2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee
It's not easy to decide which nursing program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Also there are many trade schools and bpptcamp that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
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 Tennessee ranking. Our analysis looked at 16 schools in Tennessee to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school us, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
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Top Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Southwest Tennessee Community College the best school in Tennessee for nursing students working on their associate degree.
Students from Tennessee who attend Southwest full time pay an average of $4,430 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $17,246. On average, associate degree students take out $17,440 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Southwest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 78% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
The excellent associate degree programs at Jackson State Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Tennessee.
Full-time students from Tennessee pay an average of $4,618 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend JSCC. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $18,076. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $10,619 in student loans.
JSCC 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 81% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Southern Adventist University is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree.
The average tuition and fees at Southern Adventist is $23,210. 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 $24,595 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that Southern Adventist does offer online classes in some areas. In fact, around 39% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Lincoln Memorial University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list.
LMU does not offer a discount to in-state students, so the average tuition and fees for all undergraduates is $24,210. This amount may be reduced if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $24,167 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that LMU does offer online classes in some areas. In 2019-2020 about 6% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Dyersburg State Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list.
In-state students pay an average of $4,410 in tuition and fees if they attend DSCC full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $17,226. Associate Degree recipients from DSCC accumulate an average of $12,229 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
DSCC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 55% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Motlow State Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Motlow is $4,416. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $17,232. On average, associate degree students take out $9,423 in loans while pursuing their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Motlow does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 78% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #7, Remington College - Memphis Campus did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree.
By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $24,535 in student loans.
Since Remington College - Memphis Campus is primarily an online school, it is an excellent choice for undergraduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.
With a ranking of #8, Northeast State Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree.
Full-time students from Tennessee pay an average of $4,422 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Northeast State Technical Community College. Out-of-state students pay an average of $17,238. Associate Degree recipients from Northeast State Technical Community College accumulate an average of $10,550 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Northeast State Technical Community 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 2019-2020 about 83% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #9, Columbia State Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree.
In-state students pay an average of $4,666 in tuition and fees if they attend Columbia State Community College full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $18,124. On average, associate degree students take out $17,719 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Columbia State Community College. In 2019-2020 about 99% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Chattanooga State Community College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Chattanooga State Community College is $4,430. Out-of-state students pay an average of $16,934. On average, associate degree students take out $18,949 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Chattanooga State Community 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, 95% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Walters State Community College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list.
Students from Tennessee who attend WSCC full time pay an average of $4,399 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $17,215. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $10,502 in student loans.
WSCC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 61% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Pellissippi State Community College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Pellissippi State Community College is $4,456. Out-of-state students pay an average of $17,272. Associate Degree recipients from Pellissippi State Community College accumulate an average of $13,973 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 Pellissippi State Community College does offer online classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 95% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Roane State 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 #13 on the list.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Roane State Community College is $4,636. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $17,540. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $14,273 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Roane State Community College. During the 2019-2020 year, about 52% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Tennessee State University came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking.
In-state students pay an average of $8,336 in tuition and fees if they attend Tennessee State University full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $21,692. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $24,463 in student loans.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Tennessee State University. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 55% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Nashville State Community College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list.
Full-time students from Tennessee pay an average of $4,372 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Nashville State Community College. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $17,188. Associate Degree recipients from Nashville State Community College accumulate an average of $21,667 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Nashville State Community College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2019-2020 year, about 63% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Cleveland State 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 #16 on the list.
Students from Tennessee who attend Cleveland State Community College full time pay an average of $4,400 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $17,216. Associate Degree recipients from Cleveland State Community College accumulate an average of $16,157 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at Cleveland State Community College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 53% took at least some of their classes online.
Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 16 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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