2025 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota
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 23 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in Minnesota ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 2,120 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. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
Quality Overall Is Important
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 host of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
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
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 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 Minnesota.
Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Nursing in Minnesota
The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in nursing.
10 Top Minnesota Schools for an Associate in Nursing
Any student who is interested in an associate degree in nursing needs to check out Rasmussen University - Minnesota. Located in the small city of St. Cloud, Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a private for-profit university with a medium-sized student population.
Those nursing students who get their associate degree from Rasmussen University - Minnesota receive $2,434 more than the typical nursing student.
More information about a associate in nursing from Rasmussen University - Minnesota
Every student who is interested in an associate degree in nursing needs to take a look at Rochester Community and Technical College. Located in the medium-sized city of Rochester, Rochester Community and Technical College is a public college with a small student population.
Associate recipients from the nursing major at Rochester Community and Technical College earn $4,335 more than the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
More information about a associate in nursing from Rochester Community and Technical College
It is difficult to beat Minneapolis Community and Technical College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in nursing. Located in the city of Minneapolis, Minneapolis Community and Technical College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
After graduating, nursing associate recipients typically earn about $61,817 in their early careers.
More information about a associate in nursing from Minneapolis Community and Technical College
Northland Community and Technical College is a good decision for individuals interested in an associate degree in nursing. Northland Community and Technical College is a small public college located in the town of Thief River Falls.
Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program report average early career earnings of $67,075.
More information about a associate in nursing from Northland Community and Technical College
Century College is a medium-sized public college located in the large suburb of White Bear Lake.
Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program report average early career income of $66,512.
More information about a associate in nursing from Century College
Located in the remote town of Bemidji, NTC is a public college with a fairly small student population.
Those nursing students who get their associate degree from Northwest Technical College receive $7,093 more than the typical nursing graduate.
More information about a associate in nursing from Northwest Technical College
Located in the suburb of Coon Rapids, Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program report average early career income of $66,484.
More information about a associate in nursing from Anoka-Ramsey Community College
Located in the town of Willmar, Ridgewater College 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 $59,082.
More information about a associate in nursing from Ridgewater College
North Hennepin Community College is a moderately-sized public college located in the suburb of Brooklyn Park.
Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program state that they receive average early career earnings of $67,312.
More information about a associate in nursing from North Hennepin Community College
Located in the town of Hibbing, Hibbing Community College is a public college with a small student population.
After graduation, nursing associate recipients typically make around $61,116 at the beginning of their careers.
More information about a associate in nursing from Hibbing Community College