2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California
Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in California with 18,329 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which healthcare program is right for you. 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 Associate Degree 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 69 schools in California to see which associate degree 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 Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California
Check out the nursing associate degree programs at these schools if you want to get the best education that money can buy.
Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Our analysis found Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in California. Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a small private for-profit school located in the city of San Mateo.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts accumulate an average of around $20,947 in student debt.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanbridge University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Irvine, Stanbridge is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
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The excellent associate degree programs at Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in California. L.A. County School of Nursing is a fairly small public school located in the city of Los Angeles.
Nursing majors at L.A. County School of Nursing take out an average of $21,695 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Unitek College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. Unitek College is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Fremont.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Unitek College carry an average student debtload of $26,043.
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Out of the 69 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Merced College landed the # 5 spot on the list. Located in the city of Merced, Merced Community College District is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
Nursing majors at Merced Community College District take out an average of $12,152 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Modesto Junior College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. MJC is a large public school located in the midsize city of Modesto.
On average, nursing graduates from MJC take out $16,015 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Glendale Career College - Brightwood-Teachout did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list. Glendale Career College - Brightwood-Teachout is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the large city of San-Diego.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Glendale Career College - Brightwood-Teachout accumulate an average of around $33,520 in student debt.
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Pacific Union College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. PUC is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Angwin.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at PUC accumulate an average of around $29,980 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $222, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
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With a ranking of #9, Butte College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the rural area of Oroville, Butte College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
Nursing majors at Butte College take out an average of $19,826 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Mount Saint Mary’s University landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, MSMU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Nursing majors at MSMU take out an average of $24,268 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $187.
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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 Associate Degree Schools in California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | San Joaquin Delta College | Stockton, CA |
| 12 | Cabrillo College | Aptos, CA |
| 13 | Cuesta College | San Luis Obispo, CA |
Best Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Oregon | 1,502 |
| Washington | 3,851 |
| Nevada | 2,015 |
| Hawaii | 535 |
| Alaska | 177 |
More Nursing Rankings in California
Rankings in Majors Related to Nursing
One of 30 majors within the healthcare area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.
Nursing Concentrations
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | 266,651 |
| Family Practice Nurse/Nursing | 16,104 |
| Nursing Administration | 9,838 |
| Nursing Practice | 7,992 |
| Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 5,092 |
| Nursing Science | 4,600 |
| Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing | 2,287 |
| Adult Health Nurse/Nursing | 2,021 |
| Nurse Anesthetist | 1,936 |
| Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing | 1,883 |
| Critical Care Nursing | 773 |
| Geriatric Nurse/Nursing | 563 |
| School Nursing | 553 |
| Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery | 509 |
| Clinical Nurse Leader | 444 |
| Clinical Nurse Specialist | 419 |
| Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing | 331 |
| Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing | 181 |
| Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing | 57 |
| Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing | 53 |
| Palliative Care Nursing | 14 |
| Forensic Nursing | 14 |
Most Popular Related Majors
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Health & Medical Administrative Services | 89,359 |
| Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services | 84,492 |
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
| 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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