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2023 Best Value Health/Medical Prep Programs Schools in California

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

9 Colleges
$17,750 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$16,774 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Health/Medical Prep Programs 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.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Healthcare Degree Search has created the Best Value Health/Medical Prep Programs Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 9 schools in California to see which 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 Schools in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Health/Medical Prep Programs Colleges.

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

#1

Merced College

Merced, CA
$1,180 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Merced College the best value school in California for health/medical prep programs students. Located in the city of Merced, Merced Community College District is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

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

Merced Community College District excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 5% of all schools on our Best Health/Medical Prep Programs Schools in California list.

Full Health/Medical Prep Programs at Merced College Report

#2

Mendocino College

Ukiah, CA
$1,423 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 9 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Mendocino College landed the # 2 spot on the 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.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Mendocino College also did well on our Best Health/Medical Prep Programs Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Health/Medical Prep Programs at Mendocino College Report

#3

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA
$7,304 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Francisco State University. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Health/Medical Prep Programs Schools in California list. Located in the large city of San Francisco, SFSU is a public college with a very large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SFSU are $7,304 a year.

Full Health/Medical Prep Programs at San Francisco State University Report

The excellent programs at University of California - San Francisco helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best health/medical prep programs schools in California. Located in the city of San Francisco, UCSF is a public college with a small student population.

Read More…

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Western University of Health Sciences is a great value for health/medical prep programs students. Located in the suburb of Pomona, Western University of Health Sciences is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Read More…

$14,186 Average Tuition & Fees

Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for health/medical prep programs students. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the suburb of Los Angeles, CDU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at CDU are $14,186 a year.

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#7

Keck Graduate Institute

Claremont, CA

Keck Graduate Institute did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for health/medical prep programs students. It came in at #7 on the list. KGI is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Claremont.

After completing their degree, medical prep graduates from KGI carry an average student debtload of $25,000.

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#8

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA
$45,388 Average Tuition & Fees

Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for health/medical prep programs students. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, MSMU is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MSMU are $45,388 per year. On average, medical prep graduates from MSMU take out $21,000 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $183.

MSMU excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Health/Medical Prep Programs Schools in California list.

Read full report on Health/Medical Prep Programs at Mount Saint Mary’s University

$37,018 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, California Baptist University did quite well on this year’s best value schools for health/medical prep programs students. Cal Baptist is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Riverside.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cal Baptist are $37,018 a year.

Read full report on Health/Medical Prep Programs at California Baptist University

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

Explore all the Best Value Health/Medical Prep Programs Schools 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 9 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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