2025 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Missouri
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.
College Factual looked at 21 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Missouri ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,528 associate degrees in nursing during the 2022-2023 academic year.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Nursing School for Your Associate Degree
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:
- 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 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
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Missouri ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Nursing in Missouri
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in nursing.
10 Top Missouri Schools for an Associate in Nursing
Cox College is one of the best schools in the country for getting an associate degree in nursing. Located in the city of Springfield, Cox College is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program report average early career wages of $58,667.
More information about a associate in nursing from Cox College
It's hard to beat Saint Louis Community College if you want to pursue an associate degree in nursing. Saint Louis Community College is a large public college located in the suburb of Bridgeton.
Associate recipients from the nursing major at Saint Louis Community College get $4,972 more than the typical college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a associate in nursing from Saint Louis Community College
Columbia College is one of the best schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in nursing. Columbia College Missouri is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit college located in the medium-sized city of Columbia.
Associate recipients from the nursing degree program at Columbia College make $2,478 more than the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a associate in nursing from Columbia College
Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City is one of the finest schools in the country for getting an associate degree in nursing. Located in the large city of Kansas City, MCC is a public college with a large student population.
Associate students who receive their degree from the nursing program make about $63,534 in the first couple years of working.
More information about a associate in nursing from Metropolitan Community College - Kansas City
Southwest Baptist University is a small private not-for-profit university located in the distant town of Bolivar.
Associate graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program make about $59,620 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a associate in nursing from Southwest Baptist University