2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa
Today's nursing students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. 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 Iowa ranking. Our analysis looked at 15 schools in Iowa 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 Iowa
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2023 rankings named Northeast Iowa Community College the best school in Iowa for nursing students working on their associate degree.
Full-time students from Iowa pay an average of $6,120 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend NICC. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $6,840.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since NICC does offer online classes for certain majors. In fact, around 55% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
The excellent associate degree programs at Northwest Iowa Community College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Iowa.
Full-time students from Iowa pay an average of $6,540 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Northwest Iowa Community College. Out-of-state students pay an average of $6,840. On average, associate degree students take out $16,567 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at Northwest Iowa 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 68% took at least some of their classes online.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Iowa Western Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list.
Full-time students from Iowa pay an average of $6,330 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Iowa Western Community College. Out-of-state students pay an average of $6,480. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,172 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Iowa Western Community College. In fact, around 75% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Des Moines Area Community College is a great place 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 $16,614 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at DMACC. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 63% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means North Iowa Area Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree.
In-state students pay an average of $5,971 in tuition and fees if they attend North Iowa Area Community College full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $8,547. Associate Degree recipients from North Iowa Area Community College accumulate an average of $15,157 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
North Iowa Area Community College is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
Southeastern Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Southeastern Community College is $6,090. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $6,240. On average, associate degree students take out $16,052 in loans while pursuing their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Southeastern Community College does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2019-2020 year, about 49% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Iowa Central 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 #7 on the list.
Full-time students from Iowa pay an average of $6,000 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Iowa Central Community College. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $8,650. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,832 in student loans.
Iowa Central 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. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 33% took at least some of their classes online.
Hawkeye 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 #8 on the list.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Hawkeye Community College is $5,977. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $6,524. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,368 in student loans.
Hawkeye 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 41% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Western Iowa Tech 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.
Full-time students from Iowa pay an average of $4,802 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Western Iowa Tech Community College. Out-of-state students pay an average of $4,826. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $17,167 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Western Iowa Tech Community College. In 2019-2020 about 53% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Kirkwood Community College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list.
Students from Iowa who attend Kirkwood Community College full time pay an average of $5,308 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $7,072. On average, associate degree students take out $19,972 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Kirkwood Community College. In 2019-2020 about 86% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Eastern Iowa Community College District ranked #11 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list.
On average, associate degree students take out $20,417 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges, 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 61% took at least some of their classes online.
Marshalltown Community College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs.
Students from Iowa who attend Marshalltown Community College full time pay an average of $5,040 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $5,448. On average, associate degree students take out $17,126 in loans while pursuing their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Marshalltown Community College does offer online classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 76% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Southwestern Community College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list.
Full-time students from Iowa pay an average of $6,060 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend SWCC. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $6,270. On average, associate degree students take out $13,617 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at SWCC, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 65% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Indian Hills 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 #14 on the list.
Associate Degree recipients from IHCC accumulate an average of $17,117 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
IHCC 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. During the 2019-2020 year, about 36% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Iowa Lakes 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 #15 on the list.
Full-time students from Iowa pay an average of $6,844 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Iowa Lakes Community College. Out-of-state students pay an average of $7,196. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $19,864 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Iowa Lakes Community College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 45% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States 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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