by our College Data Analytics Team
When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual has developed its “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
In 2020-2021, 322,592 nursing students received their degree, making the major the 3rd most popular in the country. In 2019-2020, nursing graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $70,916 and had an average of $25,426 in loans still to pay off.
At the associate degree level specifically, there were 85,504 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $35,806 and $19,336 respectively.
This year’s “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major” ranking looked at 1,123 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in nursing. This a ranking of the schools where the largest percentage of students has enrolled in nursing.
For more information, check out our ranking methodology.
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 “Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major”.
One of our other unique offerings is College Combat. This tool lets you build your own customized comparisons utilizing the factors that are most important to you. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.
The colleges and universities below are the best for associate degree nursing students.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Carrington College, Mesquite. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major list. Carrington College, Mesquite is located in Mesquite, Texas and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 33 associates’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend St. Peter’s Hospital College of Nursing. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major list. This small school is located in Albany, New York, and it awarded 62 associates’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Nursing at St. Peter’s Hospital College of Nursing
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major list. Finger Lakes Health College of Nursing is a small school located in Geneva, New York that handed out 46 associates’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 5 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Out of the 1,123 schools in the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Jefferson Regional Medical Center School of Nursing landed the #1 spot on the list. JRMC School of Nursing is a small school located in Pine Bluff, Arkansas that handed out 25 associates’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 8 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.8%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Nursing at Jefferson Regional Medical Center School of Nursing
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Pomeroy College of Nursing at Crouse Hospital. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major list. Pomeroy College of Nursing is located in Syracuse, New York and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 104 associates’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Out of the 1,123 schools in the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Galen College of Nursing - ARH landed the #1 spot on the list. This small school is located in Hazard, Kentucky, and it awarded 111 associates’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Saint Elizabeth College of Nursing. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major. Saint Elizabeth College of Nursing is a private not-for-profit institution located in Utica, New York. The school has a small population, and it awarded 67 associates’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Nursing at Saint Elizabeth College of Nursing
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Belanger School of Nursing. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major list. This small school is located in Schenectady, New York, and it awarded 49 associates’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
Out of the 1,123 schools in the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major that were part of this year’s ranking, California Career College landed the #1 spot on the list. California Career College is a small school located in Canoga Park, California that handed out 36 associates’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 100%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 7 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.9% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Out of the 1,123 schools in the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Premiere International College landed the #1 spot on the list. Premiere International College is a small school located in Fort-Myers, Florida that handed out 2 associates’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Nursing at Premiere International College
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend St. Joseph’s College of Nursing. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major. Syracuse, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out associates’s nursing degrees to 167 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Nursing at St. Joseph’s College of Nursing
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend St Joseph School of Nursing. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major. Located in Nashua, New Hampshire, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 40 degrees to qualified associates’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Montefiore School of Nursing. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major. This small school is located in Mount-Vernon, New York, and it awarded 50 associates’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major. L.A. County School of Nursing is a small public school situated in Los Angeles, California. It awarded 75 associates’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health Nursing Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cochran School of Nursing. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major list. Cochran School of Nursing is a small school located in Yonkers, New York that handed out 42 associates’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 4 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Future-Tech Institute. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major list. Located in Miami, Florida, this small private for-profit school handed out 32 diplomas to qualified associates’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
Galen College of Nursing - Cincinnati landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major ranking. Cincinnati, Ohio is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out associates’s nursing degrees to 222 students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Nursing at Galen College of Nursing - Cincinnati
With a ranking of #18, Helene Fuld College of Nursing did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major list. New York, New York is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out associates’s nursing degrees to 373 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.1% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
With a ranking of #19, Advance Science College did quite well on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major list. Advance Science College is located in Hialeah, Florida and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 14 associates’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
With a freshman retention rate of 100%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Hope College of Arts and Sciences landed the #19 spot on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major ranking. This small school is located in Pompano Beach, Florida, and it awarded 28 associates’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Nursing at Hope College of Arts and Sciences
Lawrence Memorial Hospital School of Nursing ranked #21 on this year’s Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major list. Located in Medford, Massachusetts, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 104 degrees to qualified associates’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major ranking. Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing is located in Troy, New York and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 63 associates’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 6 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
EDP University - Manati ranked #23 on this year’s Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major list. Located in Manati, , this small private not-for-profit school handed out 84 degrees to qualified associates’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Eastern International College - Belleville ranked #24 on this year’s Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major list. Belleville, New Jersey is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out associates’s nursing degrees to 64 students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read full report on Nursing at Eastern International College - Belleville
Universal Career School came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Schools for an Associate Highly Focused on Nursing Major ranking. Universal Career School is a small private for-profit school situated in Sweetwater, Florida. It awarded 175 associates’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Not only did these schools make the top 50 list, but they also landed in the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
While not in the ‘top 50’, these schools make the top 15% of this year’s ranking:
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Bolivar Technical College | Bolivar, MO |
| 52 | Felbry College School of Nursing | Columbus, OH |
| 53 | Career Networks Institute | Orange, CA |
| 54 | Texas County Technical College | Houston, MO |
| 55 | Carolinas College of Health Sciences | Charlotte, NC |
| 56 | Maine College of Health Professions | Lewiston, ME |
| 57 | Riverside College of Health Careers | Newport News, VA |
| 58 | Baptist Health College - Little Rock | Little Rock, AR |
| 59 | Rasmussen University - Kansas | Topeka, KS |
| 60 | Galen College of Nursing - San Antonio | San Antonio, TX |
| 61 | Pennsylvania College of Health Sciences | Lancaster, PA |
| 62 | Fortis College - Cutler Bay | Cutler Bay, FL |
| 63 | Northwestern College - Bridgeview | Bridgeview, IL |
| 64 | Cabarrus College of Health Sciences | Concord, NC |
| 65 | Southeast Missouri Hospital College of Nursing and Health Sciences | Cape Girardeau, MO |
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 166 | Lower Columbia College | Longview, WA |
| 167 | James A Rhodes State College | Lima, OH |
| 168 | Weatherford College | Weatherford, TX |
| 169 | Missouri State University - West Plains | West Plains, MO |
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
