Ranked #2 in popularity, nursing is one of the most sought-after associate degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 2 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Rhode Island ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 363 associate degrees in nursing to qualified students.
One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of associate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their associate degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
Major Focus - How much a school focuses on nursing students vs. other majors.
Major Demand - The number of nursing students who choose to seek a associate degree at the school.
Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
Student Debt - How much debt nursing students go into to obtain their associate degree and how well they are able to pay back that debt.
Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized nursing related body.
Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree.
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 Rhode Island list to help you make the college decision.
Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Nursing in Rhode Island
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in nursing.
Top Rhode Island Schools for an Associate in Nursing
New England Institute of Technology is a good option for individuals interested in an associate degree in nursing. New England Tech is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of East Greenwich.
Associate recipients from the nursing degree program at New England Institute of Technology earn $3,322 more than the average graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
It's hard to beat Community College of Rhode Island if you want to pursue an associate degree in nursing. Located in the city of Warwick, CCRI is a public college with a large student population.
Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program state that they receive average early career wages of $66,988.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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).
