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Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools in California

2023 Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools in California

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

22 Colleges
$1,352 Avg Tuition & Fees*

Finding the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate 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 Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Trade College Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 22 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value basic certificate programs for practical nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

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 Basic Certificate Schools in California

Check out the practical nursing basic certificate programs at these schools if you want to get the best value for your educational dollar.

Top 10 Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools

#1

Butte College

Oroville, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Butte College the best value school in California for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their basic certificate. Located in the rural area of Oroville, Butte College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.

Butte College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,336 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Butte College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list.

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

#2

Merced College

Merced, CA

The excellent basic certificate programs at Merced College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best value practical nursing & nursing assistants schools in California. Located in the city of Merced, Merced Community College District is a public college with a fairly large student population.

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

Merced Community College District did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list.

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#3

College of the Sequoias

Visalia, CA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means College of the Sequoias is a great value for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their basic certificate. Located in the medium-sized city of Visalia, College of the Sequoias is a public college with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at College of the Sequoias are $1,394 a year.

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#4

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Santa Rosa Junior College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Located in the midsize city of Santa Rosa, SRJC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SRJC are $1,318 a year.

On top of its placing in our value ranking, SRJC also did well on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Santa Rosa Junior College

#5

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA

The excellent basic certificate programs at Cuesta College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best value practical nursing & nursing assistants schools in California. Located in the small 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.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Cuesta College Report

#6

Riverside City College

Riverside, CA

With a ranking of #6, Riverside City College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their basic certificate. Riverside City College is a fairly 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.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Riverside City College Report

#7

Modesto Junior College

Modesto, CA

Modesto Junior College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools in California list. MJC is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Modesto.

MJC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,276 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Modesto Junior College

#8

American River College

Sacramento, CA

American River College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. American River is a fairly large public school located in the large suburb of Sacramento.

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#9

Bakersfield College

Bakersfield, CA

Bakersfield College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for practical nursing & nursing assistants students to get a basic certificate. It came in at #9 on the list. Bakersfield College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Bakersfield.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Bakersfield College are $1,430 a year.

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

#10

Reedley College

Reedley, CA

Reedley College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. Located in the town of Reedley, Reedley College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Reedley College are $1,330 a year.

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

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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