Find Nursing Colleges

What Do You Want to Study?

Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California

Find Schools Near

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

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

22 Colleges
$2,201 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$41,222 Avg Salary

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

In 2020-2021, practical nursing and nursing assistants students earned 1,055 degrees and certificates from a California school, making the subject the 2nd in the state.

There are so many nursing programs in today's world that it can tough to figure out which one is the right one for you. You're no longer limited to schools in your local area, either, since online programs are becoming more prevalent. Or you may find the programs at a trade school to be a better alternative for you.

Along with in-depth profiles of schools and the programs they offer, Nursing Degree Search has created the Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California to help you in your search for the best school for you. This report analyzed 22 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for practical nursing students. The goal was to highlight schools with more affordable prices than others offering similar quality experiences.

This ranking is not just a list of inexpensive schools. We also consider each school's quality, since we believe a low-quality school may not be a 'bargain' at any price. More specifically, we discount our quality score by the published tuition and fees charged by a school. This gives the cost per unit of quality for each college. The value is determined by how much quality your dollar buys.

For nationwide and regional rankings, we use out-of-state tuition and fees in our calculations. Average in-state tuition and fees are used for our statewide rankings.

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 and nursing assistants students who want to pursue a associate degree in California. Merced Community College District is a medium-sized public school located in the city of Merced.

Merced Community College District undergraduate students pay an average of $1,180 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Merced Community College District also made our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California list, coming in at #1.

Read More…

Request Information
#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. Cuesta College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cuesta College are $1,338 per year.

Cuesta College excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California list.

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

Request Information
#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 and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Sacramento City is a fairly large public school located in the city of Sacramento.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Sacramento City College Report

Request Information
#4

Riverside City College

Riverside, CA

The excellent associate degree programs at Riverside City College helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best value practical nursing and nursing assistants schools in California. Located in the large city of Riverside, Riverside City College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Riverside City College are $1,420 per year. The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at Riverside City College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $7,686.

Read More…

Request Information
#5

Santa Barbara City College

Santa Barbara, CA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Santa Barbara City College is a great value for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. SBCC is a fairly large public school located in the small city of Santa Barbara.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SBCC are $1,232 a year.

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

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

Request Information
#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. Butte College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Oroville.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Butte College are $1,368 per year. The average amount in student loans that practical nursing majors at Butte College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $18,505.

Butte College did well in our overall quality rankings, too. It placed #4 on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California list.

Read More…

Request Information

Napa Valley College came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the small city of Napa, Napa Valley College is a public school with a small student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Napa Valley College are $1,150 a year.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Napa Valley College Report

Request Information
#8

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, CA

Santa Rosa Junior College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value associate degree practical nursing and nursing assistants programs. SRJC is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Santa Rosa.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SRJC are $1,328 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 Schools in California list.

Read More…

Request Information

College of the Redwoods did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for practical nursing and nursing assistants students to get a associate degree. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the rural area of Eureka, College of the Redwoods is a public college with a small student population.

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

Read More…

Request Information
#10

College of the Desert

Palm Desert, CA

With a ranking of #10, College of the Desert did quite well on this year’s best value schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students working on their associate degree. Located in the city of Palm Desert, College of the Desert is a public college with a large student population.

College of the Desert undergraduate students pay an average of $1,326 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

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

Request Information

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 113
Nevada 0

Practical Nursing Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training 44,900
Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant/Aide 34,557
Other Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants 4,817

Related Major Annual Graduates
Nursing 322,592

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.

Find Nursing Schools Near You

Our free matching tool for schools matches students with nursing schools across the U.S.