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Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California

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2023 Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California

Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices

76 Colleges
$2,537 Avg Tuition & Fees*
$40,752 Avg Salary

Finding the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 76 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value 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.

2023 Best Value Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California

The following schools top our list of the Best Value Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Colleges.

Top 15% Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools

#1

Merced College

Merced, CA
$1,180 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named Merced College the best value school in California for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. Merced Community College District is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Merced.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Merced Community College District are $1,180 a year.

As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Merced Community College District also is in the top 15% of our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California ranking.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Merced College Report

#2

Butte College

Oroville, CA
$1,368 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Butte College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California list. Butte College is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of Oroville.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Butte College are $1,368 a year.

Read More…

#3

Cuesta College

San Luis Obispo, CA
$1,338 Average Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Cuesta College. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California list. Cuesta College is a medium-sized public school located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cuesta College are $1,338 a year.

Read More…

#4

College of the Sequoias

Visalia, CA
$1,394 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at College of the Sequoias helped the school earn the #4 place on this year’s ranking of the best practical nursing and nursing assistants schools in California. College of the Sequoias is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Visalia.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at College of the Sequoias are $1,394 per year.

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

#5

Santa Rosa Junior College

Santa Rosa, CA
$1,328 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent programs at Santa Rosa Junior College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best practical nursing and nursing assistants schools in California. SRJC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Santa Rosa.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SRJC are $1,328 per year.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Santa Rosa Junior College Report

$1,150 Average Tuition & Fees

Napa Valley College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value practical nursing and nursing assistants programs. Located in the small city of Napa, Napa Valley College is a public school with a small student population.

Napa Valley College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,150 in in-state tuition and fees each year.

Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Napa Valley College

#7

Sacramento City College

Sacramento, CA

Sacramento City College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best value schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. It came in at #7 on the list. Sacramento City is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Sacramento City College Report

#8

Santa Barbara City College

Santa Barbara, CA
$1,232 Average Tuition & Fees

Santa Barbara City College came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California ranking. SBCC is a large public school located in the small city of Santa Barbara.

In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SBCC are $1,232 per year.

Read More…

#9

Riverside City College

Riverside, CA
$1,420 Average Tuition & Fees

With a ranking of #9, Riverside City College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for practical nursing and nursing assistants students. Located in the city of Riverside, Riverside City College is a public school with a large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Riverside City College are $1,420 a year. After completing their degree, practical nursing graduates from Riverside City College carry an average student debtload of $9,750.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Riverside City College Report

#10

Modesto Junior College

Modesto, CA
$1,274 Average Tuition & Fees

Modesto Junior College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value practical nursing and nursing assistants programs. Located in the city of Modesto, MJC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at MJC are $1,274 a year. While working on their degree, practical nursing majors at MJC accumulate an average of around $8,407 in student debt.

MJC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California list.

Read More…

#11

American River College

Sacramento, CA

American River College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value practical nursing and nursing assistants programs. Located in the large suburb of Sacramento, American River is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Full Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at American River College Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

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 Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
12 College of the Redwoods Eureka, CA
13 Imperial Valley College Imperial, CA
14 College of the Desert Palm Desert, CA
15 Bakersfield College Bakersfield, 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 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 25 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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