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Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California

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

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

22 Colleges
$2,201 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$41,222 Avg Salary

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.

The Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Healthcare Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 22 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for practical nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

Our ranking of value is based on the quality of a program as defined in our per sticker price dollar. 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.

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

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

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools

#1

Merced College

Merced, CA

Our analysis found Merced College to be the best value school for practical nursing and nursing assistants 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.

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 practical nursing in California.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Merced College Report

#2

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA

The excellent associate degree programs at Cuesta College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value practical nursing and nursing assistants schools in California. 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.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Cuesta College also did well on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Cuesta College Report

#3

Sacramento City College

Sacramento, CA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Sacramento City College is a great value for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Sacramento City is a large public school located in the city of Sacramento.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Sacramento City College Report

#4

Riverside City College

Riverside, CA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Riverside City College is a great value for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Riverside, Riverside City College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Riverside City College are $1,420 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, practical nursing graduates from Riverside City College carry an average student debtload of $7,686.

Read More…

#5

Santa Barbara City College

Santa Barbara, CA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Santa Barbara City College is a great value for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. SBCC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Santa Barbara.

SBCC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,232 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

In addition to its great value ranking, SBCC is in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California list.

Read More…

#6

Butte College

Oroville, CA

Butte College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree practical nursing and nursing assistants programs. Butte College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Oroville.

Butte College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,368 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, practical nursing graduates from Butte College carry an average student debtload of $18,505.

Butte College also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Butte College Report

Napa Valley College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the small city of Napa, Napa Valley College is a public school with a small student population.

Napa Valley College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,150 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Napa Valley College Report

#8

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, CA

Santa Rosa Junior College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree practical nursing and nursing assistants programs. SRJC is a large public school located in the city of Santa Rosa.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SRJC are $1,328 a year.

Read More…

College of the Redwoods did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for practical nursing and nursing assistants students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the rural area of Eureka, College of the Redwoods is a public school with a small student population.

College of the Redwoods undergraduate students pay an average of $1,147 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at College of the Redwoods

#10

College of the Desert

Palm Desert, CA

With a ranking of #10, College of the Desert did quite well on this year’s best value schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Located in the small city of Palm Desert, College of the Desert is a public school with a fairly large student population.

College of the Desert undergraduate students pay an average of $1,326 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at College of the Desert

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

Explore all the Best Value 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.

  • 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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