2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in New Jersey
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which nursing program is right 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. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools and bootcamp 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 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in New Jersey ranking. Our analysis looked at 15 schools in New Jersey to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Nursing Associate Degree Schools in New Jersey
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Union County College to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in New Jersey. Located in Cranford, New Jersey, the medium-sized public school awarded 1,519 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
On average, associate degree students take out $11,937 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Union County College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2020-2021 about 73% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Out of the 15 schools in New Jersey that were part of this year’s ranking, County College of Morris landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in Randolph, New Jersey, the medium-sized public school awarded 1,107 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at County College of Morris is $10,260. Out-of-state students pay an average of $14,040. Associate Degree recipients from County College of Morris accumulate an average of $10,222 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since County College of Morris does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 43% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Out of the 15 schools in New Jersey that were part of this year’s ranking, Ocean County College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in Toms River, New Jersey, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,444 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $12,842 in student loans.
OCC does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 40% took at least some of their classes online.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Raritan Valley Community College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in New Jersey list. Located in Branchburg, New Jersey, the medium-sized public school awarded 1,068 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $7,296 to cover tuition and fees at RVCC. The school does not offer an in-state discount. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $11,194 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at RVCC. In fact, around 32% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
The excellent associate degree programs at Brookdale Community College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in New Jersey. Lincroft, New Jersey is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 1,611 students in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Brookdale Community College is $8,948. Out-of-state students pay an average of $9,698. Associate Degree recipients from Brookdale Community College accumulate an average of $13,160 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Brookdale Community College does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 32% took at least some of their classes online.
Hudson County Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get an associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Hudson County Community College is a medium-sized public school located in Jersey City, New Jersey that handed out 1,186 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $8,390 in tuition and fees if they attend HCCC full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $11,798. On average, associate degree students take out $10,945 in loans while pursuing their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since HCCC does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 71% took at least some of their classes online.
Bergen Community College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Bergen Community College is a fairly large public school located in Paramus, New Jersey that handed out 2,011 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from New Jersey pay an average of $8,438 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Bergen Community College. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $8,822. On average, associate degree students take out $14,518 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at Bergen Community College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2020-2021 year, about 87% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Essex County College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in New Jersey ranking. Essex is a medium-sized public school situated in Newark, New Jersey. It awarded 1,102 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
If you want to attend Essex, expect to pay an average of $9,141 in tuition and fees. Of course, this could be reduced if you receive financial aid.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Essex. In fact, around 22% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Salem Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get an associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in Carneys Point, New Jersey, the small public school handed out 212 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $12,695 in student loans.
Salem County College does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 64% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
With a ranking of #10, Rowan College of South Jersey Gloucester Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in Sewell, New Jersey, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,016 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
RCSJ does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $5,640. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. Associate Degree recipients from RCSJ accumulate an average of $13,420 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at RCSJ, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In 2020-2021 about 78% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Read full report on Rowan College of South Jersey Gloucester Campus
Middlesex County College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in New Jersey list. Located in Edison, New Jersey, the medium-sized public school handed out 1,616 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $6,876 to cover tuition and fees at Middlesex County College. The school does not offer an in-state discount. Associate Degree recipients from Middlesex County College accumulate an average of $9,350 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Middlesex County College does offer online classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 79% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Rowan College at Burlington County came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in New Jersey ranking. RCBC is a medium-sized public school situated in Mount Laurel, New Jersey. It awarded 1,619 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at RCBC is $5,268. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $6,828. On average, associate degree students take out $12,402 in loans while pursuing their degree.
RCBC does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 77% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Passaic County Community College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in New Jersey ranking. Located in Paterson, New Jersey, the medium-sized public school handed out 554 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at PCCC is $7,350. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $9,390. On average, associate degree students take out $10,578 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at PCCC. In fact, around 64% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2020-2021.
Camden County College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Camden County College is a medium-sized public school located in Blackwood, New Jersey that handed out 1,132 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average tuition and fees at Camden County College is $3,744. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $13,672 in student loans.
Camden County College does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 65% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Atlantic Cape Community College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in New Jersey list. Atlantic Cape Community College is a public institution located in Mays Landing, New Jersey. The school has a small population, and it awarded 808 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Students from New Jersey who attend Atlantic Cape Community College full time pay an average of $6,840 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $8,340. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $14,591 in student loans.
Atlantic Cape Community College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 77% took at least some of their classes online.
Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Middle Atlantic Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 15 schools only.
References
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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