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Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa

2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa

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

Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, nursing students earned 2,966 degrees and certificates from an Iowa school, making the subject the 3rd in the state.

Today's students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

The Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 18 schools in Iowa to see which associate degree programs were the most popular for students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.

The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Colleges.

Our analysis found Des Moines Area Community College to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in Iowa. Located in the suburb of Ankeny, DMACC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 166 students majoring in nursing at DMACC, 10% are male and 90% are female.

Nursing majors at DMACC take out an average of $23,473 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Des Moines Area Community College Report

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#2

Iowa Western Community College

Council Bluffs, IA

Out of the 18 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Iowa Western Community College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the small city of Council Bluffs, Iowa Western Community College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

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

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Iowa Western Community College carry an average student debt load of $27,290.

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#3

Kirkwood Community College

Cedar Rapids, IA

Out of the 18 schools in Iowa that were part of this year’s ranking, Kirkwood Community College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the city of Cedar Rapids, Kirkwood Community College is a public college with a large student population.

Women make up 84% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Kirkwood Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $27,483.

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The in-demand associate degree programs at Northeast Iowa Community College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Iowa. NICC is a small public school located in the rural area of Calmar.

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

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The in-demand associate degree programs at Eastern Iowa Community College District helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in Iowa. Eastern Iowa Community Colleges is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize city of Davenport.

Women make up 94% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Eastern Iowa Community Colleges take out while working on their Associate Degree is $27,563.

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With a ranking of #6, Western Iowa Tech Community College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Western Iowa Tech Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Sioux City.

Of the 81 students majoring in nursing at Western Iowa Tech Community College, 10% are male and 90% are female.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Western Iowa Tech Community College accumulate an average of around $24,421 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Western Iowa Tech Community College Report

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Iowa Central Community College ranked #7 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Iowa Central Community College is a moderately-sized public school located in the remote town of Fort Dodge.

Of the 75 students majoring in nursing at Iowa Central Community College, 8% are male and 92% are female.

Nursing majors at Iowa Central Community College take out an average of $26,954 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#8

Southeastern Community College

West Burlington, IA

Southeastern Community College ranked #8 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Iowa list. Southeastern Community College is a small public school located in the town of West Burlington.

Women make up 94% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Southeastern Community College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $25,483.

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North Iowa Area Community College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. North Iowa Area Community College is a small public school located in the town of Mason City.

Women make up 85% of the nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at North Iowa Area Community College accumulate an average of around $19,728 in student debt.

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Mercy College of Health Sciences 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 #10 on the list. Located in the city of Des Moines, Mercy College of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

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

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Mercy College of Health Sciences accumulate an average of around $33,251 in student debt.

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Best Nursing Colleges in the Plains States Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Schools in the Plains States Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Missouri 6,840
Minnesota 14,890
Kansas 2,633
Nebraska 1,908
North Dakota 976
South Dakota 1,022

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 18 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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