Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

Find Schools Near

2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

151 Colleges
$57,601 Avg Salary
$21,889 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

With 322,592 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, nursing is the #3 most popular major in the United States.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 151 schools in the Great Lakes Region to see which ones were the most popular associate degree programs for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.

Check out the nursing associate degree programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the Great Lakes Region .

#1

Ivy Tech Community College

Indianapolis, IN

Our analysis found Ivy Tech Community College to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in the Great Lakes Region . Ivy Tech Community College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Indianapolis.

Women make up 89% of the nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Ivy Tech Community College accumulate an average of around $20,860 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Ivy Tech Community College Report

The in-demand associate degree programs at Rasmussen University - Illinois helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the medium-sized city of Rockford, Rasmussen University - Illinois is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

About 92% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 8% are male.

On average, nursing graduates from Rasmussen University - Illinois take out $32,326 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $175, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Cuyahoga Community College District is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the large city of Cleveland, Cuyahoga Community College District is a public college with a large student population.

About 84% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 16% are male.

On average, nursing graduates from Cuyahoga Community College District take out $21,617 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read More…

#4

Hondros College of Nursing

Westerville, OH

The in-demand associate degree programs at Hondros College of Nursing helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in the Great Lakes Region . Located in the large suburb of Westerville, Hondros College of Nursing is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

About 93% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 7% are male.

Nursing majors at Hondros College of Nursing take out an average of $40,873 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $125, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

The in-demand associate degree programs at Galen College of Nursing - Cincinnati helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in the Great Lakes Region . Galen College of Nursing - Cincinnati is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Cincinnati.

Women make up 91% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Galen College of Nursing - Cincinnati take out while working on their Associate Degree is $35,636. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $111, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Galen College of Nursing - Cincinnati Report

#6

Owens Community College

Perrysburg, OH

Owens Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Perrysburg, Owens State Community College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Of the 214 students majoring in nursing at Owens State Community College, 14% are male and 86% are female.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Owens State Community College carry an average student debt load of $30,639.

Full Nursing at Owens Community College Report

#7

Henry Ford College

Dearborn, MI

Henry Ford College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Henry Ford College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Dearborn.

Of the 201 students majoring in nursing at Henry Ford College, 22% are male and 78% are female.

On average, nursing graduates from Henry Ford College take out $27,674 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Henry Ford College Report

With a ranking of #8, Lansing Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the midsize city of Lansing, LCC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 76% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at LCC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $28,140.

Read More…

Northeast Wisconsin Technical College ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. NWTC is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Green Bay.

Of the 195 students majoring in nursing at NWTC, 7% are male and 93% are female.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at NWTC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $21,872.

Read More…

Central Ohio Technical College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. COTC is a small public school located in the suburb of Newark.

Women make up 83% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at COTC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $25,409.

Read full report on Nursing at Central Ohio Technical College

Madison Area Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the large city of Madison, Madison College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 90% of the nursing majors at the school.

Nursing majors at Madison College take out an average of $26,980 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Madison Area Technical College

Chippewa Valley Technical College ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the small city of Eau Claire, CVTC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

About 92% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 8% are male.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at CVTC accumulate an average of around $24,781 in student debt.

Read More…

#13

Schoolcraft College

Livonia, MI

Schoolcraft College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. Located in the small city of Livonia, Schoolcraft College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Women make up 87% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Schoolcraft College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $24,773.

Read More…

Bryant & Stratton College - Wauwatosa came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the large suburb of Wauwatosa, Bryant & Stratton College - Wauwatosa is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Women make up 93% of the nursing majors at the school.

Nursing majors at Bryant & Stratton College - Wauwatosa take out an average of $34,394 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $171.

Read full report on Nursing at Bryant & Stratton College - Wauwatosa

Columbus State Community College came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Located in the large city of Columbus, Columbus State is a public school with a fairly large student population.

About 87% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 13% are male.

Read More…

#16

Clark State Community College

Springfield, OH

With a ranking of #16, Clark State Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Springfield, Clark State Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Of the 152 students majoring in nursing at Clark State Community College, 16% are male and 84% are female.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Clark State Community College accumulate an average of around $28,566 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Clark State Community College Report

Lorain County Community College ranked #17 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the city of Elyria, LCCC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

About 89% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 11% are male.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from LCCC carry an average student debt load of $25,698.

Read More…

#18

Delta College

University Center, MI

Delta College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. Located in the rural area of University Center, Delta College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

About 88% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 12% are male.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Delta College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $21,140.

Full Nursing at Delta College Report

City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College landed the #18 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Chicago, Malcolm X College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

About 82% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 18% are male.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Malcolm X College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $18,740.

Read full report on Nursing at City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College

Sinclair Community College came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region ranking. Sinclair Community College is a large public school located in the midsize city of Dayton.

Of the 136 students majoring in nursing at Sinclair Community College, 13% are male and 88% are female.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Sinclair Community College carry an average student debt load of $24,962.

Full Nursing at Sinclair Community College Report

#21

Mercy College of Ohio

Toledo, OH

Mercy College of Ohio ranked #21 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list. Located in the large city of Toledo, Mercy College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

About 90% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 10% are male.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Mercy College accumulate an average of around $35,681 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $149.

Read full report on Nursing at Mercy College of Ohio

Milwaukee Area Technical College landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. MATC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Milwaukee.

Women make up 88% of the nursing majors at the school.

Nursing majors at MATC take out an average of $27,388 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Milwaukee Area Technical College

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
23 Macomb Community College Warren, MI
23 Washtenaw Community College Ann Arbor, MI
23 William Rainey Harper College Palatine, IL
26 Oakland Community College Bloomfield Hills, MI
27 University of Rio Grande Rio Grande, OH
28 Gateway Technical College Kenosha, WI
28 Lakeland Community College Kirtland, OH
30 Waubonsee Community College Sugar Grove, IL
30 Rasmussen University - Wisconsin Green Bay, WI

Best Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best nursing colleges for a specific state in the Great Lakes region.

State Degrees Awarded
Michigan 7,345
Ohio 13,973
Illinois 21,938
Indiana 7,922
Wisconsin 5,410

One of 30 majors within the area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

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.

Featured Schools

Find Schools Near You

Our free school finder matches students with accredited colleges across the U.S.