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Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa

18 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 Iowa with 2,966 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.

Today's nursing students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Nursing Degree Search has created the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 18 schools in Iowa to see which ones were the most popular associate degree programs 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 Des Moines Area Community College to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in Iowa. DMACC is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Ankeny.

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

On average, nursing graduates from DMACC take out $23,473 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Des Moines Area Community College Report

#2

Iowa Western Community College

Council Bluffs, IA

Out of the 18 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa Western Community College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Iowa Western Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Council Bluffs.

About 90% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 10% are male.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Iowa Western Community College accumulate an average of around $27,290 in student debt.

Read More…

#3

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, IA

The in-demand associate degree programs at Kirkwood Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Iowa. Kirkwood Community College is a large public school located in the city of Cedar Rapids.

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

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Kirkwood Community College carry an average student debt load of $27,483.

Full Nursing at Kirkwood Community College Report

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northeast Iowa Community College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in the rural area of Calmar, NICC is a public school with a small student population.

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

Read full report on Nursing at Northeast Iowa Community College

Out of the 18 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Eastern Iowa Community College District landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Davenport, Eastern Iowa Community Colleges is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Women make up 94% of the nursing majors at the school.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Eastern Iowa Community Colleges carry an average student debt load of $27,563.

Read More…

Western Iowa Tech Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. Located in the city of Sioux City, Western Iowa Tech Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Of the 81 students majoring in nursing at Western Iowa Tech Community College, 10% are male and 90% are female.

Nursing majors at Western Iowa Tech Community College take out an average of $24,421 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Western Iowa Tech Community College

With a ranking of #7, Iowa Central Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the remote town of Fort Dodge, Iowa Central Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Of the 75 students majoring in nursing at Iowa Central Community College, 8% are male and 92% are female.

On average, nursing graduates from Iowa Central Community College take out $26,954 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

#8

Southeastern Community College

West Burlington, IA

Southeastern Community College ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in the town of West Burlington, Southeastern Community College is a public school with a small student population.

Women make up 94% of the nursing majors at the school.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Southeastern Community College carry an average student debt load of $25,483.

Full Nursing at Southeastern Community College Report

North Iowa Area Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in the remote town of Mason City, North Iowa Area Community College is a public school with a small student population.

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

Nursing majors at North Iowa Area Community College take out an average of $19,728 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

Mercy College of Health Sciences landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. Mercy College of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Des Moines.

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

Nursing majors at Mercy College of Health Sciences take out an average of $33,251 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Mercy College of Health Sciences Report

Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Minnesota 14,890
South Dakota 1,022
North Dakota 976
Nebraska 1,908
Kansas 2,633
Missouri 6,840

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

Majors Similar to Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 84,274

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 18 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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