2025 Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region

If you plan on getting your associate degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants, you won't be alone since the degree program is ranked #57 in the country in terms of popularity. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual reviewed 3 schools in the Plains States Region to determine which ones were the best for associate degree seekers in the field of practical nursing & nursing assistants. Combined, these schools handed out 62 associate degrees in practical nursing & nursing assistants to qualified students.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants School for Your Associate Degree

Your choice of practical nursing & nursing assistants 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

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.

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

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

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to practical nursing & nursing assistants students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - How many other practical nursing & nursing assistants 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.
• Student Debt - How easy is it for practical nursing & nursing assistants to pay back their student loans after receiving their associate degree.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized practical nursing & nursing assistants related body.

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

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in the Plains States Region list, to help you choose the best school for you.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants in the Plains States Region

Below you'll see a list of the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants.

Top Plains States Region Schools for an Associate in Practical Nursing

1

Hennepin Technical College
Brooklyn Park, MN

17 Annual Graduates

$54,376 Median Starting Salary

Hennepin Technical College is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants. Located in the suburb of Brooklyn Park, Hennepin Technical College is a public college with a small student population.

Associate recipients from the practical nursing & nursing assistants program at Hennepin Technical College earn $6,210 above the average college grad in this field shortly after graduation.

More information about a associate in practical nursing & nursing assistants from Hennepin Technical College

2

North Dakota State College of Science
Wahpeton, ND

22 Annual Graduates

$41,956 Median Starting Salary

It's hard to beat North Dakota State College of Science if you want to pursue an associate degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants. North Dakota State College of Science is a small public college located in the town of Wahpeton.

Associate graduates who receive their degree from the practical nursing program earn about $41,956 in the first couple years of their career.

More information about a associate in practical nursing & nursing assistants from North Dakota State College of Science

3

Dickinson State University
Dickinson, ND

18 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants has to take a look at Dickinson State University. Located in the remote town of Dickinson, DSU is a public university with a small student population.More information about a associate in practical nursing & nursing assistants from Dickinson State University

Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Colleges by State

Explore the best practical nursing & nursing assistants schools for a specific state in the Plains States Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
Minnesota	151	22
Nebraska	98	0
South Dakota	93	0
North Dakota	92	70

View All Rankings >

Rankings in Majors Related to Practical Nursing

One of 34 majors within the Health Professions area of study, Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants has other similar majors worth exploring.

Practical Nursing Concentrations

Major	Annual Graduates
Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training	60
Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant/Aide	2

Majors Similar to Practical Nursing

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Nursing	6,339
Allied Health Professions	1,953
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services	1,074
Dental Support Services	756
Health & Medical Administrative Services	628
Health Sciences & Services	342
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science	275
Health/Medical Prep Programs	165
Mental & Social Health Services	133
Somatic Bodywork & Therapeutic Services	74

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). More about our data sources and methodologies.