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Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools in California

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2023 Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

22 Colleges
$1,324 Avg Tuition & Fees*

Finding the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic 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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Healthcare Degree Search has created its Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 22 schools in California to see which basic certificate programs offered the best value experiences for practical nursing students with the aim of identifying those quality schools that are more affordable than some of their counterparts.

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.

Top 10 Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools

#1

Butte College

Oroville, CA

Our analysis found Butte College to be the best value school for practical nursing and nursing assistants students who want to pursue a basic certificate in California. Butte College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Oroville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Butte College are $1,368 per year.

Butte College also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

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#2

Merced College

Merced, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Merced College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Merced Community College District is a moderately-sized public school located in the small city of Merced.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Merced Community College District are $1,180 a 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 #3 for overall quality for practical nursing in California.

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#3

College of the Sequoias

Visalia, CA

The excellent basic certificate programs at College of the Sequoias helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best value practical nursing and nursing assistants schools in California. College of the Sequoias is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Visalia.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at College of the Sequoias are $1,394 a year.

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#4

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, CA

The excellent basic certificate programs at Santa Rosa Junior College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value practical nursing and nursing assistants schools in California. SRJC is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Santa Rosa.

SRJC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,328 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

SRJC also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

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#5

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA

Out of the 22 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Cuesta College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Cuesta College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cuesta College are $1,338 per year.

Cuesta College also took the #5 spot in our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools in California rankings.

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#6

Riverside City College

Riverside, CA

Riverside City College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. Located in the city of Riverside, Riverside City College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Riverside City College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,420 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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#7

Modesto Junior College

Modesto, CA

Modesto Junior College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. Located in the midsize city of Modesto, MJC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MJC are $1,274 per year.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Modesto Junior College Report

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#8

American River College

Sacramento, CA

American River College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Located in the large suburb of Sacramento, American River is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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#9

Bakersfield College

Bakersfield, CA

With a ranking of #9, Bakersfield College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their basic certificate. Located in the city of Bakersfield, Bakersfield College is a public college with a very large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bakersfield College are $1,430 per year.

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

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#10

Reedley College

Reedley, CA

Reedley College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for practical nursing and nursing assistants students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #10 on the list. Reedley College is a medium-sized public school located in the distant town of Reedley.

Reedley College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,304 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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

Explore all the Best Value Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Colleges 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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