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Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California

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2023 Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California

42 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Healthcare Degree Search has developed this Most Popular Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 42 schools in California to see which ones were the most popular associate degree programs for healthcare students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants program at each school on the list.

Check out the practical nursing associate degree programs at these schools if you want to attend one of the most popular in California.

#1

Unitek College

Fremont, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Unitek College the most popular school in California for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Located in the suburb of Fremont, Unitek College is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

Women make up 82% of the practical nursing majors at the school.

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.

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

The in-demand associate degree programs at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular practical nursing and nursing assistants schools in California. Located in the medium-sized city of San Mateo, Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Of the 152 students majoring in practical nursing at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts, 9% are male and 91% are female.

On average, practical nursing graduates from Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts take out $18,804 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts Report

A rank of #3 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.

Of the 139 students majoring in practical nursing at Carrington College, Sacramento, 8% are male and 92% are female.

Practical Nursing majors at Carrington College, Sacramento take out an average of $31,342 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Carrington College, Sacramento

#4

Pacific College

Costa Mesa, CA

The in-demand associate degree programs at Pacific College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular practical nursing and nursing assistants schools in California. Pacific College is a small private for-profit school located in the midsize city of Costa Mesa.

Of the 75 students majoring in practical nursing at Pacific College, 4% are male and 96% are female.

On average, practical nursing graduates from Pacific College take out $20,773 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Pacific College Report

#5

Long Beach City College

Long Beach, CA

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

Of the 35 students majoring in practical nursing at Long Beach City College, 14% are male and 86% are female.

Read More…

#6

Citrus College

Glendora, CA

Citrus College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree practical nursing and nursing assistants programs. Citrus College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Glendora.

Of the 32 students majoring in practical nursing at Citrus College, 9% are male and 91% are female.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Citrus College Report

#7

Riverside City College

Riverside, CA

With a ranking of #7, Riverside City College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Located in the large city of Riverside, Riverside City College is a public school with a large student population.

Women make up 97% of the practical nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Associate Degree, practical nursing majors at Riverside City College accumulate an average of around $7,686 in student debt.

Read More…

#8

Southwestern College

Chula Vista, CA

Southwestern College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for practical nursing and nursing assistants students to get a associate degree. It came in at #8 on the list. SWC Chula Vista is a large public school located in the city of Chula Vista.

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San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for practical nursing and nursing assistants students to get a associate degree. It came in at #8 on the list. San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia is a small private for-profit school located in the rural area of Visalia.

About 86% of the students majoring in practical nursing at the school are women while 14% are male.

Practical Nursing majors at San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia take out an average of $22,435 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia Report

#10

Allan Hancock College

Santa Maria, CA

Allan Hancock College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree practical nursing and nursing assistants programs. Allan Hancock College is a medium-sized public school located in the medium-sized city of Santa Maria.

Of the 27 students majoring in practical nursing at Allan Hancock College, 4% are male and 96% are female.

Read More…

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

Explore all the Most Popular 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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