Find Nursing Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee

Find Schools Near

2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee

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

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in Tennessee. In total, 6,004 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in Tennessee.

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. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Our analysis looked at 19 schools in Tennessee 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.

Our 2023 rankings named Lincoln Memorial University the most popular school in Tennessee for nursing students working on their associate degree. LMU is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Harrogate.

About 92% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 8% are male.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at LMU take out while working on their Associate Degree is $24,304. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $86, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at Lincoln Memorial University

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Dyersburg State Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the town of Dyersburg, DSCC is a public college with a small student population.

Women make up 76% of the nursing majors at the school.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from DSCC carry an average student debt load of $14,708.

Read full report on Nursing at Dyersburg State Community College

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Walters State Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Morristown, WSCC is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Of the 104 students majoring in nursing at WSCC, 17% are male and 83% are female.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at WSCC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $11,916.

Read full report on Nursing at Walters State Community College

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Southwest Tennessee Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the city of Memphis, Southwest is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

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

On average, nursing graduates from Southwest take out $21,348 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Southwest Tennessee Community College

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Chattanooga State Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Chattanooga State Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Chattanooga.

Women make up 78% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Chattanooga State Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $20,491.

Full Nursing at Chattanooga State Community College Report

Columbia State Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. Columbia State Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Columbia.

About 87% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 13% are male.

Nursing majors at Columbia State Community College take out an average of $20,585 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Columbia State Community College

#7

Southern Adventist University

Collegedale, TN

Southern Adventist University ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the suburb of Collegedale, Southern Adventist is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Women make up 73% of the nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Southern Adventist accumulate an average of around $24,595 in student debt.

Read More…

Pellissippi State Community College ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Pellissippi State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Knoxville.

Of the 84 students majoring in nursing at Pellissippi State Community College, 18% are male and 82% are female.

Nursing majors at Pellissippi State Community College take out an average of $20,369 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Pellissippi State Community College Report

Northeast State 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 rural area of Blountville, Northeast State Technical Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Women make up 90% of the nursing majors at the school.

On average, nursing graduates from Northeast State Technical Community College take out $10,274 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

Roane State Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Located in the town of Harriman, Roane State Community College is a public college with a small student population.

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

On average, nursing graduates from Roane State Community College take out $20,078 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Roane State Community College Report

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
Mississippi 2,838
Alabama 7,364
Kentucky 6,395
Arkansas 2,882
Louisiana 3,502
Florida 21,209
West Virginia 1,771
North Carolina 7,425
South Carolina 3,296
Virginia 6,775
Georgia 7,112

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 19 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 matching tool for schools matches students with nursing schools across the U.S.