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Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in California

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2023 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in California

19 Colleges
$90,600 Avg Salary
$21,020 Avg Student Debt

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 Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 19 schools in California to see which ones were the most popular online programs for healthcare students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from schools with online programs.

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

#1

National University

La Jolla, CA

Our 2023 rankings named National University the most popular online school in California for nursing students. Located in the large city of La Jolla, National University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.

After completing their degree, nursing graduates from National University carry an average student debtload of $37,500. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $198, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at National University Report

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A rank of #2 on this year’s list means California State University - Dominguez Hills is a great place for nursing students pursuing an online degree. CSUDH is a large public school located in the small city of Carson.

Nursing majors at CSUDH take out an average of $17,500 in student loans while working on their egree.

Read full report on Nursing at California State University - Dominguez Hills

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#3

Brandman University

Irvine, CA

The excellent online programs at Brandman University helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in California. Brandman is a medium-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Irvine.

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Out of the 19 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts landed the # 4 spot on the list. Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of San Mateo.

On average, nursing graduates from Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts take out $18,603 in student loans while working on their degree.

Full Nursing at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts Report

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#5

Compton College

Compton, CA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Compton College is a great place for nursing students pursuing an online degree. Compton College is a small public school located in the large suburb of Compton.

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#6

United States University

San Diego, CA

United States University landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. USU is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of San Diego.

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With a ranking of #7, University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. USAHS is a moderately-sized private for-profit school located in the suburb of San Marcos.

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West Coast University - Orange County landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. West Coast University - Orange County is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Anaheim.

On average, nursing graduates from West Coast University - Orange County take out $38,146 in student loans while working on their degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $665.

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California State University - Fresno came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Online Nursing Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno State is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Fresno State take out is $16,500.

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Best Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular Nursing Schools 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

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

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 19 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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