2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in Minnesota with 14,890 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.
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 Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota ranking. Our analysis looked at 21 schools in Minnesota 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.
This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.
For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Our analysis found Rochester Community and Technical College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in Minnesota. Rochester Community and Technical College is a small public school located in the medium-sized city of Rochester.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Rochester Community and Technical College are $5,372 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Rochester Community and Technical College take out $27,212 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Northwest Technical College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota list. Located in the town of Bemidji, NTC is a public college with a fairly small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at NTC are $6,380 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at NTC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $32,265.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means North Hennepin Community College is a great value for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park, North Hennepin Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at North Hennepin Community College are $4,882 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at North Hennepin Community College accumulate an average of around $32,743 in student debt.
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The excellent associate degree programs at Anoka-Ramsey Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in Minnesota. Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus is a moderately-sized public school located in the large suburb of Coon Rapids.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus are $5,515 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus take out while working on their Associate Degree is $28,625.
Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus also took the #1 spot in our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota rankings.
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Out of the 21 schools in Minnesota that were part of this year’s ranking, Inver Hills Community College landed the # 5 spot on the list. IHCC is a small public school located in the large suburb of Inver Grove Heights.
IHCC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,809 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at IHCC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $27,410.
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Hibbing Community College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota list. Located in the town of Hibbing, Hibbing Community College is a public school with a fairly small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Hibbing Community College are $5,773 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Hibbing Community College carry an average student debtload of $26,020.
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Ridgewater 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. Located in the town of Willmar, Ridgewater College is a public school with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Ridgewater College are $5,914 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Ridgewater College accumulate an average of around $27,352 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #8, Alexandria Technical & Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the town of Alexandria, ATCC is a public school with a small student population.
ATCC undergraduate students pay an average of $5,910 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at ATCC accumulate an average of around $22,681 in student debt.
ATCC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota list.
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South Central College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota list. Located in the small suburb of North Mankato, South Central College is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at South Central College are $5,966 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from South Central College carry an average student debtload of $29,249.
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Century College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Located in the suburb of White Bear Lake, Century College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Century College are $5,907 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Century College accumulate an average of around $30,422 in student debt.
Full Nursing at Century College Report
Request InformationBest Value Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region
Explore all the Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Missouri | 6,840 |
| Kansas | 2,633 |
| Iowa | 2,966 |
| Nebraska | 1,908 |
| North Dakota | 976 |
| South Dakota | 1,022 |
More Nursing Rankings in Minnesota
Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing is one of 30 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Majors Related 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 21 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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