2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in California
Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing
Finding the Best Nursing 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 Value Nursing 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 124 schools in California to see which 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.
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2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in California
Check out the nursing programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.
Top 15% Best Nursing Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Merced College the best value school in California for nursing students. Located in the small city of Merced, Merced Community College District is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Merced Community College District are $1,180 a year. Nursing majors at Merced Community College District take out an average of $11,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
Merced Community College District also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Schools in California list. It’s in the top 5% of all schools in this category.
The excellent programs at Modesto Junior College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in California. MJC is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Modesto.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at MJC are $1,274 a year.
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 Schools in California list. Located in the rural area of Oroville, Butte College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Butte College are $1,368 per year. On average, nursing graduates from Butte College take out $16,161 in student loans while working on their degree.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Joaquin Delta College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Stockton, Delta is a public school with a fairly large student population.
Delta undergraduate students pay an average of $1,288 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Cabrillo College is a great value for nursing students. Cabrillo College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of Aptos.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cabrillo College are $1,262 a year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Cabrillo College accumulate an average of around $14,500 in student debt.
With a ranking of #6, Cuesta College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cuesta College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
Cuesta College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,338 in in-state tuition and fees each year.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Cuesta College also is in the top 15% of our Best Nursing Schools in California ranking.
West Hills College-Lemoore landed the #7 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the rural area of Lemoore, West Hills College-Lemoore is a public college with a small student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at West Hills College-Lemoore are $1,380 per year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at West Hills College-Lemoore accumulate an average of around $14,000 in student debt.
West Hills College-Lemoore also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Yuba College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in California ranking. 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. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Yuba College accumulate an average of around $10,000 in student debt.
Santa Rosa Junior College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in California list. Located in the city of Santa Rosa, SRJC is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SRJC are $1,328 a year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from SRJC carry an average student debtload of $13,916.
Sacramento City College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of Sacramento, Sacramento City is a public college with a large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Sacramento City accumulate an average of around $11,277 in student debt.
Santa Barbara City College came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in California ranking. Located in the small city of Santa Barbara, SBCC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SBCC are $1,232 a year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at SBCC accumulate an average of around $16,823 in student debt.
SBCC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing Schools in California list.
Ventura College came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in California ranking. Ventura College is a large public school located in the city of Ventura.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Ventura College are $1,394 a year. On average, nursing graduates from Ventura College take out $16,953 in student loans while working on their degree.
With a ranking of #13, Mt. San Antonio College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Mt. SAC is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Walnut.
Mt. SAC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,352 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Mt. SAC carry an average student debtload of $14,500.
With a ranking of #14, Glendale Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Located in the midsize city of Glendale, GCC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
GCC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,171 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at GCC take out is $16,304.
Fresno City College ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno City College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Fresno City College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,304 in in-state tuition and fees each year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Fresno City College accumulate an average of around $8,500 in student debt.
Riverside City College ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in California list. Riverside City College is a large public school located in the large city of Riverside.
Riverside City College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,420 in in-state tuition and fees each year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Riverside City College take out is $12,500.
With a ranking of #17, College of the Sequoias did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Located in the midsize city of Visalia, College of the Sequoias is a public school with a large student population.
College of the Sequoias undergraduate students pay an average of $1,394 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from College of the Sequoias carry an average student debtload of $13,060.
American River College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in California list. American River is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Sacramento.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at American River accumulate an average of around $20,779 in student debt.
Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great value schools for Nursing students in the state of California seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Nursing Schools in California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | College of the Canyons | Santa Clarita, CA |
| 20 | Mendocino College | Ukiah, CA |
| 21 | College of the Desert | Palm Desert, CA |
| 22 | Moorpark College | Moorpark, CA |
| 23 | Napa Valley College | Napa, CA |
| 24 | Bakersfield College | Bakersfield, 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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