2023 Best Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in California
When it comes to higher education, there are a lot of options for healthcare students. As online education oppotunities continue to grow, you're not restricted to just schools in your local area anymore. Even some of the 'big name' schools are offering online courses. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools and bootcamp that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Healthcare Degree Search has created the Best Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. Our analysis looked at 74 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.
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Top Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in California
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our analysis found Merced College to be the best school for healthcare students who want to pursue a associate degree in California.
In-state students pay an average of $1,180 in tuition and fees if they attend Merced Community College District full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $7,444. Associate Degree recipients from Merced Community College District accumulate an average of $10,503 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Merced Community College District does offer online classes in some areas. During the 2019-2020 year, about 97% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend West Hills College-Lemoore. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in California list.
Associate Degree recipients from West Hills College-Lemoore accumulate an average of $13,643 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Some students may be able to take online classes at West Hills College-Lemoore. During the 2019-2020 year, about 98% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
The excellent associate degree programs at Canada College helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best healthcare schools in California.
In-state students pay an average of $1,362 in tuition and fees if they attend Canada College full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $9,006. Associate Degree recipients from Canada College accumulate an average of $13,439 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Mendocino College is a great place for healthcare students working on their associate degree.
Students from California who attend Mendocino College full time pay an average of $1,423 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $8,443. On average, associate degree students take out $20,626 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at Mendocino College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 98% took at least some of their classes online.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Foothill College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in California list.
Students from California who attend Foothill College full time pay an average of $1,565 in tuition and fees. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $10,790. Associate Degree recipients from Foothill College accumulate an average of $10,391 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Foothill College. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 83% of undergraduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #6, Cuesta College did quite well on this year’s best schools for healthcare students working on their associate degree.
In-state students pay an average of $1,338 in tuition and fees if they attend Cuesta College full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $8,702. Associate Degree recipients from Cuesta College accumulate an average of $10,466 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Cuesta College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 96% took at least some of their classes online.
Pacific Union College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for healthcare students to get an associate degree. It came in at #7 on the list.
If you don’t receive financial aid, you can expect a bill for $32,103 to cover tuition and fees at PUC. The school does not offer an in-state discount. On average, associate degree students take out $28,513 in loans while pursuing their degree.
PUC does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 95% took at least some of their classes online.
Santa Barbara City College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in California ranking.
In-state students pay an average of $1,232 in tuition and fees if they attend SBCC full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $8,912. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $21,459 in student loans.
Depending on your major, you may be able to take online classes at SBCC. In fact, around 59% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Mount Saint Mary’s University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in California ranking.
The average tuition and fees at MSMU is $45,388. In-state students do not receive a discount, however you may be able to reduce your price if you receive financial aid. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $24,268 in student loans.
MSMU does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. During the 2019-2020 year, about 100% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
San Joaquin Delta College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for healthcare students to get an associate degree. It came in at #10 on the list.
By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $12,761 in student loans.
Delta does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 100% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
With a ranking of #11, Cabrillo College did quite well on this year’s best schools for healthcare students working on their associate degree.
Students from California who attend Cabrillo College full time pay an average of $1,262 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $8,630.
Online courses are available at Cabrillo College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. In fact, around 53% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Butte College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for healthcare students to get an associate degree. It came in at #12 on the list.
In-state students pay an average of $1,368 in tuition and fees if they attend Butte College full time. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $7,848. On average, associate degree students take out $16,685 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Butte College. In fact, around 33% of the undergraduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.
Gavilan College came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in California ranking.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Gavilan College is $1,166. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $7,214. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $13,308 in student loans.
Gavilan College does offer online classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 80% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Modesto Junior College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for healthcare students to get an associate degree. It came in at #14 on the list.
Students from California who attend MJC full time pay an average of $1,274 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $8,550. On average, associate degree students take out $11,121 in loans while pursuing their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at MJC. During the 2019-2020 year, about 84% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Saddleback College landed the #15 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree healthcare programs.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Saddleback College is $1,332. Out-of-state students pay an average of $10,292.
One thing to take note of is that Saddleback College does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 89% took at least some of their classes online.
Yuba College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in California ranking.
Students from California who attend Yuba College full time pay an average of $1,128 in tuition and fees. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $7,488. On average, associate degree students take out $9,195 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Yuba College does have options available for those who want to take online classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In 2019-2020 about 39% of the undergraduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.
Mt. San Antonio College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in California list.
In-state students pay an average of $1,352 in tuition and fees if they attend Mt. SAC full time. Out-of-state students pay an average of $10,032. On average, associate degree students take out $10,559 in loans while pursuing their degree.
One thing to take note of is that Mt. SAC does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 69% took at least some of their classes online.
Santa Rosa Junior College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for healthcare students to get an associate degree. It came in at #18 on the list.
Full-time students from California pay an average of $1,328 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend SRJC. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $8,952. Associate Degree recipients from SRJC accumulate an average of $12,716 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since SRJC does offer online classes for certain majors. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 70% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #19, Napa Valley College did quite well on this year’s best schools for healthcare students working on their associate degree.
Full-time students from California pay an average of $1,150 in tuition and fees if they choose to attend Napa Valley College. Those students who come from outside the state pay an average of $8,734. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $12,735 in student loans.
Online courses are available at Napa Valley College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 93% took at least some of their classes online.
Sacramento City College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for healthcare students to get an associate degree. It came in at #20 on the list.
On average, associate degree students take out $14,875 in loans while pursuing their degree.
Online courses are available at Sacramento City, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2019-2020 year, about 62% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
American River College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for healthcare students to get an associate degree. It came in at #21 on the list.
Associate Degree recipients from American River accumulate an average of $14,093 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
Online courses are available at American River, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. During the 2019-2020 year, about 62% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
Fresno City College landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree healthcare programs.
In-state students pay an average of $1,304 in tuition and fees if they attend Fresno City College full time. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $8,504. Associate Degree recipients from Fresno City College accumulate an average of $8,252 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
You may have the opportunity to take online classes at Fresno City College. During the 2019-2020 year, about 37% of the undergraduates at the school took at least one online course.
West Hills College-Coalinga came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in California ranking.
Associate Degree recipients from West Hills College-Coalinga accumulate an average of $12,901 in student debt by the time they complete their degree.
One thing to take note of is that West Hills College-Coalinga does offer online classes in some areas. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 99% took at least some of their classes online.
With a ranking of #24, Ventura College did quite well on this year’s best schools for healthcare students working on their associate degree.
The average in-state tuition and fees for students at Ventura College is $1,394. If you are from out of state, expect to pay an average of $7,398. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $14,425 in student loans.
Online courses are available at Ventura College, but you will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your field of interest. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 79% took at least some of their classes online.
Riverside City College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for healthcare students to get an associate degree. It came in at #25 on the list.
Students from California who attend Riverside City College full time pay an average of $1,420 in tuition and fees. Out-of-state students pay an average of $10,120. By the time they get their associate degree, students from this school have racked up an average of $10,247 in student loans.
Some students may be able to take online classes at Riverside City College. Of all the undergraduates enrolled at the school during the 2019-2020 academic year, around 37% took at least some of their classes online.
Best Healthcare Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region
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Notes and References
Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
References
- 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 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).
- Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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