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Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Trade Schools

2023 Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Trade Schools

1,270 Colleges
$36,698 Avg Salary
$12,299 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants School for You

In 2021-2022, 85,339 practical nursing & nursing assistants students received their degrees and certificates, making the major the #2 most popular in the country.

Today's trade school students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house.

The Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Trade Schools ranking is one of many tools that Trade College Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 1,270 schools in the United States to see which programs were the most popular for trade school students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants program at each school on the list.

Check out the practical nursing programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in the United States.

#1

Ivy Tech Community College

Indianapolis, IN

Our 2023 rankings named Ivy Tech Community College the most popular school in the United States for practical nursing & nursing assistants students. Ivy Tech Community College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Indianapolis.

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#2

Unitek College

Fremont, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Unitek College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Trade Schools list. Unitek College is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Fremont.

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The excellent programs at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best practical nursing & nursing assistants schools in the United States. Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of San Mateo.

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Out of the 1,270 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College landed the # 4 spot on the list. NWTC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Green Bay.

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#5

ECPI University

Virginia Beach, VA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend ECPI University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Trade Schools list. Located in the city of Virginia Beach, ECPI University is a private for-profit college with a large student population.

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Bluegrass Community and Technical College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular practical nursing & nursing assistants programs. Located in the large city of Lexington, Bluegrass Community and Technical College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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With a ranking of #7, Gateway Technical College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students. Gateway Technical College is a moderately-sized public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Kenosha.

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Fox Valley Technical College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular practical nursing & nursing assistants programs. FVTC is a fairly large public school located in the midsize suburb of Appleton.

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Waukesha County Technical College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular practical nursing & nursing assistants programs. Located in the suburb of Pewaukee, WCTC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

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#10

Hondros College of Nursing

Westerville, OH

Hondros College of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the large suburb of Westerville, Hondros College of Nursing is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

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With a ranking of #11, Chippewa Valley Technical College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students. Located in the city of Eau Claire, CVTC is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

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Madison Area Technical College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular practical nursing & nursing assistants programs. Located in the large city of Madison, Madison College is a public college with a large student population.

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#13

College of Lake County

Grayslake, IL

College of Lake County landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular practical nursing & nursing assistants programs. Located in the suburb of Grayslake, College of Lake County is a public school with a large student population.

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Wichita State University Campus of Applied Sciences and Technology did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the rural area of Wichita, WSU Tech is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

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Columbus State Community College landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular practical nursing & nursing assistants programs. Located in the city of Columbus, Columbus State is a public college with a very large student population.

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#16

Moraine Park Technical College

Fond du Lac, WI

Moraine Park Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students. It came in at #16 on the list. Moraine Park Technical College is a small public school located in the small city of Fond du Lac.

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Mountainland Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students. It came in at #17 on the list. Located in the suburb of Lehi, Mountainland Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

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Jefferson Community and Technical College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students. It came in at #18 on the list. Jefferson Community and Technical College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Louisville.

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#19

Davis Technical College

Kaysville, UT

Davis Technical College came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Trade Schools ranking. Davis Tech is a small public school located in the large suburb of Kaysville.

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#20

Access Careers

Hempstead, NY

With a ranking of #20, Access Careers did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students. Access Careers is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Hempstead.

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Galen College of Nursing - San Antonio did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students. It came in at #21 on the list. Galen College of Nursing - San Antonio is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of San Antonio.

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Western Iowa Tech Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students. It came in at #22 on the list. Western Iowa Tech Community College is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Sioux City.

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With a ranking of #23, William Rainey Harper College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students. Harper College is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Palatine.

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#24

Johnson County Community College

Overland Park, KS

Johnson County Community College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students. It came in at #24 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Overland Park, JCCC is a public school with a large student population.

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Milwaukee Area Technical College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Trade Schools ranking. MATC is a large public school located in the city of Milwaukee.

