College | Norfolk, NE |
| 17 | Garden City Community College | Garden City, KS |
Best Nursing Colleges by State
Explore the best nursing colleges for a specific state in the Plains States region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Minnesota | 14,890 |
| South Dakota | 1,022 |
| North Dakota | 976 |
| Nebraska | 1,908 |
| Kansas | 2,633 |
| Iowa | 2,966 |
| Missouri | 6,840 |
More Nursing Rankings in the Plains States Region
Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing Focus Areas
Most Popular Majors Related to Nursing
| 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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