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Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Trade Schools

2023 Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Trade Schools

108 Colleges
$41,121 Avg Salary
$14,988 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree 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 Associate Degree 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 108 schools in the United States to see which associate degree 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.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for practical nursing majors pursuing a associate degree.

#1

Unitek College

Fremont, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Unitek College the most popular school in the United States for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Unitek College is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Fremont.

About 86% of the students majoring in practical nursing at the school are women while 14% are male.

After completing their Associate Degree, practical nursing graduates from Unitek College carry an average student debt load of $14,920. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $206.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Unitek College Report

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a great place for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a small private for-profit school located in the city of San Mateo.

About 84% of the students majoring in practical nursing at the school are women while 16% are male.

Practical Nursing majors at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts take out an average of $18,427 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Out of the 108 schools in the United States that were part of this year’s ranking, Carrington College, Sacramento landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large suburb of Sacramento, Carrington College, Sacramento is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

Women make up 90% of the practical nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Associate Degree, practical nursing majors at Carrington College, Sacramento accumulate an average of around $20,195 in student debt.

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#4

Del Mar College

Corpus Christi, TX

The in-demand associate degree programs at Del Mar College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular practical nursing & nursing assistants schools in the United States. Located in the large city of Corpus Christi, DMC is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Of the 107 students majoring in practical nursing at DMC, 12% are male and 88% are female.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Bates Technical College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Trade Schools list. Bates Technical College is a small public school located in the midsize city of Tacoma.

About 92% of the students majoring in practical nursing at the school are women while 8% are male.

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#6

Pacific College

Costa Mesa, CA

Pacific College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree practical nursing & nursing assistants programs. Located in the midsize city of Costa Mesa, Pacific College is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Women make up 94% of the practical nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at Pacific College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $11,750.

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Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Metro came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking. Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Metro is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the city of San Juan.

Of the 38 students majoring in practical nursing at Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Metro, 26% are male and 74% are female.

On average, practical nursing graduates from Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Metro take out $14,195 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking. Located in the small city of Arecibo, Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

Women make up 85% of the practical nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Associate Degree, practical nursing majors at Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo accumulate an average of around $8,182 in student debt.

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#9

Coconino Community College

Flagstaff, AZ

Coconino Community College ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Trade Schools list. Coconino Community College is a small public school located in the rural area of Flagstaff.

Of the 49 students majoring in practical nursing at Coconino Community College, 22% are male and 78% are female.

While working on their Associate Degree, practical nursing majors at Coconino Community College accumulate an average of around $13,710 in student debt.

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#10

PITC Institute

Wyncote, PA

PITC Institute did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for practical nursing & nursing assistants students to get a associate degree. It came in at #10 on the list. PITC Institute is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Wyncote.

Women make up 92% of the practical nursing majors at the school.

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#11

ATA College

Louisville, KY

ATA College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree practical nursing & nursing assistants programs. Located in the suburb of Louisville, ATA College is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Women make up 94% of the practical nursing majors at the school.

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Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Aguadilla landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree practical nursing & nursing assistants programs. Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Aguadilla is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Aguadilla.

Of the 27 students majoring in practical nursing at Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Aguadilla, 30% are male and 70% are female.

On average, practical nursing graduates from Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Aguadilla take out $7,737 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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North Dakota State College of Science came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking. Located in the distant town of Wahpeton, North Dakota State College of Science is a public college with a small student population.

Women make up 96% of the practical nursing majors at the school.

After completing their Associate Degree, practical nursing graduates from North Dakota State College of Science carry an average student debt load of $18,021.

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#14

Green River College

Auburn, WA

With a ranking of #14, Green River College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. GRC is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Auburn.

About 97% of the students majoring in practical nursing at the school are women while 3% are male.

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#15

Long Beach City College

Long Beach, CA

Long Beach City College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for practical nursing & nursing assistants students to get a associate degree. It came in at #15 on the list. Located in the large city of Long Beach, Long Beach City College is a public college with a very large student population.

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Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Guayama came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Trade Schools ranking. Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Guayama is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Guayama.

Of the 87 students majoring in practical nursing at Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Guayama, 20% are male and 80% are female.

Practical Nursing majors at Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Guayama take out an average of $7,134 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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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 Associate Degree Trade Schools award.

Rank College Location
17 Platt College - Tulsa Tulsa, OK
18 Citrus College Glendora, CA
19 Arkansas Tech University Russellville, AR
20 Riverside City College Riverside, CA
21 Dickinson State University Dickinson, ND

Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants by Region

View the Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree 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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