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Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California

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

Highlighting Quality Schools With More Affordable Pricing

65 Colleges
$2,640 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$36,677 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Undergraduate 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.

To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Trade College Search has created its Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. Our analysis looked at 65 schools in California to see which undergraduate certificate 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 Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California

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

Top 10 Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Undergraduate Certificate Schools

#1

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA

Our 2023 rankings named Cuesta College the best value school in California for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their undergraduate certificate. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cuesta College is a public college with a medium-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 #2 for overall quality for practical nursing in California.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Cuesta College Report

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Napa Valley College. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Undergraduate Certificate 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.

In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Napa Valley College is ranked #3 for overall quality for practical nursing in California.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Napa Valley College Report

#3

Riverside City College

Riverside, CA

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Riverside City College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California list. 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. The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at Riverside City College take out while working on their Undergraduate Certificate is $9,925.

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#4

Sacramento City College

Sacramento, CA

Out of the 65 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Sacramento City College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Located in the large city of Sacramento, Sacramento City is a public school with a fairly large student population.

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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend College of the Redwoods. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California list. College of the Redwoods is a small public school located in the rural area of Eureka.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at College of the Redwoods are $1,147 per year.

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

#6

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 undergraduate certificate. It came in at #6 on the list. Bakersfield College is a very large public school located in the city of Bakersfield.

Bakersfield College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,430 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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

#7

College of the Desert

Palm Desert, CA

College of the Desert came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. College of the Desert is a 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.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at College of the Desert Report

#8

Reedley College

Reedley, CA

Reedley College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value undergraduate certificate practical nursing & nursing assistants programs. Located in the distant town of Reedley, Reedley College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

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

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Reedley College Report

#9

Rio Hondo College

Whittier, CA

Rio Hondo College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value undergraduate certificate practical nursing & nursing assistants programs. RHCCD is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Whittier.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at RHCCD are $1,388 per year.

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#10

Pasadena City College

Pasadena, CA

Pasadena City College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized city of Pasadena, Pasadena City College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Pasadena City College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,172 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Pasadena City College Report

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Undergraduate Certificate Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
11 Shasta College Redding, CA
12 Antelope Valley College Lancaster, CA
13 Mission College Santa Clara, CA

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 65 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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