2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
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.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Healthcare Degree Search has created its Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 69 schools in California to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for 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. Specifically, our score for quality is discounted by the published tuition and fees charged by the given college. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The more quality your dollar buys, the better the value.
In our regional and nationwide rankings, out-of-state tution and fees are used in our calculations. For statewide rankings, we use average in-state tuition and fees.
Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Merced College the best value school in California for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the small city of Merced, Merced Community College District is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Merced Community College District are $1,180 per year. Nursing majors at Merced Community College District take out an average of $12,152 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Merced Community College District did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #1 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Modesto Junior College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. MJC is a large public school located in the midsize city of Modesto.
MJC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,274 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from MJC take out $16,015 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, MJC also did well on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Full Nursing at Modesto Junior College Report
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Butte College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the rural area of Oroville, Butte College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Butte College are $1,368 per year. Nursing majors at Butte College take out an average of $19,826 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Butte College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Joaquin Delta College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Stockton, Delta is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Delta undergraduate students pay an average of $1,288 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Delta carry an average student debtload of $15,248.
Delta excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Cabrillo College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. Cabrillo College is a moderately-sized public school located in the medium-sized suburb of Aptos.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cabrillo College are $1,262 a year.
In addition to its great value ranking, Cabrillo College is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list.
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Cuesta College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cuesta College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cuesta College are $1,338 a year. Nursing majors at Cuesta College take out an average of $14,937 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Cuesta College also is in the top 10% of our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California ranking.
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With a ranking of #7, West Hills College-Lemoore did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the rural area of Lemoore, West Hills College-Lemoore is a public college with a small student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at West Hills College-Lemoore are $1,380 a year. On average, nursing graduates from West Hills College-Lemoore take out $15,061 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
West Hills College-Lemoore did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list.
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With a ranking of #8, Yuba College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Yuba College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Marysville.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Yuba College are $1,128 a year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Yuba College carry an average student debtload of $11,836.
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Santa Rosa Junior College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Santa Rosa, SRJC is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SRJC are $1,328 per year. On average, nursing graduates from SRJC take out $16,223 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Full Nursing at Santa Rosa Junior College Report
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Sacramento City College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of Sacramento, Sacramento City is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Nursing majors at Sacramento City take out an average of $13,621 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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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 Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Santa Barbara City College | Santa Barbara, CA |
| 12 | Ventura College | Ventura, CA |
| 13 | Mt. San Antonio College | Walnut, CA |
Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value 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
Nursing Related Majors for Nursing
One of 30 majors within the healthcare area of study, nursing has other similar majors worth exploring.
Nursing Concentrations
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.
- 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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