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2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Associate Degree Schools

16 Colleges
$57,601 Avg Salary
$21,889 Avg Student Debt

Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 322,592 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Most Popular Online Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 16 schools in the United States to see which ones were the most popular online associate degree programs for nursing students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from schools with online programs.

Check out the online nursing associate degree programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.

#1

Excelsior College

Albany, NY

Our 2023 rankings named Excelsior College the most popular online school in the United States for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the small city of Albany, Excelsior College is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.

About 84% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 16% are male.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Excelsior College accumulate an average of around $23,429 in student debt.

Read More…

#2

Amarillo College

Amarillo, TX

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Amarillo College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Amarillo, Amarillo College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Women make up 85% of the nursing majors at the school.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Amarillo College carry an average student debtload of $22,468.

Full Nursing at Amarillo College Report

#3

Polk State College

Winter Haven, FL

Out of the 16 online programs at schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Polk State College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Winter Haven, Polk State is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Women make up 83% of the nursing majors at the school.

On average, nursing graduates from Polk State take out $19,264 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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The in-demand online associate degree programs at Vermont Technical College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the United States. Vermont Tech is a small public school located in the rural area of Randolph.

About 88% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 12% are male.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Vermont Tech take out while working on their Associate Degree is $26,121.

Full Nursing at Vermont Technical College Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend James A Rhodes State College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Rhodes State College is a small public school located in the suburb of Lima.

Of the 104 students majoring in nursing at Rhodes State College, 7% are male and 93% are female.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Rhodes State College accumulate an average of around $23,078 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at James A Rhodes State College

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Utah Valley University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. UVU is a very large public school located in the small city of Orem.

About 79% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 21% are male.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from UVU carry an average student debtload of $15,279.

Full Nursing at Utah Valley University Report

#7

Western Kentucky University

Bowling Green, KY

Western Kentucky University landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular online associate degree nursing programs. WKU is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Bowling Green.

Of the 101 students majoring in nursing at WKU, 9% are male and 91% are female.

On average, nursing graduates from WKU take out $25,980 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Western Kentucky University Report

#8

LaGuardia Community College

Long Island City, NY

LaGuardia Community College ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Online Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the city of Long Island City, LaGuardia is a public college with a fairly large student population.

About 85% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 15% are male.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at LaGuardia take out while working on their Associate Degree is $16,899.

Full Nursing at LaGuardia Community College Report

Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular online places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the city of San Mateo, Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Of the 86 students majoring in nursing at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts, 16% are male and 84% are female.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts accumulate an average of around $20,947 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts

Northwest Technical College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking. Located in the town of Bemidji, NTC is a public college with a small student population.

Women make up 91% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at NTC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $32,265.

Read More…

View the Most Popular Online Nursing Associate Degree Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Great Lakes

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 16 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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