2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You
With 322,592 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, nursing is the #3 most popular major in the United States.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking. This report analyzed 960 schools in the United States to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
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2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the United States
Check out the nursing associate degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.
Top 25 Best Schools for Affordable Quality for an Associate in Nursing
Our analysis found New Mexico Junior College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in the United States. Located in the town of Hobbs, New Mexico Junior College is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at New Mexico Junior College are $2,280 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from New Mexico Junior College carry an average student debtload of $19,434.
A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Coahoma Community College is a great value for nursing students working on their associate degree. Coahoma Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Clarksdale.
Coahoma Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,003 in tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at Coahoma Community College take out an average of $21,203 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Out of the 960 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Oglala Lakota College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the rural area of Kyle, Oglala Lakota College is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Oglala Lakota College are $2,684 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Oglala Lakota College carry an average student debtload of $11,529.
Out of the 960 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Clovis Community College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the remote town of Clovis, Clovis Community College is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Clovis Community College are $2,984 per year. On average, nursing graduates from Clovis Community College take out $13,864 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health is a great value for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, L.A. County School of Nursing is a public school with a fairly small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from L.A. County School of Nursing take out $21,695 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
With a ranking of #6, Southeast Community College Area did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Southeast Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Lincoln.
Southeast Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $3,780 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Southeast Community College accumulate an average of around $27,526 in student debt.
In addition to its great value ranking, Southeast Community College is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list.
Seattle Central College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Located in the large city of Seattle, Seattle Central is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Seattle Central are $4,670 a year. Nursing majors at Seattle Central take out an average of $23,418 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Highline College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Highline is a small public school located in the large suburb of Des Moines.
Highline undergraduate students pay an average of $4,813 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Highline take out while working on their Associate Degree is $17,371.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Highline also did well on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Central Arizona College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Pinal County Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Coolidge.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Pinal County Community College are $5,160 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Pinal County Community College take out $19,049 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Panola College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Panola College is a small public school located in the distant town of Carthage.
Panola College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,680 in tuition and fees each year.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Panola College also did well on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Amarillo College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Amarillo, Amarillo College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Amarillo College are $4,704 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Amarillo College accumulate an average of around $22,468 in student debt.
Arkansas State University - Newport did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #12 on the list. ASUN is a small public school located in the rural area of Newport.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at ASUN are $4,320 a year. Nursing majors at ASUN take out an average of $20,883 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
College of the Mainland ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools list. Located in the midsize suburb of Texas City, COM is a public school with a small student population.
COM undergraduate students pay an average of $3,873 in tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at COM take out an average of $24,607 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Neosho County Community College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Located in the remote town of Chanute, Neosho County Community College is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Neosho County Community College are $4,000 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Neosho County Community College take out $20,150 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
With a ranking of #15, Cloud County Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Cloud County Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Concordia.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cloud County Community College are $3,570 per year. Nursing majors at Cloud County Community College take out an average of $22,223 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
SOWELA Technical 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 #16 on the list. Located in the city of Lake Charles, SOWELA is a public college with a small student population.
SOWELA undergraduate students pay an average of $4,265 in tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from SOWELA take out $15,984 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
South Plains College landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. South Plains College is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Levelland.
South Plains College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,276 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at South Plains College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $19,364.
Wayne County Community College District did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in the large city of Detroit, WCCCD is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at WCCCD are $3,998 per year. On average, nursing graduates from WCCCD take out $23,759 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Read full report on Nursing at Wayne County Community College District
Camden County College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking. Camden County College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Blackwood.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Camden County College are $3,744 per year. Nursing majors at Camden County College take out an average of $24,067 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
With a ranking of #20, Rochester Community and Technical College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Rochester Community and Technical College is a small public school located in the midsize city of Rochester.
Rochester Community and Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,372 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Rochester Community and Technical College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $27,212.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Rochester Community and Technical College also is in the top 10% of our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking.
Southern Regional Technical College came in at #21 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools ranking. Located in the distant town of Thomasville, Southwest Georgia Technical College is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Southwest Georgia Technical College are $5,402 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Southwest Georgia Technical College accumulate an average of around $13,212 in student debt.
Read full report on Nursing at Southern Regional Technical College
With a ranking of #22, South Louisiana Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. South Louisiana Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize city of Lafayette.
South Louisiana Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,205 in tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at South Louisiana Community College take out an average of $23,640 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
With a ranking of #23, University of Arkansas Community College - Batesville did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. UACCB is a small public school located in the remote town of Batesville.
UACCB undergraduate students pay an average of $3,438 in tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at UACCB take out an average of $15,732 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Read full report on Nursing at University of Arkansas Community College - Batesville
With a ranking of #24, Alvin Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Alvin, Alvin is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Alvin are $4,010 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Alvin accumulate an average of around $18,713 in student debt.
Centralia 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 #25 on the list. Located in the distant town of Centralia, Centralia College is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Centralia College are $5,239 per year. Nursing majors at Centralia College take out an average of $12,250 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Centralia College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools list.
Rest of the Top 50 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Remaining Award Winners
This list shows the rest of the schools awarded a Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the college was ranked in the top 15% of the 960 different United States nursing schools we analyzed.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great value schools for Nursing students seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools award.
Nursing by Region
View the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
| Region |
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| Southeast |
| New England |
| Rocky Mountains |
| Plains States |
| Middle Atlantic |
| Far Western US |
| Southwest |
| Great Lakes |
More Nursing Rankings
Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing is one of 30 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
| 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.
- 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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