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2025 Best Registered Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

96 Colleges in the Southwest Region
10,081 Associate Degrees
Registered Nursing is of the hottest associate degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #3 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 96 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Registered Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region ranking. Combined, these schools handed out 10,081 associate degrees in registered nursing to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Registered Nursing School for Your Associate Degree

Best Registered Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region Your choice of registered nursing for getting your associate degree school matters. Important measures of a quality registered 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 good 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.

Other Factors We Consider

In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:

Our complete ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for registered nursing students working on their associate degree.

More Ways to Rank Registered Nursing Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Registered Nursing Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 Registered Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region list to help you make the college decision.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Registered Nursing in the Southwest Region

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in registered nursing. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

19 Top Southwest Region Schools for an Associate in Registered Nursing

1
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
59 Annual Graduates

Eastern Arizona College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting an associate degree in registered nursing. Eastern Arizona College is a moderately-sized public college located in the town of Thatcher.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Eastern Arizona College

2
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
190 Annual Graduates

Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in registered nursing has to look into South Texas College. South Texas College is a fairly large public college located in the midsize city of McAllen.More information about a associate in registered nursing from South Texas College

3
El Centro College crest
El Centro College
Dallas, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
336 Annual Graduates

El Centro College is one of the best schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in registered nursing. El Centro College is a fairly large public college located in the large city of Dallas.More information about a associate in registered nursing from El Centro College

4
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
344 Annual Graduates

It is difficult to beat Tarrant County College District if you wish to pursue an associate degree in registered nursing. Tarrant County College is a fairly large public college located in the large city of Fort Worth.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Tarrant County College District

5
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
204 Annual Graduates

GateWay Community College is a moderately-sized public college located in the city of Phoenix.More information about a associate in registered nursing from GateWay Community College

6
North Harris Montgomery crest
Lone Star College System
The Woodlands, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
334 Annual Graduates

North Harris Montgomery is a very large public college located in the city of The Woodlands.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Lone Star College System

7
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
279 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Albuquerque, CNM is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Central New Mexico Community College

8
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
307 Annual Graduates

Austin Community College District is a fairly large public college located in the large city of Austin.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Austin Community College District

9
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
205 Annual Graduates

San Jacinto College is a fairly large public college located in the city of Pasadena.More information about a associate in registered nursing from San Jacinto Community College

10
DMC crest
Del Mar College
Corpus Christi, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
213 Annual Graduates

DMC is a moderately-sized public college located in the large city of Corpus Christi.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Del Mar College

11
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
32 Annual Graduates

NPC is a small public college located in the remote area of Holbrook.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Northland Pioneer College

12
AC crest
Angelina College
Lufkin, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
50 Annual Graduates

AC is a small public college located in the town of Lufkin.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Angelina College

13
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
236 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Oklahoma City, OCCC is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Oklahoma City Community College

14
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
145 Annual Graduates

MCC is a small public college located in the rural area of Kingman.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Mohave Community College

15
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
176 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Mesa, Mesa Community College is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Mesa Community College

16
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
181 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Glendale, Glendale Community College is a public college with a large student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Glendale Community College

17
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
153 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Houston, Houston Community College is a public college with a very large student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Houston Community College

18
Weatherford College crest
Weatherford College
Weatherford, TX
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
170 Annual Graduates

Located in the town of Weatherford, Weatherford College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Weatherford College

19
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
151 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Tucson, Pima County Community College District is a public college with a large student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Pima Community College

Rest of the Top Best Registered Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great schools for Registered Nursing students in the Southwest Region that almost earned our Best Registered Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Southwest Region award.

Rank College Location
20 Amarillo College Amarillo, TX
21 San Antonio College San Antonio, TX
22 Temple College Temple, TX
23 Texas State Technical College Waco, TX
24 Grayson College Denison, TX
25 Central Texas College Killeen, TX
26 Phoenix College Phoenix, AZ
27 Tulsa Community College Tulsa, OK
28 Yavapai College Prescott, AZ
29 Alvin Community College Alvin, TX
30 Murray State College Tishomingo, OK
31 Collin County Community College District McKinney, TX
32 Paris Junior College Paris, TX

Best Registered Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best registered nursing schools for a specific state in the Southwest Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Texas 420 6,265
Arizona 349 2,133
New Mexico 255 543
Oklahoma 222 1,310

View All Rankings >

One of 23 majors within the Nursing area of study, Registered Nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.

Related Major Annual Graduates
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 36

Notes and References

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