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#33

Infinity College

Lafayette, LA
#34

Hutchinson Community College

Hutchinson, KS
#35

Jersey College

Teterboro, NJ
#36

RGV Careers

Pharr, TX
#37

College of Southern Nevada

Las Vegas, NV
#39

Summit College

San Bernardino, CA
#40

Kaskaskia College

Centralia, IL
#41

Madisonville Community College

Madisonville, KY
#42

Lincoln Land Community College

Springfield, IL
#46

Access Careers Islandia

Islandia, NY
#47

Central Georgia Technical College

Warner Robins, GA
#49

Highland Community College

Highland, KS

Additional Award Winners

This list represents the remainder of the colleges awarded a Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Trade Schools badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 15% of the 1270 different United States practical nursing & nursing assistants schools we analyzed.

Rank College Location
50 Blackhawk Technical College Janesville, WI
52 John A Logan College Carterville, IL
53 Isabella Graham Hart School of Practical Nursing Rochester, NY
54 Heartland Community College Normal, IL
54 Coastal Pines Technical College Waycross, GA
56 Institute of Technology Clovis, CA
57 Saint Paul College Saint Paul, MN
58 South Texas College McAllen, TX
59 American Career College - Ontario Ontario, CA
60 Southwest Wisconsin Technical College Fennimore, WI
61 Front Range Community College Westminster, CO
61 Butler Tech - D Russel Lee Career Center Monroe, OH
63 Kansas City Kansas Community College Kansas City, KS
64 Southern Regional Technical College Thomasville, GA
65 Washburn Institute of Technology Topeka, KS
65 Big Sandy Community and Technical College Prestonsburg, KY
67 Louisiana Delta Community College Monroe, LA
67 Snow College Ephraim, UT
67 Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College Bowling Green, KY
67 City Colleges of Chicago - Malcolm X College Chicago, IL
71 Mid-State Technical College Wisconsin Rapids, WI
72 Wallace State Community College, Hanceville Hanceville, AL
73 Carrington College, Sacramento Sacramento, CA
74 College of DuPage Glen Ellyn, IL
75 Northwest Mississippi Community College Senatobia, MS
76 Uintah Basin Technical College Roosevelt, UT
77 AMG School of Licensed Practical Nursing Brooklyn, NY
78 Neosho County Community College Chanute, KS
79 Apollo Career Center Lima, OH
80 South Florida Institute of Technology Miami, FL
81 Universidad del Turabo Gurabo, PR
82 American Career College - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA
82 Western Technical College La Crosse, WI
84 Oakton Community College Des Plaines, IL
85 Northshore Technical Community College Lacombe, LA
86 Kiamichi Technology Center-McAlester McAlester, OK
87 Lincoln Technical Institute - Lincoln Lincoln, RI
88 Southwestern Illinois College Belleville, IL
89 New Age Training New York, NY
90 Sumner College Portland, OR
91 Healthcare Career College Paramount, CA
92 North Central Kansas Technical College Beloit, KS
92 Lincoln Technical Institute - Moorestown Moorestown, NJ
94 Moraine Valley Community College Palos Hills, IL
94 Iowa Central Community College Fort Dodge, IA
94 Dorsey College, Woodhaven Madison Heights, MI
97 Salina Area Technical College Salina, KS
98 Joliet Junior College Joliet, IL
99 Tulsa Technology Center Tulsa, OK
100 Northland Community and Technical College Thief River Falls, MN
101 Somerset Community College Somerset, KY
101 College of the Sequoias Visalia, CA
103 Iowa Western Community College Council Bluffs, IA
104 Anoka Technical College Anoka, MN
105 Erie 1 BOCES West Seneca, NY
106 Illinois Valley Community College Oglesby, IL
107 Ogden-Weber Technical College Ogden, UT
107 Parkland College Champaign, IL
109 Ozarka College Melbourne, AR
110 Orange Technical College - Orlando Campus Orlando, FL
110 Concorde Career College - Grand Prairie Grand Prairie, TX
112 Veeb Nassau County School of Practical Nursing Hicksville, NY
113 McHenry County College Crystal Lake, IL
113 Tyler Junior College Tyler, TX
