2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Nursing 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.
To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Course Advisor has developed this Best Value Nursing Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 124 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value 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 15% Best Nursing Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Merced College the best value school in California for nursing students. Merced Community College District is a moderately-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 $11,000 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Out of the 124 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Modesto Junior College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Modesto, MJC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MJC are $1,274 per year.
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A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Butte College is a great value for nursing students. Butte College is a moderately-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. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Butte College take out is $16,161.
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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 Schools in California list. Delta is a large public school located in the city of Stockton.
Delta undergraduate students pay an average of $1,288 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Cabrillo College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Aptos, Cabrillo College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cabrillo College are $1,262 a year. Nursing majors at Cabrillo College take out an average of $14,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Cuesta College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in California list. Cuesta College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.
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 Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Nursing at Cuesta College Report
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West Hills College-Lemoore did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #7 on the list. West Hills College-Lemoore is a small public school located in the rural area of Lemoore.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at West Hills College-Lemoore are $1,380 a year. Nursing majors at West Hills College-Lemoore take out an average of $14,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Yuba College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Marysville, Yuba College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
Yuba College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,128 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at Yuba College take out an average of $10,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Santa Rosa Junior College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. SRJC is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Santa Rosa.
SRJC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,328 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at SRJC accumulate an average of around $13,916 in student debt.
In addition to its great value ranking, SRJC is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Nursing Schools in California list.
Full Nursing at Santa Rosa Junior College Report
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Sacramento City College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in California list. Sacramento City is a large public school located in the city of Sacramento.
Nursing majors at Sacramento City take out an average of $11,277 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Santa Barbara City College ranked #11 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in California list. SBCC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Santa Barbara.
SBCC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,232 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at SBCC take out an average of $16,823 in student loans while working on their egree.
SBCC also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Schools in California list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
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Ventura College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in California ranking. Located in the midsize city of Ventura, Ventura College is a public college with a large student population.
Ventura College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,394 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Ventura College take out is $16,953.
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With a ranking of #13, Mt. San Antonio College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Located in the large suburb of Walnut, Mt. SAC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Mt. SAC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,352 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Mt. SAC accumulate an average of around $14,500 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #14, Glendale Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. GCC is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Glendale.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at GCC are $1,171 per year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from GCC carry an average student debtload of $16,304.
Full Nursing at Glendale Community College Report
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Fresno City College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for nursing students. It came in at #15 on the list. Fresno City College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Fresno.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Fresno City College are $1,304 per year. Nursing majors at Fresno City College take out an average of $8,500 in student loans while working on their egree.
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Riverside City College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of Riverside, Riverside City College is a public college with a large student population.
Riverside City College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,420 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Riverside City College carry an average student debtload of $12,500.
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College of the Sequoias ranked #17 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in California list. College of the Sequoias is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Visalia.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at College of the Sequoias are $1,394 per year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at College of the Sequoias accumulate an average of around $13,060 in student debt.
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American River College came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in California ranking. Located in the large suburb of Sacramento, American River is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Nursing majors at American River take out an average of $20,779 in student loans while working on their egree.
Full Nursing at American River College Report
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Nursing Schools in California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | College of the Canyons | Santa Clarita, CA |
| 20 | Mendocino College | Ukiah, CA |
| 21 | College of the Desert | Palm Desert, CA |
| 22 | Moorpark College | Moorpark, CA |
| 23 | Napa Valley College | Napa, CA |
| 24 | Bakersfield College | Bakersfield, 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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