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2024 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington

25 Colleges in Washington
1,825 Associate Degrees
$67,191 Avg Early-Career Salary
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

Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Washington 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.

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

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Nursing Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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

1
BC crest
Bellevue College
Bellevue, WA
86 Annual Graduates
$69,807 Median Starting Salary
$17,152 Median Student Debt

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

2
145 Annual Graduates
$72,169 Median Starting Salary
$18,312 Median Student Debt

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

3
Highline crest
Highline College
Des Moines, WA
142 Annual Graduates
$69,653 Median Starting Salary
$13,000 Median Student Debt

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

4
57 Annual Graduates
$68,855 Median Starting Salary
$17,884 Median Student Debt

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

5
96 Annual Graduates
$69,134 Median Starting Salary
$16,334 Median Student Debt

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

6
52 Annual Graduates
$69,650 Median Starting Salary
$17,041 Median Student Debt

WVC is a small public college located in the small city of Wenatchee.

Associate recipients from the nursing degree program at Wenatchee Valley College make $2,459 more than the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a associate in nursing from Wenatchee Valley College

7
50 Annual Graduates
$71,639 Median Starting Salary
$12,562 Median Student Debt

CBC is a moderately-sized public college located in the midsize suburb of Pasco.

Nursing associate degree recipients from Columbia Basin College get an earnings boost of around $4,448 over the typical income of nursing graduates.

More information about a associate in nursing from Columbia Basin College

8
70 Annual Graduates
$67,855 Median Starting Salary
$15,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large suburb of Kirkland, LWTech is a public school with a small student population.

Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program state that they receive average early career earnings of $67,855.

More information about a associate in nursing from Lake Washington Institute of Technology

9
92 Annual Graduates
$63,604 Median Starting Salary
$20,625 Median Student Debt

Located in the small city of Walla Walla, Walla Walla Community College is a public college with a small student population.

Soon after graduating, nursing associate recipients usually earn around $63,604 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a associate in nursing from Walla Walla Community College

10
OC crest
Olympic College
Bremerton, WA
83 Annual Graduates
$68,747 Median Starting Salary
$20,000 Median Student Debt

OC is a small public college located in the small city of Bremerton.

Associate graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program make about $68,747 in their early career salary.

More information about a associate in nursing from Olympic College

Best Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 192 5,581
Oregon 147 608
Nevada 112 533
Hawaii 59 135

View All Rankings >

Nursing is one of 34 different types of Health Professions programs to choose from.

Nursing Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 1,825

Majors Similar to Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 725
Allied Health Professions 476
Health & Medical Administrative Services 228
Mental & Social Health Services 208
Dental Support Services 190
Health Sciences & Services 146
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 113
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 8
Health/Medical Prep Programs 7
Medical Illustration & Informatics 4

Notes and References

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