2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Massachusetts
Identifying High-Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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 and bootcamps 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 Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Our analysis looked at 15 schools in Massachusetts to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for nursing students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.
When determining this ranking, we place a high emphasis on the school's quality as well as its sticker price. Even though a college may be affordable, it may not offer value. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
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Top Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Massachusetts
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Bunker Hill Community College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in Massachusetts. This medium-sized public school is located in Boston, Massachusetts, and it awarded 57 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
BHCC undergraduate students pay an average of $10,224 in tuition and fees each year. On average, associate degree students take out $11,991 in loans while pursuing their degree.
BHCC is one of the schools on our list that is primarily online. Each undergraduate student at the school took at least one class online.
BHCC also made our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Massachusetts list, coming in at #2.
Out of the 15 schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s value ranking, Bristol Community College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Bristol is a medium-sized public school situated in Fall River, Massachusetts. It awarded 84 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Bristol are $10,152 a year. On average, associate degree students take out $11,401 in loans while pursuing their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since Bristol does offer online classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 100% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Bristol also took the #4 spot in our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Massachusetts rankings.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means North Shore Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. Located in Danvers, Massachusetts, the small public school awarded 59 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2020-2021.
North Shore Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $10,920 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $15,244 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
North Shore 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 64% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
North Shore Community College also took the #5 spot in our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Massachusetts rankings.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Massasoit Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree who want the most bang for their educational buck. Massasoit Community College is located in Brockton, Massachusetts and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 75 associate degrees to qualified students.
Massasoit Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $10,104 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $12,132 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Massasoit Community College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 100% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Out of the 15 schools in Massachusetts that were part of this year’s value ranking, Springfield Technical Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. STCC is a public institution located in Springfield, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 72 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at STCC are $10,728 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $11,475 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at STCC, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2019-2020 year, about 93% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, STCC is ranked #3 for overall quality in Massachusetts.
Cape Cod Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. This small public school is located in West Barnstable, Massachusetts, and it awarded 67 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Cape Cod Community College are $10,296 a year. On average, associate degree students take out $12,980 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Cape Cod Community College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 48% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
Berkshire Community College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Pittsfield, Massachusetts is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The public school handed out associate degrees to 40 students in 2020-2021.
BCC undergraduate students pay an average of $11,108 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $16,839 in student loans.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at BCC. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 73% took at least some of their classes online.
Greenfield Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Greenfield Community College is a public institution located in Greenfield, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 42 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Greenfield Community College are $11,762 per year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $13,255 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Greenfield Community College. During the 2019-2020 year, about 90% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Roxbury Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Massachusetts list. Located in Roxbury Crossing, Massachusetts, the small public school awarded 1 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Roxbury Community College are $11,088 per year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $11,778 in student loans.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Roxbury Community College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 98% took at least some of their classes online.
Northern Essex Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for nursing students to get an associate degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Northern Essex Community College is a small public school located in Haverhill, Massachusetts that handed out 20 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NECC are $11,328 per year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $15,610 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
NECC does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 100% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #11, Quinsigamond Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Quinsigamond Community College is a medium-sized public school located in Worcester, Massachusetts that handed out 122 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Quinsigamond Community College are $10,774 per year. On average, associate degree students take out $20,343 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Quinsigamond Community College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In fact, around 35% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Middlesex Community College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Located in Bedford, Massachusetts, the medium-sized public school awarded 65 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2020-2021.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Middlesex Community College are $12,120 a year. On average, associate degree students take out $13,346 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Middlesex Community College. During the 2019-2020 year, about 100% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Holyoke Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value places for nursing students to get an associate degree. It came in at #13 on the list. Holyoke Community College is a public institution located in Holyoke, Massachusetts. The school has a small population, and it awarded 43 associate degrees in 2020-2021.
Holyoke Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $10,322 in tuition and fees each year. Associate Degree recipients from this school accumulate an average of $12,288 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Holyoke 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 99% took at least some of their classes online.
Quincy College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Located in Quincy, Massachusetts, the small public school awarded 40 diplomas to qualifed associate degree students in 2020-2021.
Quincy College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,176 in tuition and fees each year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $18,537 in student loans.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Quincy College. In fact, around 96% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Bay State College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Massachusetts ranking. Bay State College is located in Boston, Massachusetts and has a very small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 36 associate degrees to qualified students.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bay State College are $29,500 per year. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $36,855 in student loans.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Bay State College. In fact, around 54% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Bay State College also made our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Massachusetts list, coming in at #1.
Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the New England Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 15 schools only.
References
- 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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