2025 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in New York
Nursing is of the hottest associate degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #2 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.
In 2025, College Factual analyzed 55 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in New York ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,177 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. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
The overall quality of a associate degree school is important to ensure a quality 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 Early-Career Salaries
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving their associate degree from the school. After all, your associate degree won't mean much if it doesn't help you find a job that will help you earn a living.
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 colleges for nursing students working on their associate degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in New York list, to help you choose the best school for you.
Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Nursing in New York
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in nursing. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
11 Top New York Schools for an Associate in Nursing
Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in nursing has to take a look at SUNY Westchester Community College. Located in the suburb of Valhalla, SUNY Westchester Community College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a associate in nursing from SUNY Westchester Community College
College of Staten Island CUNY is a wonderful choice for students pursuing an associate degree in nursing. CSI is a large public college located in the city of Staten Island.More information about a associate in nursing from College of Staten Island CUNY
Nassau Community College is one of the best schools in the country for getting an associate degree in nursing. Located in the large suburb of Garden City, Nassau Community College is a public college with a large student population.
Nursing associate degree recipients from Nassau Community College get an earnings boost of about $4,794 above the typical earnings of nursing majors.
More information about a associate in nursing from Nassau Community College
Suffolk County Community College is a great option for students pursuing an associate degree in nursing. Located in the suburb of Selden, Suffolk County Community College is a public college with a very large student population.
Those nursing students who get their associate degree from Suffolk County Community College earn $2,430 more than the average nursing student.
More information about a associate in nursing from Suffolk County Community College
Located in the large city of New York, HFCN is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
Associate recipients from the nursing major at Helene Fuld College of Nursing make $16,055 above the standard college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a associate in nursing from Helene Fuld College of Nursing