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2025 Best Registered Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

134 Colleges in the Great Lakes Region
12,331 Associate Degrees
Ranked #3 in popularity, registered nursing is one of the most sought-after associate degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 134 schools in the Great Lakes Region to determine which ones were the best for registered nursing students pursuing a associate degree. Combined, these schools handed out 12,331 associate degrees in registered nursing to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Registered Nursing School for Your Associate Degree

Best Registered Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region Your choice of registered nursing for getting your associate degree school matters. Important measures of a quality registered nursing program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

The overall quality of a associate degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for registered nursing students working on their associate degree.

More Ways to Rank Registered Nursing Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Registered 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 Registered Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Registered Nursing in the Great Lakes Region

Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for registered nursing students seeking a an associate degree. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

25 Top Great Lakes Region Schools for an Associate in Registered Nursing

1
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
770 Annual Graduates

Rasmussen University - Illinois is a wonderful decision for individuals pursuing an associate degree in registered nursing. Rasmussen University - Illinois is a small private for-profit university located in the city of Rockford.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Rasmussen University - Illinois

2
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
154 Annual Graduates

Gateway Technical College is one of the best schools in the country for getting an associate degree in registered nursing. Located in the city of Kenosha, Gateway Technical College is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Gateway Technical College

3
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
145 Annual Graduates

Madison Area Technical College is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in registered nursing. Located in the city of Madison, Madison College is a public college with a large student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Madison Area Technical College

4
Ivy Tech Community College crest
Ivy Tech Community College
Indianapolis, IN
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1,326 Annual Graduates

Ivy Tech Community College is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in registered nursing. Located in the city of Indianapolis, Ivy Tech Community College is a public college with a very large student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Ivy Tech Community College

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
165 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Eau Claire, CVTC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Chippewa Valley Technical College

6
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
72 Annual Graduates

Rasmussen University - Wisconsin is a fairly small private for-profit university located in the city of Green Bay.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Rasmussen University - Wisconsin

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
87 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of La Crosse, Western Technical College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Western Technical College

8
Purdue University Global crest
Purdue University Global
West Lafayette, IN
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
67 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of West Lafayette, Purdue University Global is a public university with a very large student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Purdue University Global

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
79 Annual Graduates

MATC is a fairly large public college located in the city of Milwaukee.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Milwaukee Area Technical College

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
64 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Akron, Herzing Akron is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly small student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Herzing University - Akron

11
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
176 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Wauwatosa, Bryant & Stratton College - Wauwatosa is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Bryant & Stratton College - Wauwatosa

12
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
155 Annual Graduates

NWTC is a large public college located in the medium-sized city of Green Bay.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Northeast Wisconsin Technical College

13
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
137 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Toledo, Mercy College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Mercy College of Ohio

14
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
131 Annual Graduates

Cuyahoga Community College District is a large public college located in the large city of Cleveland.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Cuyahoga Community College District

15
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
97 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Dayton, Sinclair Community College is a public college with a large student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Sinclair Community College

16
Henry Ford College crest
Henry Ford College
Dearborn, MI
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
156 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Dearborn, Henry Ford College is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Henry Ford College

17
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
67 Annual Graduates

WITC is a small public college located in the remote town of Rice Lake.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Wisconsin Indianhead Technical College

18
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
164 Annual Graduates

LCC is a medium-sized public college located in the midsize city of Lansing.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Lansing Community College

19
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
57 Annual Graduates

University of St. Francis Fort Wayne is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Fort Wayne.More information about a associate in registered nursing from University of Saint Francis - Fort Wayne

20
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
56 Annual Graduates

BTC is a small public college located in the small suburb of Janesville.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Blackhawk Technical College

21
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
123 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Cincinnati, Cincinnati State is a public college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Cincinnati State Technical and Community College

22
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
86 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Cincinnati, Good Samaritan College of Nursing & Health Science is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Good Samaritan College of Nursing & Health Science

23
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
90 Annual Graduates

FVTC is a large public college located in the suburb of Appleton.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Fox Valley Technical College

24
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
181 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Newark, COTC is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Central Ohio Technical College

25
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
70 Annual Graduates

North Central Technical College is a medium-sized public college located in the small city of Wausau.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Northcentral Technical College

Rest of the Top Best Registered Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region

26

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Registered Nursing students in the Great Lakes Region that almost earned our Best Registered Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Great Lakes Region award.

Rank College Location
27 College of Lake County Grayslake, IL
28 Owens Community College Perrysburg, OH
29 Lincoln Land Community College Springfield, IL
30 Elgin Community College Elgin, IL
31 Schoolcraft College Livonia, MI
32 Moraine Park Technical College Fond du Lac, WI
33 William Rainey Harper College Palatine, IL
34 Clark State Community College Springfield, OH
35 Bryant & Stratton College - Parma Parma, OH
36 Illinois Central College East Peoria, IL
37 North Central State College Mansfield, OH
38 Vincennes University Vincennes, IN
39 Marion Technical College Marion, OH
40 Delta College University Center, MI
41 City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College Chicago, IL
42 Lorain County Community College Elyria, OH
43 College of DuPage Glen Ellyn, IL
44 Grand Rapids Community College Grand Rapids, MI

Best Registered Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best registered nursing schools for a specific state in the Great Lakes Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Ohio 450 4,009
Michigan 410 2,284
Illinois 267 2,975
Wisconsin 224 1,768
Indiana 221 1,648

View All Rankings >

One of 23 majors within the Nursing area of study, Registered Nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 72
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 68

Notes and References

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