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Best Value Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California

2023 Best Value Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

99 Colleges
$1,315 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$43,116 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Health Professions Associate Degree School for You

In 2020-2021, health professions students earned 54,872 degrees and certificates from a California school, making the subject the 2nd in the state.

When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for students. 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Course Advisor has created the Best Value Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 99 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for health professions students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. 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.

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

Top 15% Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools

#1

Merced College

Merced, CA

Our analysis found Merced College to be the best value school for health professions students who want to pursue a associate degree in California. Merced Community College District is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Merced.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Merced Community College District are $1,180 per year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Merced Community College District also is in the top 10% of our Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California ranking.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend West Hills College-Lemoore. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California list. West Hills College-Lemoore is a small public school located in the rural area of Lemoore.

West Hills College-Lemoore undergraduate students pay an average of $1,380 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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#3

Canada College

Redwood City, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Canada College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Redwood City, Canada College is a public college with a small student population.

Canada College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,362 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Canada College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #3 on our Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California list.

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#4

Mendocino College

Ukiah, CA

Out of the 99 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Mendocino College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the rural area of Ukiah, Mendocino College is a public school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mendocino College are $1,423 per year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Mendocino College is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California list.

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#5

Foothill College

Los Altos Hills, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Foothill College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Los Altos Hills, Foothill College is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Foothill College are $1,565 a year.

Foothill College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California list.

Full Health Professions at Foothill College Report

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#6

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA

With a ranking of #6, Cuesta College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for health professions students working on their associate degree. Cuesta College is a medium-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.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Cuesta College also is in the top 20% of our Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California ranking.

Full Health Professions at Cuesta College Report

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#7

Santa Barbara City College

Santa Barbara, CA

Santa Barbara City College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for health professions students to get a associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list. SBCC is a large public school located in the small city of Santa Barbara.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SBCC are $1,232 per year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, SBCC also is in the top 10% of our Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California ranking.

Full Health Professions at Santa Barbara City College Report

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With a ranking of #8, San Joaquin Delta College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for health professions students working on their associate degree. Delta is a fairly large public school located in the city of Stockton.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Delta are $1,288 a year.

Full Health Professions at San Joaquin Delta College Report

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#9

Butte College

Oroville, CA

Butte College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Butte College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Oroville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Butte College are $1,368 a year.

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#10

Cabrillo College

Aptos, CA

Cabrillo College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the suburb of Aptos, Cabrillo College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cabrillo College are $1,262 a year.

Full Health Professions at Cabrillo College Report

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#11

Saddleback College

Mission Viejo, CA

Saddleback College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree health professions programs. Saddleback College is a large public school located in the suburb of Mission Viejo.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Saddleback College are $1,332 a year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Saddleback College also is in the top 10% of our Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California ranking.

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#12

Modesto Junior College

Modesto, CA

Modesto Junior College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for health professions students to get a associate degree. It came in at #12 on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Modesto, MJC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

MJC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,274 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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#13

Gavilan College

Gilroy, CA

Gavilan College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Gavilan College is a small public school located in the small suburb of Gilroy.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Gavilan College are $1,166 a year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Gavilan College also is in the top 10% of our Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California ranking.

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#14

Yuba College

Marysville, CA

Yuba College came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the midsize suburb of Marysville, Yuba College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Yuba College are $1,128 per year.

In addition to its great value ranking, Yuba College is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California list.

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Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional great value schools for Health Professions students in the state of California seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Health Professions Associate Degree Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
15 Mt. San Antonio College Walnut, CA
16 Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa, CA
17 Napa Valley College Napa, CA
18 Fresno City College Fresno, CA
19 American River College Sacramento, CA

Best Value Health Professions Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Health Professions Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 10,021
Oregon 5,865
Hawaii 1,126
Nevada 4,207
Alaska 578

Health Professions Majors to Study

Major Annual Graduates
Nursing 322,592
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
Health Sciences & Services 35,945
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 29,833
Mental & Social Health Services 29,053
Medicine 28,629
Dental Support Services 26,399
Communication Sciences 22,298
Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical Sciences 20,393
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 18,901
Somatic Bodywork & Therapeutic Services 10,751
Health/Medical Prep Programs 9,210
Other Health Professions 7,984
Dentistry 6,770
Dietetics & Clinical Nutrition Services 6,158
Bioethics/Medical Ethics 5,115
Alternative Medicine & Systems 3,564
Chiropractic 2,658
Health Aids/Attendants/Orderlies 2,374
Medical Illustration & Informatics 2,089
Optometry 1,822
Advanced Dentistry & Oral Sciences 1,775
Ophthalmic & Optometric Support Services 960
Medical Science 909
Movement & Mind-Body Therapies 294
Alternative Medical Support Services 227
Energy & Biologically Based Therapies 68

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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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