2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, 322,592 nursing students received a degree or certificate, making the major the #3 most popular in the country.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which program is right 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 in the Southwest Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 99 schools in the Southwest Region 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 15% Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named New Mexico Junior College the best value school in the Southwest Region for nursing students working on their associate degree. 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.
Full Nursing at New Mexico Junior College Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Clovis Community College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the town of Clovis, Clovis Community College is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Clovis Community College are $2,984 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Clovis Community College take out $13,864 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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The excellent associate degree programs at Central Arizona College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in the Southwest Region . 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.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Panola College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Panola College is a small public school located in the town of Carthage.
Panola College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,680 in tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Panola College also is in the top 15% of our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Amarillo College is a great value for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the midsize city of Amarillo, Amarillo College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Amarillo College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,704 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Amarillo College accumulate an average of around $22,468 in student debt.
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College of the Mainland landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Located in the suburb of Texas City, COM is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at COM are $3,873 per year. Nursing majors at COM take out an average of $24,607 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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South Plains 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 #7 on the list. South Plains College is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Levelland.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at South Plains College are $4,276 per 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.
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With a ranking of #8, 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 college with a small student population.
Alvin undergraduate students pay an average of $4,010 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Alvin accumulate an average of around $18,713 in student debt.
Full Nursing at Alvin Community College Report
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New Mexico State University - Carlsbad came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the rural area of Carlsbad, NMSU Carlsbad is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NMSU Carlsbad are $4,008 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at NMSU Carlsbad accumulate an average of around $21,758 in student debt.
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Tyler Junior College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Tyler Junior College is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Tyler.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Tyler Junior College are $4,440 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Tyler Junior College carry an average student debtload of $20,409.
Full Nursing at Tyler Junior College Report
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Clarendon 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 #11 on the list. Located in the rural area of Clarendon, Clarendon College is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Clarendon College are $4,176 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Clarendon College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $22,830.
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Lee College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Lee College is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Baytown.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Lee College are $4,302 per year. Nursing majors at Lee College take out an average of $21,135 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Lee College also is in the top 10% of our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.
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Wharton County Junior College ranked #13 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. Wharton County Junior College is a moderately-sized public school located in the town of Wharton.
Wharton County Junior College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,872 in tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Wharton County Junior College accumulate an average of around $16,606 in student debt.
Full Nursing at Wharton County Junior College Report
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San Jacinto Community College ranked #14 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list. San Jacinto College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Pasadena.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at San Jacinto College are $5,040 per year. Nursing majors at San Jacinto College take out an average of $17,670 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Full Nursing at San Jacinto Community College Report
Request InformationAdditional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great value schools for Nursing students in the Southwest Region seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | El Centro College | Dallas, TX |
| 16 | Collin County Community College District | McKinney, TX |
| 17 | Northeast Texas Community College | Mount Pleasant, TX |
| 18 | Lone Star College System | The Woodlands, TX |
| 19 | Houston Community College | Houston, TX |
Best Nursing Colleges by State
Explore the best nursing schools for a specific state in the Southwest region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Texas | 21,862 |
| Arizona | 12,966 |
| Oklahoma | 3,009 |
| New Mexico | 1,390 |
More Nursing Rankings in the Southwest Region
Majors Related to Nursing
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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