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Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California

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.

Top 10 Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools

#1

Merced College

Merced, CA

Our analysis found Merced College to be the best value school for practical nursing & nursing assistants students who want to pursue a associate degree in California. Located in the small city of Merced, Merced Community College District is a public school with a large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Merced Community College District are $1,194 per year.

Merced Community College District also made our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Trade Schools in California list, coming in at #2.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Merced College Report

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#2

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Cuesta College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cuesta College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cuesta College are $1,340 per year.

Cuesta College also made our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Trade Schools in California list, coming in at #5.

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#3

Sacramento City College

Sacramento, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Sacramento City College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Sacramento, Sacramento City is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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#4

Riverside City College

Riverside, CA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Riverside City College is a great value for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. 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.

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#5

Santa Barbara City College

Santa Barbara, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Santa Barbara City College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Santa Barbara, SBCC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SBCC are $1,234 per 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

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#6

Butte College

Oroville, CA

With a ranking of #6, Butte College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. 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.

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Napa Valley College 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 #7 on the list. Napa Valley College is a small public school located in the city of Napa.

Napa Valley College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,156 in in-state tuition and fees each 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

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#8

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, CA

With a ranking of #8, Santa Rosa Junior College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Located in the medium-sized city of Santa Rosa, SRJC is a public college with a large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SRJC are $1,318 per year.

In addition to its great value ranking, SRJC is in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Trade Schools in California list.

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With a ranking of #9, College of the Redwoods did quite well on this year’s best value schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. College of the Redwoods is a small public school located in the rural area of Eureka.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at College of the Redwoods are $1,147 a year.

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#10

College of the Desert

Palm Desert, CA

College of the Desert 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 #10 on the list. College of the Desert is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Palm Desert.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at College of the Desert are $1,326 a year.

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

Explore all the Best Value Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Colleges 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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