by our College Data Analytics TeamCollege Factual reviewed 949 schools in the United States to determine which ones were the best for associate degree seekers in the field of nursing. Combined, these schools handed out 85,504 associate degrees in nursing to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of nursing for getting your associate degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their associate degree from the school. After all, your associate degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for nursing students working on their associate degree.
The nursing school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools.
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in nursing. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
It is difficult to beat Pacific College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in nursing. Located in the city of Costa Mesa, Pacific College is a private for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a associate in nursing from Pacific College
It's difficult to beat Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale if you wish to pursue an associate degree in nursing. Located in the medium-sized city of Fort Lauderdale, Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Soon after graduation, nursing associate recipients typically earn about $56,116 in their early careers.
More information about a associate in nursing from Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale
Every student who is interested in an associate degree in nursing has to take a look at Mount Saint Mary's University. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles.
Nursing associate degree recipients from Mount Saint Mary's University earn a boost of about $10,065 above the typical income of nursing graduates.
More information about a associate in nursing from Mount Saint Mary’s University
Delaware Technical Community College - Terry is one of the best schools in the country for getting an associate degree in nursing. Located in the small city of Dover, Delaware Tech is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Nursing associate degree recipients from Delaware Technical Community College - Terry get an earnings boost of about $3,433 over the average earnings of nursing graduates.
More information about a associate in nursing from Delaware Technical Community College - Terry
Located in the large suburb of Collegedale, Southern Adventist is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program report average early career earnings of $51,554.
More information about a associate in nursing from Southern Adventist University
Located in the suburb of Lancaster, PA College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Nursing associate degree recipients from Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences earn a boost of approximately $5,034 over the average earnings of nursing majors.
More information about a associate in nursing from Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences
Located in the city of Ocala, Rasmussen University - Florida is a private for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.
Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program state that they receive average early career wages of $58,266.
More information about a associate in nursing from Rasmussen University - Florida
AmeriTech College - Draper is a small private for-profit college located in the large suburb of Draper.
Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program report average early career wages of $53,159.
More information about a associate in nursing from AmeriTech College - Draper
Located in the city of Virginia Beach, ECPI University is a private for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Associate graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program make about $59,510 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a associate in nursing from ECPI University
Located in the city of St. Cloud, Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a private for-profit university with a small student population.
Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program state that they receive average early career earnings of $58,266.
More information about a associate in nursing from Rasmussen University - Minnesota
Excelsior University is a large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Albany.
Those nursing students who get their associate degree from Excelsior University earn $6,012 more than the average nursing student.
More information about a associate in nursing from Excelsior University
Located in the city of Fort Lauderdale, BC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Associate graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program earn an average of $58,278 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a associate in nursing from Broward College
Located in the city of Dallas, El Centro College is a public college with a very large student population.
Soon after graduation, nursing associate recipients generally earn about $59,159 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a associate in nursing from El Centro College
Miami Regional University is a fairly small private for-profit university located in the large suburb of Miami Springs.
Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program state that they receive average early career income of $51,390.
More information about a associate in nursing from Miami Regional University
Galen College of Nursing - Louisville is a small private for-profit college located in the large city of Louisville.
After graduating, nursing associate recipients generally make an average of $58,115 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a associate in nursing from Galen College of Nursing - Louisville
Located in the large suburb of Fairfield, Sacred Heart is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population.
Nursing associate degree recipients from Sacred Heart University earn a boost of approximately $10,378 over the typical earnings of nursing graduates.
More information about a associate in nursing from Sacred Heart University
Located in the midsize city of Rockford, Rasmussen University - Illinois is a private for-profit university with a small student population.
Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program report average early career wages of $58,266.
More information about a associate in nursing from Rasmussen University - Illinois
HFCN is a small private not-for-profit college located in the city of New York.
Nursing associate degree recipients from Helene Fuld College of Nursing get an earnings boost of approximately $23,227 above the typical earnings of nursing graduates.
More information about a associate in nursing from Helene Fuld College of Nursing
Located in the city of McAllen, South Texas College is a public college with a very large student population.
Nursing associate degree recipients from South Texas College get an earnings boost of about $4,951 above the typical earnings of nursing majors.
More information about a associate in nursing from South Texas College
Located in the medium-sized city of The Woodlands, North Harris Montgomery is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Associate recipients from the nursing degree program at Lone Star College System get $9,341 more than the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a associate in nursing from Lone Star College System
Quinsigamond Community College is a medium-sized public college located in the midsize city of Worcester.
Nursing associate degree recipients from Quinsigamond Community College receive an earnings boost of approximately $5,567 over the average earnings of nursing graduates.
More information about a associate in nursing from Quinsigamond Community College
Located in the city of Stockton, Delta is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in nursing from San Joaquin Delta College
Valencia College is a very large public college located in the city of Orlando.
Soon after graduation, nursing associate recipients generally make an average of $58,090 in their early careers.
More information about a associate in nursing from Valencia College
Located in the rural area of Angwin, PUC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a associate in nursing from Pacific Union College
MDC is a fairly large public college located in the large city of Miami.
After graduation, nursing associate recipients typically earn around $55,472 in their early careers.
More information about a associate in nursing from Miami Dade College
This list shows the rest of the colleges awarded a Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 949 different United States nursing schools we analyzed.
Here are some additional great schools for Nursing students that almost earned our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools award.
View the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools for a specific region near you.
Nursing is one of 34 different types of Health Professions programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | 84,448 |
| Nursing Science | 723 |
| Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 219 |
| Nursing Practice | 80 |
| Adult Health Nurse/Nursing | 34 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Allied Health Professions | 27,677 |
| Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services | 20,673 |
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 16,893 |
| Health Sciences & Services | 10,218 |
| Dental Support Services | 7,282 |
| Mental & Social Health Services | 3,976 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science | 3,527 |
| Health/Medical Prep Programs | 2,905 |
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 2,006 |
| Other Health Professions | 1,296 |
