Find Nursing Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Arkansas

Find Schools Near

2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Arkansas

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

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

Nursing is the most popular major in Arkansas with 2,882 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

It's not easy to decide which nursing program to enroll in when you have so many options available. 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 Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Arkansas ranking. Our analysis looked at 27 schools in Arkansas 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 following schools top our list of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Colleges.

Our analysis found University of Arkansas at Little Rock to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in Arkansas. Located in the midsize city of Little Rock, UA Little Rock is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Of the 180 students majoring in nursing at UA Little Rock, 15% are male and 85% are female.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UA Little Rock take out while working on their Associate Degree is $31,418.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Baptist Health College - Little Rock. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Arkansas list. BHCLR is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Little Rock.

Of the 166 students majoring in nursing at BHCLR, 10% are male and 90% are female.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from BHCLR carry an average student debt load of $26,388. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $87.

Full Nursing at Baptist Health College - Little Rock Report

The in-demand associate degree programs at Arkansas State University - Main Campus helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Arkansas. A-State is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Jonesboro.

Women make up 93% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at A-State take out while working on their Associate Degree is $26,458.

Read full report on Nursing at Arkansas State University - Main Campus

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means NorthWest Arkansas Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. NWACC is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Bentonville.

Of the 77 students majoring in nursing at NWACC, 17% are male and 83% are female.

On average, nursing graduates from NWACC take out $18,630 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at NorthWest Arkansas Community College

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Arkansas State University - Newport is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. ASUN is a small public school located in the rural area of Newport.

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

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at ASUN accumulate an average of around $20,883 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Arkansas State University - Newport

With a ranking of #6, University of Arkansas Community College - Batesville did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. UACCB is a small public school located in the town of Batesville.

Of the 64 students majoring in nursing at UACCB, 13% are male and 88% are female.

Nursing majors at UACCB take out an average of $15,732 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at University of Arkansas Community College - Batesville

Arkansas State University Three Rivers ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Arkansas list. Located in the town of Malvern, ASU Three Rivers is a public college with a small student population.

Of the 61 students majoring in nursing at ASU Three Rivers, 5% are male and 95% are female.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at ASU Three Rivers take out while working on their Associate Degree is $30,774.

Full Nursing at Arkansas State University Three Rivers Report

#8

North Arkansas College

Harrison, AR

North Arkansas College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. Located in the remote town of Harrison, Northark is a public college with a small student population.

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

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Northark accumulate an average of around $20,119 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at North Arkansas College

South Arkansas Community College 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 town of El Dorado, SouthArk is a public college with a small student population.

About 96% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 4% are male.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from SouthArk carry an average student debt load of $15,912.

Read full report on Nursing at South Arkansas Community College

#10

National Park College

Hot Springs, AR

National Park College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. National Park College is a small public school located in the suburb of Hot Springs.

Of the 47 students majoring in nursing at National Park College, 9% are male and 91% are female.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from National Park College carry an average student debt load of $21,510.

Read full report on Nursing at National Park College

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Louisiana 3,502
Mississippi 2,838
Alabama 7,364
Kentucky 6,395
Tennessee 6,004
Florida 21,209
Georgia 7,112
North Carolina 7,425
West Virginia 1,771
South Carolina 3,296
Virginia 6,775

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 27 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.

Featured Schools

Find Nursing Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited nursing schools across the U.S.