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Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina

2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

52 Colleges
$2,362 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$57,601 Avg Salary

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.

The Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 52 schools in North Carolina to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for nursing students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

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. 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.

Our calculations use out-of-state tuition and fees in our nationwide and regional rankings. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools

#1

Craven Community College

New Bern, NC

Our analysis found Craven Community College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in North Carolina. Located in the small city of New Bern, Craven Community College is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Craven Community College are $2,022 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Craven Community College carry an average student debtload of $13,449.

Craven Community College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina list.

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#2

Pitt Community College

Winterville, NC

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pitt Community College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Pitt Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Winterville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Pitt Community College are $1,940 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Pitt Community College accumulate an average of around $19,613 in student debt.

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Out of the 52 schools in North Carolina that were part of this year’s ranking, South Piedmont Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. South Piedmont Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Polkton.

South Piedmont Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $2,015 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from South Piedmont Community College take out $14,866 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

South Piedmont Community College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina list.

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#4

College of the Albemarle

Elizabeth City, NC

The excellent associate degree programs at College of the Albemarle helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in North Carolina. College of the Albemarle is a small public school located in the town of Elizabeth City.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at College of the Albemarle are $2,228 per year. 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 join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Forsyth Technical Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina list. Forsyth Tech is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize city of Winston-Salem.

Forsyth Tech undergraduate students pay an average of $2,152 in in-state tuition and fees each year. 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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Vance-Granville Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Vance-Granville Community College is a small public school located in the distant town of Henderson.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Vance-Granville Community College are $1,944 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Vance-Granville Community College accumulate an average of around $12,961 in student debt.

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With a ranking of #7, McDowell Technical Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. McDowell Technical Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Marion.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at McDowell Technical Community College are $1,926 per year.

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Alamance Community College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Located in the rural area of Graham, ACC is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at ACC are $2,310 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at ACC accumulate an average of around $10,303 in student debt.

ACC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina list.

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Davidson County Community College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in North Carolina ranking. Located in the rural area of Thomasville, DCCC is a public school with a small student population.

DCCC undergraduate students pay an average of $2,226 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at DCCC take out an average of $18,621 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Brunswick 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. Brunswick Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Bolivia.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Brunswick Community College are $2,532 per year. 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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Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Southeast Region

Explore all the Best Value 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

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.

  • 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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