2025 Best Registered Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

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.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 95 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for registered nursing students pursuing a associate degree. Combined, these schools handed out 6,290 associate degrees in registered nursing to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Registered Nursing School for Your Associate Degree

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 quality 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:

• Major Focus - How much a school focuses on registered nursing students vs. other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other registered nursing students want to attend this school to pursue a associate degree.
• Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized registered nursing related body.

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

More Ways to Rank Registered Nursing Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Registered Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Registered Nursing in the Plains States 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 Plains States Region Schools for an Associate in Registered Nursing

1

Rasmussen University - Minnesota
St. Cloud, MN

Master's Degree Highest Degree Type

711 Annual Graduates

Rasmussen University - Minnesota is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in registered nursing. Rasmussen University - Minnesota is a medium-sized private for-profit university located in the city of St. Cloud.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Rasmussen University - Minnesota

2

Rasmussen University - North Dakota
Fargo, ND

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

100 Annual Graduates

It's hard to beat Rasmussen University - North Dakota if you wish to pursue an associate degree in registered nursing. Located in the city of Fargo, Rasmussen University - North Dakota is a private for-profit university with a fairly small student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Rasmussen University - North Dakota

3

Rochester Community and Technical College
Rochester, MN

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

108 Annual Graduates

Rochester Community and Technical College is one of the best schools in the country for getting an associate degree in registered nursing. Rochester Community and Technical College is a small public college located in the medium-sized city of Rochester.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Rochester Community and Technical College

4

Minneapolis Community and Technical College
Minneapolis, MN

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

94 Annual Graduates

It's difficult to beat Minneapolis Community and Technical College if you want to pursue an associate degree in registered nursing. Minneapolis Community and Technical College is a medium-sized public college located in the city of Minneapolis.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Minneapolis Community and Technical College

5

Neosho County Community College
Chanute, KS

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

58 Annual Graduates

Located in the town of Chanute, Neosho County Community College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Neosho County Community College

6

Northland Community and Technical College
Thief River Falls, MN

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

66 Annual Graduates

Located in the town of Thief River Falls, Northland Community and Technical College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Northland Community and Technical College

7

Des Moines Area Community College
Ankeny, IA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

162 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Ankeny, DMACC is a public college with a very large student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Des Moines Area Community College

8

Butler Community College
El Dorado, KS

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

120 Annual Graduates

Located in the distant town of El Dorado, Butler CC is a public college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Butler Community College

9

Century College
White Bear Lake, MN

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

92 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of White Bear Lake, Century College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Century College

10

Northwest Technical College
Bemidji, MN

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

70 Annual Graduates

NTC is a small public college located in the remote town of Bemidji.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Northwest Technical College

11

Anoka-Ramsey Community College
Coon Rapids, MN

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

100 Annual Graduates

Anoka-Ramsey Community College-Coon Rapids Campus is a moderately-sized public college located in the large suburb of Coon Rapids.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Anoka-Ramsey Community College

12

Lake Area Technical Institute
Watertown, SD

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

46 Annual Graduates

LATI is a small public school located in the town of Watertown.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Lake Area Technical Institute

13

Ridgewater College
Willmar, MN

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

80 Annual Graduates

Ridgewater College is a small public college located in the remote town of Willmar.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Ridgewater College

14

Southeast Technical College
Sioux Falls, SD

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

49 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Sioux Falls, Southeast Tech is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Southeast Technical College

15

North Hennepin Community College
Brooklyn Park, MN

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

53 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Brooklyn Park, North Hennepin Community College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from North Hennepin Community College

16

Southeastern Community College
West Burlington, IA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

57 Annual Graduates

Located in the town of West Burlington, Southeastern Community College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Southeastern Community College

17

Iowa Central Community College
Fort Dodge, IA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

94 Annual Graduates

Iowa Central Community College is a small public college located in the remote town of Fort Dodge.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Iowa Central Community College

18

Hibbing Community College
Hibbing, MN

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

65 Annual Graduates

Hibbing Community College is a small public college located in the remote town of Hibbing.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Hibbing Community College

19

Lake Superior College
Duluth, MN

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

106 Annual Graduates

LSC is a small public college located in the small city of Duluth.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Lake Superior College

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

Additional Noteworthy Schools

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

Rank	College	Location
20	Cox College	Springfield, MO
21	Western Iowa Tech Community College	Sioux City, IA
22	St Cloud Technical and Community College	Saint Cloud, MN
23	Eastern Iowa Community College District	Davenport, IA
24	Central Lakes College - Brainerd	Brainerd, MN
25	Inver Hills Community College	Inver Grove Heights, MN
26	Hutchinson Community College	Hutchinson, KS
27	Saint Louis Community College	Bridgeton, MO
28	Riverland Community College	Austin, MN
29	Mercy College of Health Sciences	Des Moines, IA
30	Kansas City Kansas Community College	Kansas City, KS
31	Kirkwood Community College	Cedar Rapids, IA

Best Registered Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best registered nursing colleges for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Minnesota	299	2,167
Kansas	275	868
Missouri	210	1,347
Iowa	200	1,152
Nebraska	163	265
South Dakota	148	114
North Dakota	144	287

View All Rankings >

Registered Nursing Related Rankings by Major

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

Most Popular Related Majors

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Nursing Practice	49

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle. More about our data sources and methodologies.