2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region
Finding the Best Nursing School for You
With 322,592 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021, nursing is the #3 most popular major in the United States.
It's not easy to decide which program to enroll in when you have so many options available. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Course Advisor has created its Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. This report analyzed 207 schools in the Far Western US Region to see which ones offered the best programs for students.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a .
Top 25 Top Far Western US Region Schools in Nursing
Our analysis found Samuel Merritt University to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in the Far Western US Region . Located in the large city of Oakland, Samuel Merritt University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Samuel Merritt University accumulate an average of around $25,500 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $551.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Stanbridge University is a great place for nursing students. Located in the city of Irvine, Stanbridge is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Stanbridge take out an average of $37,517 in student loans while working on their egree.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a great place for nursing students. Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of San Mateo.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts accumulate an average of around $18,603 in student debt.
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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health is a great place for nursing students. L.A. County School of Nursing is a fairly small public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at L.A. County School of Nursing take out is $19,688.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
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Pacific College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the medium-sized city of Costa Mesa, Pacific College is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
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University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. USAHS is a medium-sized private for-profit school located in the suburb of San Marcos.
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Linfield University - Online and Continuing Education came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the town of McMinnville, Linfield OCE is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Linfield OCE carry an average student debtload of $31,403. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $346.
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Linfield University - School of Nursing came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the city of Portland, Linfield Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Linfield Nursing carry an average student debtload of $31,403. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $346.
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Loma Linda University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #10 on the list. Loma Linda University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Loma Linda.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Loma Linda University take out is $32,500. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $416.
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Touro University California ranked #11 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region list. TUC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Vallejo.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from TUC carry an average student debtload of $16,982.
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West Coast University - Ontario did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #12 on the list. Located in the city of Ontario, West Coast University - Ontario is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at West Coast University - Ontario take out is $38,146. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $665, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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West Coast University - Los Angeles came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the city of North Hollywood, West Coast University - Los Angeles is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from West Coast University - Los Angeles take out $38,146 in student loans while working on their degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $665, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Seaside, CSUMB is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at CSUMB take out is $13,312.
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West Coast University - Orange County ranked #15 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region list. West Coast University - Orange County is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Anaheim.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at West Coast University - Orange County accumulate an average of around $38,146 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $665, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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American University of Health Sciences landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. AUHS Signal Hill is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Signal Hill.
Nursing majors at AUHS Signal Hill take out an average of $46,029 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $471, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Bushnell University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the midsize city of Eugene, Bushnell University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Bushnell University take out $29,141 in student loans while working on their degree.
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University of California - San Francisco did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #18 on the list. Located in the large city of San Francisco, UCSF is a public college with a small student population.
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With a ranking of #19, Oregon Health & Science University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. OHSU is a small public school located in the city of Portland.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from OHSU carry an average student debtload of $31,651. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $332.
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With a ranking of #20, Unitek College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Unitek College is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Fremont.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Unitek College accumulate an average of around $23,468 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #21, Chamberlain University - California did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Chamberlain - California is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the small city of Rancho Cordova.
Nursing majors at Chamberlain - California take out an average of $38,460 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $256.
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University of California - Davis landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. UC Davis is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Davis.
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With a ranking of #23, Sonoma State University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. SSU is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Rohnert Park.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from SSU carry an average student debtload of $17,747.
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Gonzaga University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #24 on the list. Located in the city of Spokane, Gonzaga is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Gonzaga accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
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University of Portland did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #25 on the list. Located in the large city of Portland, University of Portland is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from University of Portland take out $28,175 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $768, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for Nursing students in the Far Western US Region that almost earned our Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | Dominican University of California | San Rafael, CA |
| 33 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 34 | California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento, CA |
| 35 | Mount Saint Mary’s University | Los Angeles, CA |
| 36 | California State University - Channel Islands | Camarillo, CA |
| 37 | Merced College | Merced, CA |
| 38 | Touro University Nevada | Henderson, NV |
| 39 | University of Washington - Tacoma Campus | Tacoma, WA |
| 40 | Azusa Pacific University | Azusa, CA |
| 41 | Point Loma Nazarene University | San Diego, CA |
Best Nursing Colleges by State
Explore the best nursing colleges for a specific state in the Far Western US region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| California | 18,329 |
| Washington | 3,851 |
| Oregon | 1,502 |
| Nevada | 2,015 |
| Hawaii | 535 |
| Alaska | 177 |
More Nursing Rankings in the Far Western US Region
Rankings in Majors Related to Nursing
One of 30 majors within the area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.
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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