2025 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Tennessee
If you pursue a associate degree in
nursing, you won't be alone. The field of study is the #2 most popular program in the country. This means there are lots of options to choose from when you decide to get your degree.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 17 schools in Tennessee to determine which ones were the best for nursing students pursuing a associate degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,169 associate degrees in nursing to qualified students.
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. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A Great Overall School
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 college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
Early-Career Earnings
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their associate degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their associate degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
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 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.
More Ways to Rank Nursing Schools
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 Tennessee list to help you make the college decision.
Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Nursing in Tennessee
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for nursing students seeking a an associate degree.
10 Top Tennessee Schools for an Associate in Nursing
Southern Adventist University is a great option for students pursuing an associate degree in nursing. Located in the suburb of Collegedale, Southern Adventist is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program state that they receive average early career earnings of $61,225.
More information about a associate in nursing from Southern Adventist University
It's hard to beat Lincoln Memorial University if you want to pursue an associate degree in nursing. Located in the town of Harrogate, LMU is a private not-for-profit university with a moderately-sized student population.
Associate students who receive their degree from the nursing program make about $54,468 in the first couple years of their career.
More information about a associate in nursing from Lincoln Memorial University
Jackson State Community College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting an associate degree in nursing. JSCC is a small public college located in the city of Jackson.
Associate students who receive their degree from the nursing program earn an average of $66,385 for their early career.
More information about a associate in nursing from Jackson State Community College
Southwest Tennessee Community College is one of the best schools in the country for getting an associate degree in nursing. Located in the large city of Memphis, Southwest is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Nursing associate degree recipients from Southwest Tennessee Community College get an earnings boost of approximately $8,013 above the average earnings of nursing majors.
More information about a associate in nursing from Southwest Tennessee Community College
Located in the town of Dyersburg, DSCC is a public college with a small student population.
Those nursing students who get their associate degree from Dyersburg State Community College earn $9,486 more than the standard nursing graduate.
More information about a associate in nursing from Dyersburg State Community College
