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Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota

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2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

21 Colleges
$6,125 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$57,601 Avg Salary

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.

2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Colleges.

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 midsize 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Rochester Community and Technical College

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 remote town of Bemidji, NTC is a public school with a 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Northwest Technical College

#3

North Hennepin Community College

Brooklyn Park, MN

The excellent associate degree programs at North Hennepin Community College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in Minnesota. Located in the 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.

Read full report on Nursing at North Hennepin Community College

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 medium-sized public school located in the suburb of Coon Rapids.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus are $5,515 a 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 did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota list.

Full Nursing at Anoka-Ramsey Community College Report

#5

Inver Hills Community College

Inver Grove Heights, MN

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Inver Hills Community College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota list. IHCC is a small public school located in the suburb of Inver Grove Heights.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at IHCC are $5,809 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at IHCC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $27,410.

Read More…

Hibbing Community College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Located in the remote 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.

Read full report on Nursing at Hibbing Community College

#7

Ridgewater College

Willmar, MN

Ridgewater College landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Located in the town of Willmar, Ridgewater College is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Ridgewater College are $5,914 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Ridgewater College accumulate an average of around $27,352 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Ridgewater College

Alexandria Technical & Community College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota ranking. Located in the remote town of Alexandria, ATCC is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at ATCC are $5,910 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at ATCC accumulate an average of around $22,681 in student debt.

In addition to its great value ranking, ATCC is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota list.

Full Nursing at Alexandria Technical & Community College Report

#9

South Central College

North Mankato, MN

With a ranking of #9, South Central College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the suburb of North Mankato, South Central College is a public school 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.

Full Nursing at South Central College Report

#10

Century College

White Bear Lake, MN

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 medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Century College are $5,907 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Century College accumulate an average of around $30,422 in student debt.

Read full report on Nursing at Century College

Best 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

Nursing is one of 30 different types of programs to choose from.

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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