2025 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Arkansas
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.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 22 schools in Arkansas to determine which ones were the best for nursing students pursuing a associate degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,221 associate degrees in nursing during the 2022-2023 academic year.
What's on this page: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Nursing School for Your Associate Degree
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. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:
Overall Quality Is a Must
A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we include a college'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.
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
The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to nursing students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other nursing students want to attend this school to pursue a associate degree.
- Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for nursing to pay back their student loans after receiving their associate degree.
- 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.
More Ways to Rank Nursing Schools
The nursing school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Arkansas.
Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Nursing in Arkansas
Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in nursing.
10 Top Arkansas Schools for an Associate in Nursing
Arkansas State University - Main Campus is a great option for individuals interested in an associate degree in nursing. Located in the city of Jonesboro, A-State is a public university with a large student population.
Associate recipients from the nursing degree program at Arkansas State University - Main Campus make $3,663 above the standard college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a associate in nursing from Arkansas State University - Main Campus
Every student who is interested in an associate degree in nursing needs to look into Arkansas Northeastern College. Located in the town of Blytheville, Arkansas Northeastern College is a public college with a small student population.
Nursing associate degree recipients from Arkansas Northeastern College get an earnings boost of approximately $3,436 above the average income of nursing majors.
More information about a associate in nursing from Arkansas Northeastern College
It is difficult to beat University of Arkansas at Little Rock if you want to pursue an associate degree in nursing. Located in the midsize city of Little Rock, UA Little Rock is a public university with a medium-sized student population.
Soon after graduating, nursing associate recipients generally earn an average of $66,420 in the first five years of their career.
More information about a associate in nursing from University of Arkansas at Little Rock
NorthWest Arkansas Community College is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in nursing. NWACC is a medium-sized public college located in the city of Bentonville.
Associate students who receive their degree from the nursing program make about $67,192 for their early career.
More information about a associate in nursing from NorthWest Arkansas Community College
Located in the remote town of Russellville, ATU is a public university with a medium-sized student population.
Associate students who receive their degree from the nursing program make an average of $67,063 for their early career.
More information about a associate in nursing from Arkansas Tech University
