2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 39,944 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. 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 help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 181 schools in the Southwest Region to see which 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. 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.
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2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region
The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for nursing majors pursuing a .
Top 25 Best Southwest Region Schools for Affordable Quality in Nursing
Our 2023 rankings named New Mexico Junior College the best value school in the Southwest Region for nursing students. New Mexico Junior College is a small public school located in the remote town of Hobbs.
New Mexico Junior College undergraduate students pay an average of $2,280 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from New Mexico Junior College carry an average student debtload of $17,000.
Out of the 181 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Aspen University landed the # 2 spot on the list. Aspen University is a moderately-sized private for-profit school located in the city of Denver.
Aspen University undergraduate students pay an average of $5,170 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Aspen University take out is $35,922.
Aspen University did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list.
Out of the 181 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Clovis Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Clovis Community College is a small public school located in the town of Clovis.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Clovis Community College are $2,984 per year. Nursing majors at Clovis Community College take out an average of $11,473 in student loans while working on their egree.
Out of the 181 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Central Arizona College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the rural area of Coolidge, Pinal County Community College is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Pinal County Community College are $5,160 a year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Pinal County Community College accumulate an average of around $15,679 in student debt.
Pinal County Community College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Panola College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the town of Carthage, Panola College is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Panola College are $4,680 a year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Panola College also did well on our Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Amarillo College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Amarillo College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Amarillo.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Amarillo College are $4,704 per year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Amarillo College accumulate an average of around $21,240 in student debt.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Amarillo College also is in the top 20% of our Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.
With a ranking of #7, College of the Mainland did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. COM is a small public school located in the midsize suburb of Texas City.
COM undergraduate students pay an average of $3,873 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from COM carry an average student debtload of $20,290.
South Plains College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the town of Levelland, South Plains College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at South Plains College are $4,276 a year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at South Plains College accumulate an average of around $12,750 in student debt.
Alvin Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Alvin is a small public school located in the suburb of Alvin.
Alvin undergraduate students pay an average of $4,010 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Alvin take out is $15,511.
With a ranking of #10, New Mexico State University - Carlsbad did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. NMSU Carlsbad is a small public school located in the rural area of Carlsbad.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NMSU Carlsbad are $4,008 a year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at NMSU Carlsbad accumulate an average of around $17,900 in student debt.
Tyler Junior College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Tyler, Tyler Junior College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Tyler Junior College are $4,440 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Tyler Junior College take out is $18,814.
Clarendon College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Clarendon College is a small public school located in the rural area of Clarendon.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Clarendon College are $4,176 per year. On average, nursing graduates from Clarendon College take out $20,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
Lee College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the city of Baytown, Lee College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lee College are $4,302 per year. Nursing majors at Lee College take out an average of $14,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
Wharton County Junior College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the distant town of Wharton, Wharton County Junior College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Wharton County Junior College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,872 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Wharton County Junior College carry an average student debtload of $14,006.
Read full report on Nursing at Wharton County Junior College
San Jacinto Community College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the suburb of Pasadena, San Jacinto College is a public college with a very large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at San Jacinto College are $5,040 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at San Jacinto College take out is $12,750.
El Centro College landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the large city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public college with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at El Centro College are $6,000 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at El Centro College take out is $18,559.
El Centro College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list.
With a ranking of #17, Northeast Texas Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Located in the rural area of Mount Pleasant, NTCC is a public college with a small student population.
NTCC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,449 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at NTCC accumulate an average of around $20,000 in student debt.
NTCC also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
With a ranking of #18, Lone Star College System did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. North Harris Montgomery is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of The Woodlands.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at North Harris Montgomery are $6,168 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at North Harris Montgomery take out is $13,797.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, North Harris Montgomery also is in the top 15% of our Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.
Collin County Community College District came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Collin County Community College District is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of McKinney.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Collin County Community College District are $5,104 a year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Collin County Community College District accumulate an average of around $14,970 in student debt.
Full Nursing at Collin County Community College District Report
Houston Community College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Houston Community College is a very large public school located in the city of Houston.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Houston Community College are $5,460 a year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Houston Community College accumulate an average of around $21,000 in student debt.
Victoria College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #21 on the list. Victoria College is a small public school located in the small city of Victoria.
Victoria College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,872 in tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at Victoria College take out an average of $18,507 in student loans while working on their egree.
With a ranking of #22, Del Mar College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. DMC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Corpus Christi.
DMC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,930 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at DMC accumulate an average of around $10,429 in student debt.
With a ranking of #23, University of New Mexico - Gallup Campus did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. UNM Gallup is a small public school located in the rural area of Gallup.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at UNM Gallup are $4,708 per year. Nursing majors at UNM Gallup take out an average of $14,796 in student loans while working on their egree.
With a ranking of #24, Galveston College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Galveston College is a small public school located in the town of Galveston.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Galveston College are $5,200 a year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Galveston College accumulate an average of around $17,757 in student debt.
Odessa College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Odessa College is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize city of Odessa.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Odessa College are $4,398 per year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Odessa College carry an average student debtload of $11,875.
Rest of the Top Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region
Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great value schools for Nursing students in the Southwest Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | San Juan College | Farmington, NM |
| 29 | South Texas College | McAllen, TX |
| 30 | Laredo College | Laredo, TX |
| 30 | Temple College | Temple, TX |
| 32 | El Paso Community College | El Paso, TX |
| 33 | Howard College | Big Spring, TX |
| 34 | Angelina College | Lufkin, TX |
| 35 | Grayson College | Denison, TX |
| 36 | Weatherford College | Weatherford, TX |
| 36 | Vernon College | Vernon, TX |
Best Nursing Colleges by State
Explore the best nursing colleges for a specific state in the Southwest region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Arizona | 12,966 |
| Texas | 21,862 |
| New Mexico | 1,390 |
| Oklahoma | 3,009 |
More Nursing Rankings in the Southwest Region
Nursing Related Majors for Nursing
Nursing Concentrations
Majors Similar 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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