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Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California

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2023 Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

22 Colleges
$1,303 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$41,121 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree School for You

Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants is one of the most popular subjects to study in California. With 8,037 degrees and certificates handed out in 2021-2022, it ranked 3rd out of all the majors we track in the state.

It's not easy to decide which trade school program to enroll in when you have so many options available. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country.

The Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Trade College Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 22 schools in California to see which associate degree programs offered the best value experiences for practical 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.

2023 Best Value Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Colleges.

Top 10 Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools

#1

Merced College

Merced, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Merced College the best value school in California for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Merced, Merced Community College District is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Merced Community College District are $1,194 a year.

Merced Community College District did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Trade Schools in California list.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Merced College

#2

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA

Out of the 22 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Cuesta College landed the # 2 spot on the list. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cuesta College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

Cuesta College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,340 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Cuesta College is ranked #5 for overall quality for practical nursing in California.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Cuesta College

#3

Sacramento City College

Sacramento, CA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Sacramento City College is a great value for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Sacramento, Sacramento City is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Sacramento City College

#4

Riverside City College

Riverside, CA

Out of the 22 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Riverside City College landed the # 4 spot on the 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.

Read More…

#5

Santa Barbara City College

Santa Barbara, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Santa Barbara City College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the small city of Santa Barbara, SBCC is a public school with a large student population.

SBCC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,234 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

SBCC not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Trade Schools in California list.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Santa Barbara City College Report

#6

Butte College

Oroville, CA

Butte College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the rural area of Oroville, Butte College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Butte College are $1,336 per year. The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at Butte College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $12,426.

Read More…

Napa Valley College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California list. Napa Valley College is a small public school located in the small city of Napa.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Napa Valley College are $1,156 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, Napa Valley College also did well on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Trade Schools in California list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Napa Valley College Report

#8

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, CA

Santa Rosa Junior College ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized city of Santa Rosa, SRJC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

SRJC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,318 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, SRJC also is in the top 20% of our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Trade Schools in California ranking.

Read More…

College of the Redwoods did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for practical nursing & nursing assistants students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. College of the Redwoods is a small public school located in the rural area of Eureka.

College of the Redwoods undergraduate students pay an average of $1,147 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at College of the Redwoods

#10

College of the Desert

Palm Desert, CA

College of the Desert came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. College of the Desert is a fairly large public school located in the city of Palm Desert.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at College of the Desert are $1,326 per year.

Read More…

Best Value Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Value Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Degrees Awarded
Washington 649
Oregon 409
Nevada 622
Alaska 22
Hawaii 96

One of 11 majors within the trade school area of study, practical nursing & nursing assistants has other similar majors worth exploring.

Practical Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training 45,031
Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant/Aide 35,655
Other Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants 4,653

Majors Similar to Practical Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health & Medical Administrative Services 88,600
Allied Health Professions 83,905
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 83,587
Health Sciences & Services 36,762
Mental & Social Health Services 30,331

Notes and References

*These averages are for the top 22 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).

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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