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Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California

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2023 Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California

65 Colleges
$36,841 Avg Salary
$15,480 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Undergraduate Certificate 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.

The Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Undergraduate Certificate 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 65 schools in California to see which undergraduate certificate programs offered the best educational experiences 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 Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California

The colleges and universities below are the best for practical nursing majors pursuing a undergraduate certificate.

Top 10 Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Undergraduate Certificate Schools

#1

Unitek College

South San Francisco, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Unitek College the best school in California for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in the small city of South San Francisco, Unitek College is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

While working on their Undergraduate Certificate, practical nursing majors at Unitek College accumulate an average of around $18,219 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $217.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Unitek College

#2

Unitek College

Hayward, CA

Out of the 65 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Unitek College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of Hayward, Unitek College is a private for-profit school with a fairly small student population.

While working on their Undergraduate Certificate, practical nursing majors at Unitek College accumulate an average of around $18,219 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $217.

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Out of the 65 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts landed the # 3 spot on the list. 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 Undergraduate Certificate is $18,229. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $152, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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#4

Blake Austin College

Vacaville, CA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Blake Austin College is a great place for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in the suburb of Vacaville, Blake Austin College is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at Blake Austin College take out while working on their Undergraduate Certificate is $18,496.

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The excellent undergraduate certificate programs at Xavier College School of Nursing helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best practical nursing and nursing assistants schools in California. Xavier College School of Nursing is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the city of Stockton.

After completing their Undergraduate Certificate, practical nursing graduates from Xavier College School of Nursing carry an average student debtload of $16,458.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Xavier College School of Nursing

With a ranking of #6, Marian College School of Nursing did quite well on this year’s best schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in the city of Van Nuys, Marian College Van Nuys is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at Marian College Van Nuys take out while working on their Undergraduate Certificate is $14,515. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $160.

Read More…

#7

Homestead Schools

Torrance, CA

Homestead Schools came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. Homestead Schools is a small private not-for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Torrance.

The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at Homestead Schools take out while working on their Undergraduate Certificate is $19,480.

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Marian College School of Nursing landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best undergraduate certificate practical nursing and nursing assistants programs. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, Marian College Los Angeles is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at Marian College Los Angeles take out while working on their Undergraduate Certificate is $14,515. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $160.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Marian College School of Nursing

#9

Unitek College

Fremont, CA

Unitek College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. Located in the suburb of Fremont, Unitek College is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, practical nursing graduates from Unitek College take out $18,263 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $230, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Unitek College Report

#10

Stanbridge University

Irvine, CA

Stanbridge University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for practical nursing and nursing assistants students to get a undergraduate certificate. It came in at #10 on the list. Stanbridge is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Irvine.

On average, practical nursing graduates from Stanbridge take out $20,606 in student loans while working on their Undergraduate Certificate. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $176, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read More…

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
11 Career Development Institute Inc Los Angeles, CA
12 California Career Institute Garden Grove, CA
13 American Career College - Ontario Ontario, CA

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 25 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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