by our College Data Analytics TeamFor its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 300 schools in the Southeast Region to determine which ones were the best for nursing students pursuing a associate degree. Combined, these schools handed out 25,522 associate degrees in nursing to qualified students.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Your choice of nursing for getting your associate degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we consider a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a combination of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
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.
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
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.
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 the Southeast Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
The following list ranks 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.
It's difficult to beat Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale if you wish to pursue an associate degree in nursing. Located in the midsize city of Fort Lauderdale, Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population.
Associate graduates who receive their degree from the nursing program make an average of $67,368 in their early career salary.
More information about a associate in nursing from Keiser University - Ft Lauderdale
It's hard to beat Galen College of Nursing - Louisville if you want to pursue an associate degree in nursing. Galen College of Nursing - Louisville is a small private for-profit college located in the city of Louisville.
Associate recipients from the nursing program at Galen College of Nursing - Louisville get $2,181 more than the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a associate in nursing from Galen College of Nursing - Louisville
Every student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in nursing has to take a look at Valencia College. Valencia College is a very large public college located in the city of Orlando.
Associate recipients from the nursing degree program at Valencia College get $4,489 more than the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a associate in nursing from Valencia College
It's difficult to beat Southern Regional Technical College if you want to pursue an associate degree in nursing. Southwest Georgia Technical College is a medium-sized public college located in the distant town of Thomasville.
Associate recipients from the nursing degree program at Southern Regional Technical College get $4,038 more than the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
More information about a associate in nursing from Southern Regional Technical College
Located in the small city of Ocala, Rasmussen University - Florida is a private for-profit university with a small student population.
Nursing associate degree recipients from Rasmussen University - Florida earn a boost of about $2,186 above the average earnings of nursing majors.
More information about a associate in nursing from Rasmussen University - Florida
Located in the city of Fort Lauderdale, BC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Nursing associate degree recipients from Broward College get an earnings boost of around $7,058 above the average income of nursing graduates.
More information about a associate in nursing from Broward College
Located in the city of Virginia Beach, ECPI University is a private for-profit university with a large student population.
Nursing associate degree recipients from ECPI University receive an earnings boost of around $5,213 above the average earnings of nursing majors.
More information about a associate in nursing from ECPI University
MDC is a fairly large public college located in the large city of Miami.
Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program report average early career wages of $64,608.
More information about a associate in nursing from Miami Dade College
Located in the rural area of Madison, NFC is a public college with a small student population.
Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program report average early career earnings of $67,263.
More information about a associate in nursing from North Florida College
Palm Beach State College is a very large public college located in the suburb of Lake Worth.
After graduation, nursing associate recipients usually earn around $67,495 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a associate in nursing from Palm Beach State College
Seminole State is a fairly large public college located in the city of Sanford.
Those nursing students who get their associate degree from Seminole State College of Florida earn $4,119 more than the standard nursing grad.
More information about a associate in nursing from Seminole State College of Florida
Located in the suburb of Collegedale, Southern Adventist is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Soon after graduation, nursing associate recipients typically make an average of $61,225 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a associate in nursing from Southern Adventist University
Southside Virginia Community College is a small public college located in the rural area of Alberta.
Associate students who receive their degree from the nursing program make about $66,693 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a associate in nursing from Southside Virginia Community College
HCC is a fairly large public college located in the city of Tampa.
After graduation, nursing associate recipients generally earn an average of $64,429 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a associate in nursing from Hillsborough Community College
Wallace, Dothan is a small public college located in the city of Dothan.
Soon after graduating, nursing associate recipients generally earn about $59,653 in their early careers.
More information about a associate in nursing from Wallace Community College, Dothan
FSCJ is a fairly large public college located in the large city of Jacksonville.
Soon after graduating, nursing associate recipients usually earn about $62,019 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a associate in nursing from Florida State College at Jacksonville
Located in the city of Lake Charles, SOWELA is a public college with a small student population.
Associate recipients from the nursing degree program at SOWELA Technical Community College get $6,757 more than the standard college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a associate in nursing from SOWELA Technical Community College
SPC is a very large public college located in the city of St. Petersburg.
Soon after graduating, nursing associate recipients usually earn an average of $67,220 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a associate in nursing from St Petersburg College
Located in the medium-sized city of Athens, Athens Technical College is a public college with a small student population.
Associate recipients from the nursing program at Athens Technical College make $6,890 above the average college graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
More information about a associate in nursing from Athens Technical College
Sampson Community College is a small public college located in the town of Clinton.
Associate recipients from the nursing major at Sampson Community College get $3,107 more than the average graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
More information about a associate in nursing from Sampson Community College
Located in the small city of Gainesville, Lanier Technical College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a associate in nursing from Lanier Technical College
EFSC is a large public college located in the city of Melbourne.
Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program state that they receive average early career income of $62,725.
More information about a associate in nursing from Eastern Florida State College
Located in the suburb of Gainesville, Santa Fe College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Nursing associate degree recipients from Santa Fe College get an earnings boost of around $2,678 above the average earnings of nursing graduates.
More information about a associate in nursing from Santa Fe College
Herzing University - Birmingham is a small private not-for-profit university located in the suburb of Birmingham.
Those nursing students who get their associate degree from Herzing University - Birmingham make $7,409 more than the average nursing student.
More information about a associate in nursing from Herzing University - Birmingham
Located in the city of Virginia Beach, Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Nursing associate degree recipients from Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach earn a boost of approximately $3,050 over the average earnings of nursing graduates.
More information about a associate in nursing from Bryant & Stratton College - Virginia Beach
This section shows the remainder of the colleges awarded a Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region badge. Showing in this list means the school was ranked in the top 20% of the 300 different Southeast nursing schools we analyzed.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 51 | Gaston College | Dallas, NC |
| 52 | Coastal Pines Technical College | Waycross, GA |
| 53 | Arkansas Northeastern College | Blytheville, AR |
| 54 | Mississippi Delta Community College | Moorhead, MS |
| 55 | College of Central Florida | Ocala, FL |
| 56 | Columbus Technical College | Columbus, GA |
| 57 | Indian River State College | Fort Pierce, FL |
| 58 | Cabarrus College of Health Sciences | Concord, NC |
| 59 | Greenville Technical College | Greenville, SC |
| 60 | Southwest Mississippi Community College | Summit, MS |
These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southeast Region award.
Explore the best nursing colleges for a specific state in the Southeast Region .
| State | Colleges | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|---|
| Mississippi | 143 | 1,269 |
| Georgia | 121 | 1,473 |
| Florida | 121 | 9,083 |
| North Carolina | 120 | 2,538 |
| Arkansas | 105 | 1,212 |
| Tennessee | 102 | 1,235 |
| Virginia | 97 | 2,569 |
| West Virginia | 92 | 813 |
| Kentucky | 90 | 1,848 |
| Louisiana | 80 | 966 |
| South Carolina | 77 | 1,223 |
| Alabama | 69 | 2,116 |
Nursing is one of 34 different types of Health Professions programs to choose from.
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | 25,394 |
| Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 128 |
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 9,068 |
| Allied Health Professions | 8,723 |
| Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services | 4,946 |
| Dental Support Services | 1,671 |
| Health/Medical Prep Programs | 1,636 |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science | 982 |
| Health Sciences & Services | 923 |
| Other Health Professions | 734 |
| Mental & Social Health Services | 730 |
| Public Health | 237 |