115 University of Arkansas Community College - Morrilton Morrilton, AR
115 Southeastern Community College West Burlington, IA
117 Hopkinsville Community College Hopkinsville, KY
117 Northeast Technology Center-System Office Pryor, OK
117 Coastal Alabama Community College Bay Minette, AL
120 Riverside City College Riverside, CA
121 Rasmussen University - Florida Ocala, FL
121 American Career College - Anaheim Anaheim, CA
123 Chattahoochee Technical College Marietta, GA
124 Truckee Meadows Community College Reno, NV
125 Orangeburg Calhoun Technical College Orangeburg, SC
126 Davidson County Community College Thomasville, NC
127 Bridgerland Technical College Logan, UT
128 Lakeshore Technical College Cleveland, WI
128 Vermont Technical College Randolph, VT
130 Dodge City Community College Dodge City, KS
130 High Desert Medical College Lancaster, CA
132 Pueblo Community College Pueblo, CO
133 Prism Career Institute, Philadelphia Philadelphia, PA
133 American Institute of Alternative Medicine Columbus, OH
135 Garden City Community College Garden City, KS
135 Standard Healthcare Services - College of Nursing Falls Church, VA
137 Minneapolis Community and Technical College Minneapolis, MN
137 Kellogg Community College Battle Creek, MI
137 Francis Tuttle Technology Center Oklahoma City, OK
140 Southwest Texas Junior College Uvalde, TX
141 Lincoln Technical Institute - Paramus Paramus, NJ
142 Arlington Career Institute Grand Prairie, TX
143 Hazard Community and Technical College Hazard, KY
143 West Georgia Technical College Waco, GA
145 Lanier Technical College Gainesville, GA
145 Rock Valley College Rockford, IL
147 North Iowa Area Community College Mason City, IA
147 Central Louisiana Technical Community College Alexandria, LA
147 Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Knoxville Knoxville, TN
147 Coconino Community College Flagstaff, AZ
151 Homestead Schools Torrance, CA
151 Central New Mexico Community College Albuquerque, NM
151 Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Jackson Jackson, TN
151 John C Calhoun State Community College Tanner, AL
155 Eastern Suffolk BOCES Brentwood, NY
155 Collins Career Technical Center Chesapeake, OH
155 Fort Scott Community College Fort Scott, KS
158 Community College of Denver Denver, CO
158 Indian River State College Fort Pierce, FL
160 Black River Technical College Pocahontas, AR
160 Bevill State Community College Jasper, AL
162 Oconee Fall Line Technical College Sandersville, GA
163 Glendale Community College Glendale, AZ
164 Sauk Valley Community College Dixon, IL
164 Orange Technical College - Winter Park Campus Winter Park, FL
164 Southside Virginia Community College Alberta, VA
164 Prism Career Institute, Cherry Hill Cherry Hill, NJ
164 Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Elizabethton Elizabethton, TN
169 Manhattan Area Technical College Manhattan, KS
169 Prism Career Institute, West Atlantic City West Atlantic City, NJ
171 National University College Bayamon, PR
171 Emily Griffith Technical College Denver, CO
171 Stanbridge University Irvine, CA
174 Tennessee College of Applied Technology - Dickson Dickson, TN
175 Galen College of Nursing - Louisville Louisville, KY
175 Colorado Mountain College Glenwood Springs, CO
175 School Removed
175 Cowley County Community College Arkansas City, KS
179 Pratt Community College Pratt, KS
180 Albany BOCES - Adult Practical Nursing Program Albany, NY
180 Prairie State College Chicago Heights, IL
180 Indian Capital Technology Center, Muskogee Muskogee, OK
180 Southeast Technical College Sioux Falls, SD
184 Aims Community College Greeley, CO
185 Concorde Career College - North Hollywood North Hollywood, CA
185 El Paso Community College El Paso, TX
185 Jones County Junior College Ellisville, MS
185 Highland Community College Freeport, IL
185 Dakota County Technical College Rosemount, MN
185 Career and Technology Education Centers of Licking County Newark, OH
185 Palm Beach State College Lake Worth, FL

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Trade Schools award.

