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. Calmar, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 368 students in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Iowa pay an average of $6,270 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend NICC. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $6,990.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since NICC does offer online classes for certain majors. During the 2020-2021 year, about 43% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Northwest Iowa Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Northwest Iowa Community College is a public institution located in Sheldon, Iowa. The school has a small population, and it awarded 211 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Students from Iowa who attend Northwest Iowa Community College full time pay an average of $6,870 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $7,170. Associate Degree recipients from Northwest Iowa Community College accumulate an average of $11,532 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Northwest Iowa Community College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2020-2021 year, about 66% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
The excellent associate degree programs at Iowa Western Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Iowa. This medium-sized public school is located in Council Bluffs, Iowa, and it awarded 797 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Iowa pay an average of $6,540 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Iowa Western Community College. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $6,690. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,474 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that Iowa Western Community College does offer online classes in some areas. In 2020-2021 about 63% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
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. DMACC is a large public school situated in Ankeny, Iowa. It awarded 2,010 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $12,641 in student loans.
Online courses are available at DMACC, 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 50% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Out of the 15 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, North Iowa Area Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Mason City, Iowa is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 511 students in 2021-2022.
In-state students pay an average of $6,196 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 $8,884. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $11,718 in student loans.
Online courses are available at North Iowa Area 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 83% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #6, Southeastern Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in West Burlington, Iowa, the small public school awarded 388 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
Students from Iowa who attend Southeastern Community College full time pay an average of $6,210 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $6,360. Associate Degree recipients from Southeastern Community College accumulate an average of $14,369 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Southeastern Community College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2020-2021 year, about 55% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Iowa Central Community College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in Fort Dodge, Iowa, the medium-sized public school awarded 812 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Iowa pay an average of $5,196 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Iowa Central Community College. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $7,398. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $18,497 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. During the 2020-2021 year, about 26% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Hawkeye Community College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in Waterloo, Iowa, the small public school awarded 596 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Iowa pay an average of $6,090 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Hawkeye Community College. Out-of-state students pay an average of $6,583. On average, associate degree students take out $17,358 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Hawkeye Community College. In 2020-2021 about 44% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #9, Western Iowa Tech Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Sioux City, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 479 students in 2021-2022.
Full-time students from Iowa pay an average of $4,922 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Western Iowa Tech Community College. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $4,946. Associate Degree recipients from Western Iowa Tech Community College accumulate an average of $14,028 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Western Iowa Tech 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 2020-2021 academic year, around 78% took at least some of their classes online.
Kirkwood 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 #10 on the list. Kirkwood Community College is a fairly large public school located in Cedar Rapids, Iowa that handed out 1,628 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Kirkwood Community College is $5,700. Out-of-state students pay an average of $7,604. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,030 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that Kirkwood Community College does offer online classes in some areas. In 2020-2021 about 59% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Eastern Iowa Community College District did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get an associate degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Davenport, Iowa is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 823 students in 2021-2022.
On average, associate degree students take out $16,472 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Eastern Iowa Community Colleges 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 2020-2021 about 44% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Marshalltown Community College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Located in Marshalltown, Iowa, the small public school handed out 206 associate degree awards in 2021-2022.
Students from Iowa who attend Marshalltown Community College full time pay an average of $5,184 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $5,688. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $14,363 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that Marshalltown Community College does offer online classes in some areas. In 2020-2021 about 67% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
With a ranking of #13, Southwestern Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. SWCC is located in Creston, Iowa and has a small student population. In 2021-2022, this school awarded 228 associate degrees to qualified students.
Full-time students from Iowa pay an average of $6,330 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend SWCC. Out-of-state students pay an average of $6,540. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $12,750 in student loans.
SWCC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. During the 2020-2021 year, about 58% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
With a ranking of #14, Indian Hills Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. This small public school is located in Ottumwa, Iowa, and it awarded 528 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $14,730 in student loans.
One thing to take note of is that IHCC does offer online classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 36% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2020-2021.
Iowa Lakes Community College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking. This small public school is located in Estherville, Iowa, and it awarded 282 associate degrees in 2021-2022.
Students from Iowa who attend Iowa Lakes Community College full time pay an average of $7,004 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $7,452. Associate Degree recipients from Iowa Lakes Community College accumulate an average of $15,383 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Iowa Lakes Community College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2020-2021 academic year, around 44% took at least some of their classes online.
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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