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.
Rochester Community and Technical College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,372 in in-state tuition and fees each 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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The excellent associate degree programs at Northwest Technical College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in Minnesota. Located in the remote town of Bemidji, NTC is a public college with a fairly small student population.
NTC undergraduate students pay an average of $6,380 in in-state tuition and fees each 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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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend North Hennepin Community College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota list. Located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park, North Hennepin Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at North Hennepin Community College are $4,882 a 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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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Anoka-Ramsey Community College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota list. 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 not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #1 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota list.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Inver Hills Community College is a great value for nursing students working on their associate degree. IHCC is a small public school located in the 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.
Full Nursing at Inver Hills Community College Report
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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 college with a 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.
Ridgewater College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,914 in in-state tuition and fees each 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 remote town of Alexandria, ATCC is a public college 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.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, ATCC also did well on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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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.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at South Central College are $5,966 per 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 came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota ranking. Located in the large 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 Schools 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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