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Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California

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2023 Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

76 Colleges
$2,537 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$40,752 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 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 Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 76 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value 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.

Top 15% Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools

#1

Merced College

Merced, CA
$1,180 Average Tuition & Fees

Our analysis found Merced College to be the best value school for practical nursing and nursing assistants students who want to pursue a degree in California. Merced Community College District is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Merced.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Merced Community College District are $1,180 per year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Merced Community College District also is in the top 5% of our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California ranking.

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#2

Butte College

Oroville, CA

The excellent programs at Butte College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best practical nursing and nursing assistants schools in California. Butte College is a medium-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.

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#3

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA
$1,338 Average Tuition & Fees

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Cuesta College is a great value for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. Cuesta College is a moderately-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.

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

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#4

College of the Sequoias

Visalia, CA
$1,394 Average Tuition & Fees

Out of the 76 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, College of the Sequoias landed the # 4 spot on the list. College of the Sequoias is a large public school located in the city of Visalia.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at College of the Sequoias are $1,394 per year.

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#5

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, CA
$1,328 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Santa Rosa Junior College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California list. SRJC is a fairly 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.

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$1,150 Average Tuition & Fees

Napa Valley College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California ranking. Located in the small city of Napa, Napa Valley College is a public college with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Napa Valley College are $1,150 a year.

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#7

Sacramento City College

Sacramento, CA

Sacramento City College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California ranking. Sacramento City is a large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.

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#8

Santa Barbara City College

Santa Barbara, CA
$1,232 Average Tuition & Fees

Santa Barbara City College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California list. 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.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, SBCC also is in the top 20% of our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California ranking.

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#9

Riverside City College

Riverside, CA
$1,420 Average Tuition & Fees

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

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Riverside City College are $1,420 per year. While working on their degree, practical nursing majors at Riverside City College accumulate an average of around $9,750 in student debt.

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#10

Modesto Junior College

Modesto, CA
$1,274 Average Tuition & Fees

Modesto Junior College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California list. Located in the city of Modesto, MJC is a public school with a large student population.

MJC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,274 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Practical Nursing majors at MJC take out an average of $8,407 in student loans while working on their egree.

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#11

American River College

Sacramento, CA

American River College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California ranking. Located in the suburb of Sacramento, American River is a public school with a very large student population.

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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 Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
12 College of the Redwoods Eureka, CA
13 Imperial Valley College Imperial, CA
14 College of the Desert Palm Desert, CA
15 Bakersfield College Bakersfield, CA

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 25 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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