Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee

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

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, nursing students earned 6,004 degrees and certificates from a Tennessee school, making the subject the 3rd in the state.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. This report analyzed 17 schools in Tennessee to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs for students. The factors used to develop this ranking include those related to how in-demand the school is, the overall quality of the school, and post-graduation wages, and more.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee

The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Southwest Tennessee Community College the best school in Tennessee for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Memphis, Southwest is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Southwest take out while working on their Associate Degree is $21,348.

Read More…

Out of the 17 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Jackson State Community College landed the # 2 spot on the list. JSCC is a small public school located in the small city of Jackson.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at JSCC accumulate an average of around $12,975 in student debt.

Read More…

#3

Southern Adventist University

Collegedale, TN

The excellent associate degree programs at Southern Adventist University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in Tennessee. Located in the suburb of Collegedale, Southern Adventist is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Nursing majors at Southern Adventist take out an average of $24,595 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Southern Adventist University

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Lincoln Memorial University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list. LMU is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the distant town of Harrogate.

On average, nursing graduates from LMU take out $24,304 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $86.

Read full report on Nursing at Lincoln Memorial University

Out of the 17 schools in Tennessee that were part of this year’s ranking, Dyersburg State Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the distant town of Dyersburg, DSCC is a public college with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from DSCC take out $14,708 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

Motlow State Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the rural area of Tullahoma, Motlow is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Motlow take out while working on their Associate Degree is $10,802.

Read More…

Northeast State Community College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the rural area of Blountville, Northeast State Technical Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Northeast State Technical Community College take out $10,274 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Northeast State Community College Report

Columbia State Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee ranking. Columbia State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the distant town of Columbia.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Columbia State Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $20,585.

Full Nursing at Columbia State Community College Report

Chattanooga State Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Chattanooga State Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Chattanooga.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Chattanooga State Community College carry an average student debtload of $20,491.

Full Nursing at Chattanooga State Community College Report

Fortis Institute - Nashville ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee list. Fortis Institute - Nashville is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Nashville.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Fortis Institute - Nashville take out while working on their Associate Degree is $35,696.

Read More…

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
North Carolina 7,425
Florida 21,209
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.

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 17 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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.