2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region
Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You
Nursing is the most popular major in the United States with 26,717 degrees and certificates handed out in 2020-2021.
There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which nursing program is right for you. You can choose a traditional brick and mortar school, or with the growth of online education, you can attend a school half-way across the country without even leaving your house. Also there are many trade schools that offer short-term programs that open up more career options.
The Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 118 schools in the Far Western US Region to see which associate degree programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students. To come up with a school's ranking, we analyzed numerous factors related to post-graduation wages, the quality of education offered by the school, average accumulated student debt, and more.
View our full ranking methodology.
2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region
The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a associate degree.
Top 15% Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts the best school in the Far Western US Region for nursing students working on their associate degree. Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a small private for-profit school located in the city of San Mateo.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts take out while working on their Associate Degree is $20,947.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Stanbridge University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the large city of Irvine, Stanbridge is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
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You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. L.A. County School of Nursing is a small public school located in the city of Los Angeles.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from L.A. County School of Nursing carry an average student debtload of $21,695.
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Out of the 118 schools in the Far Western US Region that were part of this year’s ranking, Unitek College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Unitek College is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Fremont.
On average, nursing graduates from Unitek College take out $26,043 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Merced College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the city of Merced, Merced Community College District is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Merced Community College District carry an average student debtload of $12,152.
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Columbia Gorge Community College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Columbia Gorge Community College is a fairly small public school located in the town of The Dalles.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Columbia Gorge Community College carry an average student debtload of $29,728.
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Modesto Junior College ranked #7 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. MJC is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Modesto.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at MJC accumulate an average of around $16,015 in student debt.
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Glendale Career College - Brightwood-Teachout did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Glendale Career College - Brightwood-Teachout is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of San-Diego.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Glendale Career College - Brightwood-Teachout take out while working on their Associate Degree is $33,520.
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Pacific Union College came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. PUC is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the rural area of Angwin.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at PUC take out while working on their Associate Degree is $29,980. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $222.
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Butte College landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Located in the rural area of Oroville, Butte College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Butte College carry an average student debtload of $19,826.
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Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, MSMU is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from MSMU carry an average student debtload of $24,268. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $187, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
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San Joaquin Delta College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #12 on the list. Located in the large city of Stockton, Delta is a public college with a large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Delta take out $15,248 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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Cabrillo College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best associate degree nursing programs. Cabrillo College is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize suburb of Aptos.
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Carrington College, Reno came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Carrington College, Reno is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Reno.
On average, nursing graduates from Carrington College, Reno take out $30,485 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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With a ranking of #15, Cuesta College did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cuesta College is a public college with a medium-sized student population.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Cuesta College carry an average student debtload of $14,937.
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West Hills College-Lemoore came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the rural area of Lemoore, West Hills College-Lemoore is a public school with a small student population.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at West Hills College-Lemoore accumulate an average of around $15,061 in student debt.
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Yuba College ranked #17 on this year’s Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Yuba College is a moderately-sized public school located in the midsize suburb of Marysville.
On average, nursing graduates from Yuba College take out $11,836 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Santa Rosa Junior College | Santa Rosa, CA |
| 19 | Sumner College | Portland, OR |
| 20 | Sacramento City College | Sacramento, CA |
| 21 | Santa Barbara City College | Santa Barbara, CA |
| 22 | Ventura College | Ventura, CA |
| 23 | Oregon Coast Community College | Newport, OR |
Best Nursing Colleges by State
Explore the best nursing schools for a specific state in the Far Western US region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 3,851 |
| California | 18,329 |
| Nevada | 2,015 |
| Alaska | 177 |
| Hawaii | 535 |
| Oregon | 1,502 |
More Nursing Rankings in the Far Western US Region
Rankings in Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing Concentrations
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | 266,651 |
| Family Practice Nurse/Nursing | 16,104 |
| Nursing Administration | 9,838 |
| Nursing Practice | 7,992 |
| Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 5,092 |
| Nursing Science | 4,600 |
| Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing | 2,287 |
| Adult Health Nurse/Nursing | 2,021 |
| Nurse Anesthetist | 1,936 |
| Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing | 1,883 |
| Critical Care Nursing | 773 |
| Geriatric Nurse/Nursing | 563 |
| School Nursing | 553 |
| Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery | 509 |
| Clinical Nurse Leader | 444 |
| Clinical Nurse Specialist | 419 |
| Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing | 331 |
| Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing | 181 |
| Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing | 57 |
| Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing | 53 |
| Palliative Care Nursing | 14 |
| Forensic Nursing | 14 |
Majors Similar to Nursing
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
Notes and References
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
- Read more about our ranking methodology.
- 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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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