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Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region

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

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, 322,592 degrees and certificates were awarded to nursing students, making the major the most popular in the country.

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 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 127 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region to see which associate degree programs were the most popular for nursing students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing a associate degree.

#1

Excelsior College

Albany, NY

Our 2023 rankings named Excelsior College the most popular school in the Middle Atlantic Region for nursing students working on their associate degree. Excelsior College is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of Albany.

Women make up 84% of the nursing majors at the school.

On average, nursing graduates from Excelsior College take out $23,429 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Excelsior College Report

#2

Jersey College

Teterboro, NJ

Out of the 127 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Jersey College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Jersey College is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Teterboro.

Of the 618 students majoring in nursing at Jersey College, 7% are male and 93% are female.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Jersey College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $35,837. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $89.

Full Nursing at Jersey College Report

Out of the 127 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Harrisburg Area Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. HACC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Harrisburg.

Women make up 88% of the nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at HACC accumulate an average of around $31,597 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Harrisburg Area Community College Report

Out of the 127 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Helene Fuld College of Nursing landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large city of New York, HFCN is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Of the 373 students majoring in nursing at HFCN, 7% are male and 93% are female.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at HFCN accumulate an average of around $27,942 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Helene Fuld College of Nursing Report

Out of the 127 schools in the Middle Atlantic Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Community College of Allegheny County landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Pittsburgh, CCAC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Of the 348 students majoring in nursing at CCAC, 18% are male and 82% are female.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at CCAC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $24,892.

Full Nursing at Community College of Allegheny County Report

#6

Union County College

Cranford, NJ

Union County College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Union County College is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Cranford.

About 86% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 14% are male.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Union County College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $28,481.

Read More…

Delaware Technical Community College - Terry ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. Delaware Tech is a large public school located in the small city of Dover.

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

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Delaware Tech carry an average student debt load of $18,104.

Read More…

#8

Trocaire College

Buffalo, NY

Trocaire College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. Located in the large city of Buffalo, Trocaire is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

About 86% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 14% are male.

Read full report on Nursing at Trocaire College

Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the suburb of Lancaster, PA College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

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

On average, nursing graduates from PA College take out $30,149 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $324, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences

Suffolk County Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Selden, Suffolk County Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 79% of the nursing majors at the school.

On average, nursing graduates from Suffolk County Community College take out $18,184 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Suffolk County Community College

St Paul’s School of Nursing - Staten Island landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. Located in the large city of Staten Island, St Paul's School of Nursing - Staten Island is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

Women make up 84% of the nursing majors at the school.

On average, nursing graduates from St Paul's School of Nursing - Staten Island take out $32,512 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $200.

Read full report on Nursing at St Paul’s School of Nursing - Staten Island

St Paul’s School of Nursing - Queens landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. St Paul's School of Nursing - Queens is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Rego Park.

Women make up 72% of the nursing majors at the school.

Nursing majors at St Paul's School of Nursing - Queens take out an average of $32,985 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $191, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at St Paul’s School of Nursing - Queens

#13

Montgomery College

Rockville, MD

Montgomery College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. Montgomery College is a large public school located in the city of Rockville.

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

On average, nursing graduates from Montgomery College take out $29,725 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

Community College of Baltimore County landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. Located in the suburb of Baltimore, CCBC is a public school with a large student population.

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

On average, nursing graduates from CCBC take out $28,954 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Community College of Baltimore County Report

New York City College of Technology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #15 on the list. City Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Brooklyn.

Women make up 79% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at City Tech take out while working on their Associate Degree is $16,776.

Read full report on Nursing at New York City College of Technology

#16

Howard Community College

Columbia, MD

Howard Community College ranked #16 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. HCC is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Columbia.

Women make up 84% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at HCC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $25,979.

Full Nursing at Howard Community College Report

St. Joseph’s College of Nursing ranked #16 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region list. St Joseph's College of Nursing is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Syracuse.

About 89% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 11% are male.

Nursing majors at St Joseph's College of Nursing take out an average of $24,061 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $380, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

Delaware County Community College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Media, Delaware County Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Of the 161 students majoring in nursing at Delaware County Community College, 15% are male and 85% are female.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Delaware County Community College carry an average student debt load of $27,872.

Full Nursing at Delaware County Community College Report

With a ranking of #19, Borough of Manhattan Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. BMCC is a fairly large public school located in the large city of New York.

About 78% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 22% are male.

Nursing majors at BMCC take out an average of $15,861 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region award.

Rank College Location
20 Harford Community College Bel Air, MD
21 Ocean County College Toms River, NJ
22 Brookdale Community College Lincroft, NJ
23 Morrisville State College Morrisville, NY
24 Nassau Community College Garden City, NY
25 Kingsborough Community College Brooklyn, NY

Best Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best nursing schools for a specific state in the Middle Atlantic region.

State Degrees Awarded
Pennsylvania 11,477
New York 17,708
New Jersey 5,648
Maryland 4,104
Delaware 1,267
District of Columbia 990

Nursing Concentrations

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 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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