2024 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington
If you pursue a associate degree in
nursing, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #2 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
For its 2024 ranking, College Factual looked at 25 schools in Washington to determine which ones were the best for nursing students pursuing a associate degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,825 associate degrees in nursing during the 2020-2021 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Nursing School for Your Associate Degree
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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A Great Overall School
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we consider a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Early-Career Earnings
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their associate degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their associate degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
Other Factors We Consider
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to nursing students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other nursing students want to attend this school to pursue a associate degree.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for nursing to pay back their student loans after receiving their associate degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized nursing related body.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree.
More Ways to Rank Nursing Schools
When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington list to help you make the college decision.
Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Nursing in Washington
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for nursing students seeking a an associate degree.
10 Top Washington Schools for an Associate in Nursing
It is difficult to beat Bellevue College if you want to pursue an associate degree in nursing. Located in the city of Bellevue, BC is a public college with a large student population.
Associate recipients from the nursing degree program at Bellevue College get $2,616 more than the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a associate in nursing from Bellevue College
Seattle Central College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting an associate degree in nursing. Seattle Central is a small public college located in the large city of Seattle.
Associate recipients from the nursing degree program at Seattle Central College make $4,978 above the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a associate in nursing from Seattle Central College
Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in nursing needs to check out Highline College. Located in the large suburb of Des Moines, Highline is a public college with a small student population.
Associate recipients from the nursing program at Highline College make $2,462 above the standard college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a associate in nursing from Highline College
Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in nursing has to look into Yakima Valley College. Located in the city of Yakima, YVC is a public college with a small student population.
Soon after graduation, nursing associate recipients usually make an average of $68,855 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a associate in nursing from Yakima Valley College
Located in the suburb of Shoreline, Shoreline Community College is a public college with a small student population.
Associate students who receive their degree from the nursing program earn about $69,134 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a associate in nursing from Shoreline Community College