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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 analysis found Butte College to be the best value school for practical nursing & nursing assistants students who want to pursue a basic certificate in California. 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.

Butte College also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

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#2

Merced College

Merced, CA

A rank of #2 on this year’s list means Merced College is a great value for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their basic certificate. Located in the small city of Merced, Merced Community College District is a public college with a 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 also made our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list, coming in at #3.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Merced College Report

#3

College of the Sequoias

Visalia, CA

Out of the 22 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, College of the Sequoias landed the # 3 spot on the list. Located in the medium-sized city of Visalia, College of the Sequoias is a public school with a fairly large student population.

College of the Sequoias undergraduate students pay an average of $1,394 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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#4

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, CA

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Santa Rosa Junior College is a great value for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their basic certificate. Located in the city of Santa Rosa, SRJC is a public school with a large student population.

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

SRJC also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.

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

#5

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cuesta College. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Located in the small 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 Basic Certificate Trade Schools in California list, coming in at #5.

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

#6

Riverside City College

Riverside, CA

Riverside City 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 #6 on the list. Riverside City College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Riverside.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Riverside City College are $1,420 per year.

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

#7

Modesto Junior College

Modesto, CA

Modesto Junior College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. MJC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Modesto.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MJC are $1,276 per year.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Modesto Junior College Report

#8

American River College

Sacramento, CA

American River 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 #8 on the list. American River is a very large public school located in the suburb of Sacramento.

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#9

Bakersfield College

Bakersfield, CA

Bakersfield College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools in California ranking. Bakersfield College is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Bakersfield.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Bakersfield College are $1,430 per year.

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

#10

Reedley College

Reedley, CA

Reedley College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Basic Certificate Schools in California list. Located in the distant town of Reedley, Reedley College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.

Reedley College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,330 in in-state tuition and fees each 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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