2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina
Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You
Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was ranked 3rd in North Carolina. In fact, 7,425 were awarded in the state in 2020-2021.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which 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 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, Course Advisor has developed this Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Our analysis looked at 52 schools in North Carolina to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences for students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina
The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a associate degree.
Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Cabarrus College of Health Sciences the best school in North Carolina for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the midsize city of Concord, Cabarrus College of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Cabarrus College of Health Sciences take out $26,962 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carolinas College of Health Sciences. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Carolinas College of Health Sciences is a small public school located in the city of Charlotte.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Carolinas College of Health Sciences take out while working on their Associate Degree is $25,047.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Central Piedmont Community College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Central Piedmont Community College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Charlotte.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Central Piedmont Community College carry an average student debtload of $17,911.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend College of the Albemarle. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina list. College of the Albemarle is a small public school located in the distant town of Elizabeth City.
On average, nursing graduates from College of the Albemarle take out $11,908 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Brunswick Community College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Brunswick Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Bolivia.
Nursing majors at Brunswick Community College take out an average of $11,775 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Surry Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the rural area of Dobson, Surry Community College is a public college with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Surry Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $13,679.
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Forsyth Technical Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Forsyth Tech is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Winston-Salem.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Forsyth Tech take out while working on their Associate Degree is $20,943.
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With a ranking of #8, Craven Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the small city of New Bern, Craven Community College is a public school with a small student population.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Craven Community College carry an average student debtload of $13,449.
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Richmond Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the distant town of Hamlet, Richmond Community College is a public school with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Richmond Community College take out $12,005 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Johnston Community College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Johnston Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Smithfield.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Johnston Community College accumulate an average of around $18,757 in student debt.
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Request InformationBest Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region
Explore all the Best Nursing Schools in the Southeast Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Georgia | 7,112 |
| Virginia | 6,775 |
| Florida | 21,209 |
| Tennessee | 6,004 |
| Kentucky | 6,395 |
| South Carolina | 3,296 |
| Louisiana | 3,502 |
| Arkansas | 2,882 |
| Alabama | 7,364 |
| Mississippi | 2,838 |
| West Virginia | 1,771 |
More Nursing Rankings in North Carolina
Nursing Related Rankings by Major
Nursing is one of 30 different types of programs to choose from.
Majors Similar to Nursing
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 89,359 |
| Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services | 84,492 |
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
| Allied Health Professions | 82,308 |
| Public Health | 40,596 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- 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 the rest 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
More about our data sources and methodologies.