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Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina

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2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina

52 Colleges
$57,601 Avg Salary
$21,889 Avg Student Debt

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 analysis found Cabarrus College of Health Sciences to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in North Carolina. Located in the midsize city of Concord, Cabarrus College of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Cabarrus College of Health Sciences

Out of the 52 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, Carolinas College of Health Sciences landed the # 2 spot on the list. Carolinas College of Health Sciences is a fairly small public school located in the large 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.

Read More…

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Central Piedmont Community College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Central Piedmont Community College is a 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.

Full Nursing at Central Piedmont Community College Report

#4

College of the Albemarle

Elizabeth City, NC

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means College of the Albemarle is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. College of the Albemarle is a small public school located in the 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.

Full Nursing at College of the Albemarle Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Brunswick Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Brunswick Community College

Surry Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Surry Community College

With a ranking of #7, Forsyth Technical Community College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Forsyth Tech is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Forsyth Technical Community College

#8

Craven Community College

New Bern, NC

Craven Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. 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.

Full Nursing at Craven Community College Report

Richmond Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in the distant town of Hamlet, Richmond Community College is a public college 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.

Read More…

#10

Johnston Community College

Smithfield, NC

Johnston 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 #10 on the list. 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.

Full Nursing at Johnston Community College Report

Best Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges 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

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.

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