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Best Value Nursing Basic Certificate Schools in Arizona

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2023 Best Value Nursing Basic Certificate Schools in Arizona

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Prices

8 Schools Ranked
$7,782 Avg Tuition & Fees*

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which nursing program is right for you. 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 assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Best Value Nursing Basic Certificate Schools in Arizona ranking. This report analyzed 8 schools in Arizona to see which ones offered the best value basic certificate programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top Value Nursing Basic Certificate Schools in Arizona

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

#1

GateWay Community College

Phoenix, Arizona
255 Total Awards
$7,854 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found GateWay Community College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a basic certificate in Arizona. GateWay Community College is a public institution located in Phoenix, Arizona. The school has a small population, and it awarded 255 basic certificates in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GateWay Community College are $7,854 per year.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since GateWay Community College does offer online classes for certain majors. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 74% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

GateWay Community College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Nursing Basic Certificate Schools in Arizona list.

Read More…

#2

Eastern Arizona College

Thatcher, Arizona
20 Total Awards
$9,120 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 8 schools in Arizona that were part of this year’s value ranking, Eastern Arizona College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in Thatcher, Arizona, the small public school handed out 20 basic certificate awards in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Eastern Arizona College are $9,120 a year.

One thing to take note of is that Eastern Arizona College does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 29% 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, Eastern Arizona College is ranked #2 for overall quality in Arizona.

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#3

Mesa Community College

Mesa, Arizona
123 Total Awards
$7,854 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Mesa Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their basic certificate who want the most bang for their educational buck. Mesa Community College is a public institution located in Mesa, Arizona. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 123 basic certificates in 2020-2021.

Mesa Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $7,854 in tuition and fees each year.

You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Mesa Community College. In fact, around 71% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

Mesa Community College also took the #4 spot in our Best Nursing Basic Certificate Schools in Arizona rankings.

Read More…

#4

Pima Community College

Tucson, Arizona
71 Total Awards
$7,566 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Pima Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their basic certificate who want the most bang for their educational buck. This fairly large public school is located in Tucson, Arizona, and it awarded 71 basic certificates in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Pima County Community College District are $7,566 a year.

Pima County Community College District 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, 52% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

Pima County Community College District did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Nursing Basic Certificate Schools in Arizona list.

Read full report on Pima Community College

37 Total Awards
$6,240 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent basic certificate programs at Cochise County Community College District helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in Arizona. Located in Sierra Vista, Arizona, the small public school awarded 37 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Cochise College are $6,240 a year.

Online courses are available at Cochise 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 76% took at least some of their classes online.

Full Cochise County Community College District Report

#6

Glendale Community College

Glendale, Arizona
104 Total Awards
$7,854 Average Tuition & Fees

Glendale Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Basic Certificate Schools in Arizona ranking. Located in Glendale, Arizona, the fairly large public school awarded 104 diplomas to qualifed basic certificate students in 2020-2021.

Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Glendale Community College are $7,854 per year.

Online courses are available at Glendale Community College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 74% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

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#7

Arizona Western College

Yuma, Arizona
23 Total Awards
$11,250 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #7, Arizona Western College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their basic certificate. AWC is located in Yuma, Arizona and has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 23 basic certificates to qualified students.

AWC undergraduate students pay an average of $11,250 in tuition and fees each year.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at AWC. In 2019-2020 about 61% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

AWC did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #5 on our Best Nursing Basic Certificate Schools in Arizona list.

Full Arizona Western College Report

#8

Yavapai College

Prescott, Arizona
112 Total Awards
$9,332 Average Tuition & Fees

Yavapai College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value basic certificate nursing programs. Yavapai College is a medium-sized public school located in Prescott, Arizona that handed out 112 basic certificates in 2020-2021.

The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate students at Yavapai College are $9,332 a year.

Yavapai College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 74% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read full report on Yavapai College

Best Value Nursing Basic Certificate Schools in the Southwest Region

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 8 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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