2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Nursing 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 181 schools in the Southwest Region to see which ones offered the best value programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
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 25 Best Southwest Region Schools for Affordable Quality in Nursing
Our analysis found New Mexico Junior College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in the Southwest Region . Located in the remote town of Hobbs, New Mexico Junior College is a public college with a small student population.
New Mexico Junior College undergraduate students pay an average of $2,280 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at New Mexico Junior College take out is $17,000.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Aspen University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the city of Denver, Aspen University is a private for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Aspen University are $5,170 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Aspen University take out $35,922 in student loans while working on their degree.
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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 #3 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the remote town of Clovis, Clovis Community College is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Clovis Community College are $2,984 per year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Clovis Community College accumulate an average of around $11,473 in student debt.
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Out of the 181 schools in the Southwest Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Central Arizona College landed the # 4 spot on the list. 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. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Pinal County Community College carry an average student debtload of $15,679.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Panola College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. Panola College is a small public school located in the distant town of Carthage.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Panola College are $4,680 a year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Panola College also is in the top 10% of our Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking.
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Amarillo College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Amarillo, Amarillo College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Amarillo College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,704 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Amarillo College carry an average student debtload of $21,240.
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College of the Mainland came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the suburb of Texas City, COM is a public school with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at COM are $3,873 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at COM take out is $20,290.
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South Plains College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #8 on the list. South Plains College is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Levelland.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at South Plains College are $4,276 a year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from South Plains College carry an average student debtload of $12,750.
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Alvin Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the suburb of Alvin, Alvin is a public school with a small student population.
Alvin undergraduate students pay an average of $4,010 in tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Alvin take out $15,511 in student loans while working on their degree.
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With a ranking of #10, New Mexico State University - Carlsbad did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Located in the rural area of Carlsbad, NMSU Carlsbad is a public college with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at NMSU Carlsbad are $4,008 per year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from NMSU Carlsbad carry an average student debtload of $17,900.
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Tyler Junior College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #11 on the list. Tyler Junior College is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Tyler.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Tyler Junior College are $4,440 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Tyler Junior College take out $18,814 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Clarendon College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the remote area of Clarendon, Clarendon College is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at Clarendon College are $4,176 a year. Nursing majors at Clarendon College take out an average of $20,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Lee College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #13 on the list. Lee College is a medium-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. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Lee College accumulate an average of around $14,500 in student debt.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Lee College also did well on our Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Wharton County Junior College landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Wharton County Junior College is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Wharton.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Wharton County Junior College are $4,872 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Wharton County Junior College take out is $14,006.
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San Jacinto Community College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. San Jacinto College is a very large public school located in the large suburb of Pasadena.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at San Jacinto College are $5,040 a year. On average, nursing graduates from San Jacinto College take out $12,750 in student loans while working on their degree.
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El Centro College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. El Centro College is a very large public school located in the large city of Dallas.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at El Centro College are $6,000 a year. On average, nursing graduates from El Centro College take out $18,559 in student loans while working on their degree.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, El Centro College also did well on our Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Northeast Texas Community College came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. NTCC is a small public school located in the rural area of Mount Pleasant.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at NTCC are $6,449 a year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from NTCC carry an average student debtload of $20,000.
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Lone Star College System came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of The Woodlands, North Harris Montgomery is a public college with a very large student population.
North Harris Montgomery undergraduate students pay an average of $6,168 in tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from North Harris Montgomery take out $13,797 in student loans while working on their degree.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, North Harris Montgomery also did well on our Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Collin County Community College District did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #19 on the list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of McKinney, Collin County Community College District is a public school with a very large student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Collin County Community College District are $5,104 per year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Collin County Community College District carry an average student debtload of $14,970.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Collin County Community College District also did well on our Best Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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Houston Community College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Located in the large city of Houston, Houston Community College is a public college with a very large student population.
Houston Community College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,460 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Houston Community College carry an average student debtload of $21,000.
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With a ranking of #21, Victoria College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Located in the small city of Victoria, Victoria College is a public school with a small student population.
Out-of-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Victoria College are $4,872 per year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Victoria College accumulate an average of around $18,507 in student debt.
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Del Mar College ranked #22 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region list. Located in the large city of Corpus Christi, DMC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at DMC are $5,930 a year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from DMC carry an average student debtload of $10,429.
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University of New Mexico - Gallup Campus landed the #23 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the rural area of Gallup, UNM Gallup is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an out-of-state undergraduate student at UNM Gallup are $4,708 a year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at UNM Gallup accumulate an average of around $14,796 in student debt.
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Galveston College landed the #24 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the fringe town of Galveston, Galveston College is a public school with a small student population.
Galveston College undergraduate students pay an average of $5,200 in tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Galveston College carry an average student debtload of $17,757.
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Odessa College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #25 on the list. Located in the city of Odessa, Odessa College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Odessa College undergraduate students pay an average of $4,398 in tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Odessa College take out is $11,875.
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Additional Noteworthy Schools
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Nursing Schools in the Southwest Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 28 | San Juan College | Farmington, NM |
| 29 | South Texas College | McAllen, TX |
| 30 | Temple College | Temple, TX |
| 30 | Laredo College | Laredo, TX |
| 32 | El Paso Community College | El Paso, TX |
| 33 | Howard College | Big Spring, TX |
| 34 | Angelina College | Lufkin, TX |
| 35 | Grayson College | Denison, TX |
| 36 | Vernon College | Vernon, TX |
| 36 | Weatherford College | Weatherford, 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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