2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
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 Value 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 value associate degree programs for nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.
Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.
Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Merced College the best value school in California for nursing students working on their associate degree. Merced Community College District is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Merced.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Merced Community College District are $1,180 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Merced Community College District take out $12,152 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, Merced Community College District also did well on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Modesto Junior College is a great value for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the midsize city of Modesto, MJC is a public college with a large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MJC are $1,274 per year. 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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The excellent associate degree programs at Butte College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in California. Butte College is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of Oroville.
Butte College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,368 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Butte College take out $19,826 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Joaquin Delta College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. Delta is a large public school located in the large city of Stockton.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Delta are $1,288 per year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Delta accumulate an average of around $15,248 in student debt.
Full Nursing at San Joaquin Delta College Report
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The excellent associate degree programs at Cabrillo College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value nursing schools in California. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Aptos, Cabrillo College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cabrillo College are $1,262 per year.
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Cuesta College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Cuesta College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.
Cuesta College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,338 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Cuesta College take out $14,937 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
In addition to its great value ranking, Cuesta College is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list.
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With a ranking of #7, West Hills College-Lemoore did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. West Hills College-Lemoore is a small public school located in the rural area of Lemoore.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at West Hills College-Lemoore are $1,380 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at West Hills College-Lemoore take out while working on their Associate Degree is $15,061.
Full Nursing at West Hills College-Lemoore Report
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With a ranking of #8, Yuba College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the midsize suburb of Marysville, Yuba College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Yuba College are $1,128 a year. While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Yuba College accumulate an average of around $11,836 in student debt.
Yuba College also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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Santa Rosa Junior College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. SRJC is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Santa Rosa.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SRJC are $1,328 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at SRJC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $16,223.
SRJC not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #2 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list.
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Sacramento City College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree nursing programs. Sacramento City is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.
On average, nursing graduates from Sacramento City take out $13,621 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Request InformationAdditional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great value schools for Nursing students in the state of California seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Santa Barbara City College | Santa Barbara, CA |
| 12 | Ventura College | Ventura, CA |
| 13 | Mt. San Antonio College | Walnut, CA |
Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value 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
Majors Related to Nursing
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.
- 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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