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2025 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in New Jersey

21 Colleges in New Jersey
2,430 Associate Degrees
$77,751 Avg Early-Career Salary
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.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 21 schools in New Jersey to determine which ones were the best for nursing students pursuing a associate degree. Combined, these schools handed out 2,430 associate degrees in nursing to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Nursing School for Your Associate Degree

Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in New Jersey The nursing associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. Important measures of a quality 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 good 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.

Average Earnings

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:

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.

One Size Does Not Fit All

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 New Jersey list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Nursing in New Jersey

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in nursing.

10 Top New Jersey Schools for an Associate in Nursing

1
Union County College crest
Union County College
Cranford, NJ

It's hard to beat Union County College if you want to pursue an associate degree in nursing. Located in the suburb of Cranford, Union County College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Nursing associate degree recipients from Union County College receive an earnings boost of approximately $4,830 over the average income of nursing majors.

More information about a associate in nursing from Union County College

2

Every student who is interested in an associate degree in nursing needs to look into Essex County College. Located in the large city of Newark, Essex is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program report average early career income of $70,500.

More information about a associate in nursing from Essex County College

3

Any student who is interested in an associate degree in nursing has to take a look at Bergen Community College. Located in the large suburb of Paramus, Bergen Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program state that they receive average early career earnings of $76,147.

More information about a associate in nursing from Bergen Community College

4
OCC crest
Ocean County College
Toms River, NJ

Ocean County College is a great option for students interested in an associate degree in nursing. Located in the large suburb of Toms River, OCC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Those nursing students who get their associate degree from Ocean County College receive $5,174 more than the average nursing grad.

More information about a associate in nursing from Ocean County College

5

Located in the large suburb of Lincroft, Brookdale Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Nursing associate degree recipients from Brookdale Community College earn a boost of approximately $2,823 over the average earnings of nursing graduates.

More information about a associate in nursing from Brookdale Community College

6

Located in the rural area of Branchburg, RVCC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Those nursing students who get their associate degree from Raritan Valley Community College receive $4,269 more than the standard nursing grad.

More information about a associate in nursing from Raritan Valley Community College

7

Eastern International College - Jersey City is a fairly small private for-profit college located in the city of Jersey City.

Those nursing students who get their associate degree from Eastern International College - Jersey City receive $12,465 more than the typical nursing graduate.

More information about a associate in nursing from Eastern International College - Jersey City

8
107 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Randolph, County College of Morris is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a associate in nursing from County College of Morris

9
Salem County College crest
Salem Community College
Carneys Point, NJ

Salem County College is a small public college located in the suburb of Carneys Point.

Associate graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program earn an average of $74,062 in their early career salary.

More information about a associate in nursing from Salem Community College

10

Located in the rural area of West Windsor, Mercer County Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Soon after graduating, nursing associate recipients usually earn around $74,795 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a associate in nursing from Mercer County Community College

Best Nursing Colleges in the Middle Atlantic Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Schools in the Middle Atlantic Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
New York 196 6,617
Pennsylvania 179 2,443
Maryland 126 1,466
Delaware 60 325

View All Rankings >

One of 34 majors within the Health Professions area of study, Nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 2,430

Related Major Annual Graduates
Allied Health Professions 712
Health Sciences & Services 631
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 405
Health/Medical Prep Programs 310
Dental Support Services 117
Health & Medical Administrative Services 78
Public Health 33
Ophthalmic & Optometric Support Services 31
Mental & Social Health Services 27
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 26

Notes and References

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