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Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California

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2023 Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California

22 Colleges
$41,222 Avg Salary
$20,983 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree School for You

Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants is the #14 most popular major in California with 1,055 degrees and certificates awarded in 2020-2021.

Today's healthcare students have lots of options to pick from when considering higher education opportunities. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Healthcare Degree Search has created the Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 22 schools in California to see which ones offered the best associate degree programs for healthcare students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

2023 Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for practical nursing majors pursuing a associate degree.

Top 10 Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts the best school in California for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of San Mateo, Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts take out while working on their Associate Degree is $18,804.

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#2

Unitek College

Fremont, CA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Unitek College is a great place for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Located in the large suburb of Fremont, Unitek College is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Practical Nursing majors at Unitek College take out an average of $20,602 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $184, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#3

Pacific College

Costa Mesa, CA

Out of the 22 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Pacific College landed the # 3 spot on the list. Pacific College is a small private for-profit school located in the midsize city of Costa Mesa.

While working on their Associate Degree, practical nursing majors at Pacific College accumulate an average of around $20,773 in student debt.

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A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Carrington College, Sacramento is a great place for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Carrington College, Sacramento is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Sacramento.

The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at Carrington College, Sacramento take out while working on their Associate Degree is $31,342.

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#5

Merced College

Merced, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Merced College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California list. Merced Community College District is a moderately-sized public school located in the city of Merced.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Merced College Report

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#7

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA

Cuesta College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California list. Cuesta College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.

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#8

Sacramento City College

Sacramento, CA

With a ranking of #8, Sacramento City College did quite well on this year’s best schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Sacramento City is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.

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#9

Riverside City College

Riverside, CA

Riverside City College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Riverside, Riverside City College is a public college with a large student population.

After completing their Associate Degree, practical nursing graduates from Riverside City College carry an average student debtload of $7,686.

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#10

Santa Barbara City College

Santa Barbara, CA

With a ranking of #10, Santa Barbara City College did quite well on this year’s best schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. SBCC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Santa Barbara.

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Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 113
Nevada 0

One of 30 majors within the healthcare area of study, practical nursing and nursing assistants has other similar majors worth exploring.

Practical Nursing Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training 44,900
Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant/Aide 34,557
Other Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants 4,817

Majors Similar to Practical Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Nursing 322,592
Health & Medical Administrative Services 89,359
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 84,492
Allied Health Professions 82,308
Public Health 40,596

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 22 schools only.

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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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