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Best Value Health/Medical Prep Programs Associate Degree Schools in California

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2023 Best Value Health/Medical Prep Programs Associate Degree Schools in California

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

3 Colleges
$15,997 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$27,283 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Health/Medical Prep Programs Associate Degree School for You

Health/Medical Prep Programs is the #16 most popular major in California with 563 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

With all the healthcare programs available today, it can be tough to choose which one is the best for you. Along with traditional schools that require in-person attendence, you can attend one of many reputable online schools. Some programs even offer a hybrid experience. Alternatively, you may choose a trade school that prepares you to enter the workforce with knowledge in a specific field.

The Best Value Health/Medical Prep Programs Associate Degree Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Healthcare Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 3 schools in California to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for medical prep students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

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. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.

2023 Best Value Health/Medical Prep Programs Associate Degree Schools in California

The colleges and universities below are the best value schools for medical prep majors pursuing a associate degree.

Best California Schools for Affordable Quality for an Associate in Health/Medical Prep Programs

#1

Merced College

Merced, CA

Our analysis found Merced College to be the best value school for health/medical prep programs students who want to pursue a associate degree in California. Located in the city of Merced, Merced Community College District is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Merced Community College District undergraduate students pay an average of $1,180 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Merced Community College District is ranked #1 for overall quality for medical prep in California.

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#2

Mendocino College

Ukiah, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Mendocino College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Health/Medical Prep Programs Associate Degree Schools in California list. Mendocino College is a small public school located in the rural area of Ukiah.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Mendocino College are $1,423 a year. The average amount in student loans that medical prep majors at Mendocino College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $13,311.

Mendocino College also made our Best Health/Medical Prep Programs Associate Degree Schools in California list, coming in at #4.

Full Health/Medical Prep Programs at Mendocino College Report

#3

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Mount Saint Mary’s University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Health/Medical Prep Programs Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, MSMU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MSMU are $45,388 per year. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $172, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, MSMU also is in the top 15% of our Best Health/Medical Prep Programs Associate Degree Schools in California ranking.

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Best Value Health/Medical Prep Programs Colleges in the Far Western US Region

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

State Degrees Awarded
Oregon 161
Washington 144
Nevada 11
Hawaii 0
Alaska 109

One of 30 majors within the healthcare area of study, health/medical prep programs has other similar majors worth exploring.

Medical Prep Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Other Health/Medical Preparatory Programs 4,010
Pre-Nursing Studies 2,489
Pre-Medicine/Pre-Medical Studies 2,010
Pre-Physical Therapy Studies 257
Pre-Pharmacy Studies 167
Pre-Occupational Therapy Studies 108
Pre-Dentistry Studies 85
Pre-Physician Assistant 76
Pre-Art Therapy 4
Pre-Optometry Studies 3
Pre-Chiropractic Studies 1

Majors Similar to Medical Prep

Related 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

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 3 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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