2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California
Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You
In 2020-2021, nursing students earned 18,329 degrees and certificates from a California school, making the subject the 5th in the state.
With all the programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. 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.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 69 schools in California to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs for students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California
Check out the nursing associate degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts the best school in California for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the midsize city of San Mateo, Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts take out an average of $20,947 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanbridge University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. Stanbridge is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Irvine.
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Out of the 69 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, L.A. County School of Nursing is a public college with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from L.A. County School of Nursing take out $21,695 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Unitek College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Fremont, Unitek College is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Unitek College accumulate an average of around $26,043 in student debt.
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The excellent associate degree programs at Merced College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in California. Merced Community College District is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Merced.
On average, nursing graduates from Merced Community College District take out $12,152 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Modesto Junior College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the midsize city of Modesto, MJC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at MJC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $16,015.
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With a ranking of #7, Glendale Career College - Brightwood-Teachout did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of San-Diego, Glendale Career College - Brightwood-Teachout is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Glendale Career College - Brightwood-Teachout take out an average of $33,520 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Pacific Union College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the rural area of Angwin, PUC is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
Nursing majors at PUC take out an average of $29,980 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $222.
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With a ranking of #9, Butte College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Butte College is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of Oroville.
On average, nursing graduates from Butte College take out $19,826 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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With a ranking of #10, Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
On average, nursing graduates from MSMU take out $24,268 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $187.
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Request InformationAdditional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Nursing students in the state of California that almost earned our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | San Joaquin Delta College | Stockton, CA |
| 12 | Cabrillo College | Aptos, CA |
| 13 | Cuesta College | San Luis Obispo, CA |
Best Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 3,851 |
| Oregon | 1,502 |
| Nevada | 2,015 |
| Hawaii | 535 |
| Alaska | 177 |
More Nursing Rankings in California
Nursing Related Rankings by Major
Nursing is one of 30 different types of programs to choose from.
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 89,359 |
| Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services | 84,492 |
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
| 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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