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Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California

2023 Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

22 Colleges
$2,201 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$41,222 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree 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.

The Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Course Advisor has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 22 schools in California to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for practical nursing students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

Top 10 Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools

#1

Merced College

Merced, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Merced College the best value school in California for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Merced, Merced Community College District is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Merced Community College District undergraduate students pay an average of $1,180 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Merced Community College District also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Merced College Report

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#2

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA

The excellent associate degree programs at Cuesta College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value practical nursing and nursing assistants schools in California. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cuesta College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cuesta College are $1,338 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Cuesta College also did well on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

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#3

Sacramento City College

Sacramento, CA

The excellent associate degree programs at Sacramento City College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value practical nursing and nursing assistants schools in California. Located in the large city of Sacramento, Sacramento City is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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#4

Riverside City College

Riverside, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Riverside City College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California list. Riverside City College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Riverside.

Riverside City College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,420 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their Associate Degree, practical nursing majors at Riverside City College accumulate an average of around $7,686 in student debt.

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#5

Santa Barbara City College

Santa Barbara, CA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Santa Barbara City College is a great value for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Santa Barbara, SBCC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SBCC are $1,232 a year.

In addition to its great value ranking, SBCC is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California list.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Santa Barbara City College Report

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#6

Butte College

Oroville, CA

Butte College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree practical nursing and nursing assistants programs. Located in the rural area of Oroville, Butte College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Butte College are $1,368 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, practical nursing majors at Butte College accumulate an average of around $18,505 in student debt.

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With a ranking of #7, Napa Valley College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Napa Valley College is a small public school located in the city of Napa.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Napa Valley College are $1,150 per year.

Napa Valley College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California list.

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#8

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, CA

With a ranking of #8, Santa Rosa Junior College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Santa Rosa, SRJC is a public school with a large student population.

SRJC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,328 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

SRJC also made our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California list, coming in at #2.

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College of the Redwoods did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for practical nursing and nursing assistants students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. College of the Redwoods is a small public school located in the rural area of Eureka.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at College of the Redwoods are $1,147 per year.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at College of the Redwoods Report

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#10

College of the Desert

Palm Desert, CA

College of the Desert landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree practical nursing and nursing assistants programs. College of the Desert is a large public school located in the small city of Palm Desert.

College of the Desert undergraduate students pay an average of $1,326 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at College of the Desert Report

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

Explore all the Best Value 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 22 schools only.

  • 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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