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Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California

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2023 Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California

76 Colleges
$40,752 Avg Salary
$17,707 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants School for You

With 1,055 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, practical nursing and nursing assistants is the #90 most popular major in California.

It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. Also, there are a number of trade schools with offerings that you might find attractive.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 76 schools in California to see which ones offered the best programs for students.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California

Check out the practical nursing programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.

Top 15% Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools

#1

Unitek College

South San Francisco, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Unitek College the best school in California for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. Unitek College is a small private for-profit school located in the city of South San Francisco.

Practical Nursing majors at Unitek College take out an average of $17,305 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $217.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Unitek College Report

#2

Unitek College

Hayward, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Unitek College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California list. Unitek College is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Hayward.

Practical Nursing majors at Unitek College take out an average of $17,305 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $217.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California list. Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a small private for-profit school located in the midsize city of San Mateo.

On average, practical nursing graduates from Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts take out $17,317 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $152, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts

#4

Blake Austin College

Vacaville, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Blake Austin College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California list. Blake Austin College is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the small suburb of Vacaville.

On average, practical nursing graduates from Blake Austin College take out $17,900 in student loans while working on their degree.

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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Xavier College School of Nursing. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Stockton, Xavier College School of Nursing is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

Practical Nursing majors at Xavier College School of Nursing take out an average of $16,757 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#6

Unitek College

Fremont, CA

Unitek College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. It came in at #6 on the list. Unitek College is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Fremont.

After completing their degree, practical nursing graduates from Unitek College carry an average student debtload of $19,020. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $207.

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Marian College School of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. It came in at #7 on the list. Marian College Van Nuys is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Van Nuys.

Practical Nursing majors at Marian College Van Nuys take out an average of $13,797 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $160.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Marian College School of Nursing

#8

Homestead Schools

Torrance, CA

Homestead Schools did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the city of Torrance, Homestead Schools is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

While working on their degree, practical nursing majors at Homestead Schools accumulate an average of around $18,040 in student debt.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Homestead Schools Report

With a ranking of #9, Marian College School of Nursing did quite well on this year’s best schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. Marian College Los Angeles is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.

After completing their degree, practical nursing graduates from Marian College Los Angeles carry an average student debtload of $13,797. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $160.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Marian College School of Nursing

#10

Stanbridge University

Irvine, CA

Stanbridge University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best practical nursing and nursing assistants programs. Located in the large city of Irvine, Stanbridge is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Practical Nursing majors at Stanbridge take out an average of $20,000 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $176.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Stanbridge University

Career Development Institute Inc ranked #11 on this year’s Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California list. Career Development Institute Inc is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Practical Nursing majors at Career Development Institute Inc take out an average of $16,873 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Career Development Institute Inc

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Nursing & Nursing Assistants students in the state of California that almost earned our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
12 California Career Institute Garden Grove, CA
13 Pacific College Costa Mesa, CA
14 American Career College - Ontario Ontario, CA
15 CES College Burbank, CA

Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 113
Nevada 0

Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants is one of 30 different types of programs to choose from.

Majors Similar to Practical Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Nursing 322,592
Health & Medical Administrative Services 89,359
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 84,492
Allied Health Professions 82,308
Public Health 40,596

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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.

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