Rank College Location
192 Southern Crescent Technical College Griffin, GA
193 Suncoast Technical College Sarasota, FL
193 Red Rocks Community College Lakewood, CO
193 Yavapai College Prescott, AZ
193 Inver Hills Community College Inver Grove Heights, MN
193 Savannah Technical College Savannah, GA
198 Central Ohio Technical College Newark, OH
198 Allan Hancock College Santa Maria, CA
200 Concorde Career College - San Diego San Diego, CA
200 Nicolet Area Technical College Rhinelander, WI
202 Northwest Louisiana Technical Community College Minden, LA
202 School Removed
202 California Nurses Educational Institute Palm Springs, CA
205 Angeles College Los Angeles, CA
205 Wallace Community College, Dothan Dothan, AL
205 Canadian Valley Technology Center El Reno, OK
208 Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa, CA
208 Western Nevada College Carson City, NV
208 Sheridan Technical College Hollywood, FL
208 Hinds Community College Raymond, MS
208 Lincoln Technical Institute - Iselin Iselin, NJ
213 Mesa Community College Mesa, AZ
213 Southwest Technical College Cedar City, UT
213 MDT College of Health Sciences Chicago, IL
216 Arkansas State University - Mountain Home Mountain Home, AR
216 Ogeechee Technical College Statesboro, GA
216 Arkansas Tech University Russellville, AR
216 Porter and Chester Institute of Stratford Bridgeport, CT
220 Beckfield College - Tri-County Cincinnati, OH
220 Dorsey College, Roseville Roseville, MI
220 Elizabethtown Community and Technical College Elizabethtown, KY
220 York Technical College Rock Hill, SC
224 Dawn Career Institute LLC Newark, DE
224 Rasmussen University - Minnesota St. Cloud, MN
224 Moore Norman Technology Center Norman, OK
224 Dixie State University Saint George, UT
228 North Central Texas College Gainesville, TX
229 Texas Health School Houston, TX
229 University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana Hope, AR
231 San Jacinto Community College Pasadena, TX
231 Capital Area School of Practical Nursing Springfield, IL
233 Del Mar College Corpus Christi, TX
233 Black Hawk College Moline, IL
233 Lorain County Community College Elyria, OH
233 Medical Institute of Palm Beach Greenacres, FL
233 Concorde Career College - Garden Grove Garden Grove, CA
238 Pearl River Community College Poplarville, MS
238 Lake Land College Mattoon, IL
238 Southeast Community College Area Lincoln, NE
238 Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College Perkinston, MS
238 Lamar State College - Orange Orange, TX
243 St Philip’s College San Antonio, TX
243 Richland Community College Decatur, IL
243 Olney Central College Olney, IL
243 Unitek College Hayward, CA
243 Concorde Career College - San Bernardino San Bernardino, CA
248 Athena Career Academy Toledo, OH
248 Holmes Community College Goodman, MS
248 South College Knoxville, TN
251 Dixie Technical College Saint George, UT
251 Clovis Adult Education Clovis, CA
251 Shawnee Community College Ullin, IL
251 Hennepin Technical College Brooklyn Park, MN

Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants by Region

View the Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Trade Schools for a specific region near you.

Region
Southeast
New England
Rocky Mountains
Plains States
Middle Atlantic
Far Western US
Southwest
Other U.S. Territories
Great Lakes

One of 11 majors within the trade school area of study, practical nursing & nursing assistants has other similar majors worth exploring.

Practical Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training 45,031
Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant/Aide 35,655
Other Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants 4,653

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Medical Administrative Services 88,600
Allied Health Professions 83,905
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 83,587
Health Sciences & Services 36,762
Mental & Social Health Services 30,331

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
  • Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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