Find Nursing Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region

Find Schools Near

2023 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region

93 Colleges
$64,238 Avg Salary
$28,730 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's 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.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Our analysis looked at 93 schools in the Far Western US Region to see which bachelor's 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 Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region

The colleges and universities below are the best for nursing majors pursuing a bachelor's degree.

Top 15% Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools

Our 2023 rankings named Samuel Merritt University the best school in the Far Western US Region for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Oakland, Samuel Merritt University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Samuel Merritt University carry an average student debtload of $28,570. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $551.

Read full report on Nursing at Samuel Merritt University

#2

Stanbridge University

Irvine, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanbridge University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the city of Irvine, Stanbridge is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Stanbridge take out $32,734 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Full Nursing at Stanbridge University Report

#3

Pacific College

Costa Mesa, CA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Pacific College is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the city of Costa Mesa, Pacific College is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Pacific College take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $15,905.

Read full report on Nursing at Pacific College

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Linfield University - Online and Continuing Education is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the distant town of McMinnville, Linfield OCE is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from Linfield OCE take out $34,999 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $346.

Full Nursing at Linfield University - Online and Continuing Education Report

The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Linfield University - School of Nursing helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Far Western US Region . Located in the large city of Portland, Linfield Nursing is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Linfield Nursing take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $34,999. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $346.

Read full report on Nursing at Linfield University - School of Nursing

#6

Loma Linda University

Loma Linda, CA

With a ranking of #6, Loma Linda University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Loma Linda University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Loma Linda.

Nursing majors at Loma Linda University take out an average of $34,125 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $416.

Read More…

West Coast University - Orange County came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. West Coast University - Orange County is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Anaheim.

On average, nursing graduates from West Coast University - Orange County take out $38,539 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $665, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at West Coast University - Orange County Report

West Coast University - Ontario did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #8 on the list. Located in the midsize city of Ontario, West Coast University - Ontario is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

On average, nursing graduates from West Coast University - Ontario take out $38,539 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $665, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at West Coast University - Ontario

#9

West Coast University - Los Angeles

North Hollywood, CA

With a ranking of #9, West Coast University - Los Angeles did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of North Hollywood, West Coast University - Los Angeles is a private for-profit school with a small student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at West Coast University - Los Angeles take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $38,539. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $665, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

Read full report on Nursing at West Coast University - Los Angeles

Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a small private for-profit school located in the city of San Mateo.

Full Nursing at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts Report

California State University - Monterey Bay did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #11 on the list. Located in the medium-sized suburb of Seaside, CSUMB is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at CSUMB take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $16,909.

Read full report on Nursing at California State University - Monterey Bay

#12

Bushnell University

Eugene, OR

Bushnell University came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the midsize city of Eugene, Bushnell University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Bushnell University carry an average student debtload of $27,534.

Full Nursing at Bushnell University Report

University of California - Los Angeles landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. UCLA is a very large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.

Read full report on Nursing at University of California - Los Angeles

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 Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region award.

Rank College Location
14 California State University - Dominguez Hills Carson, CA
15 American University of Health Sciences Signal Hill, CA
16 Oregon Health & Science University Portland, OR
17 Sonoma State University Rohnert Park, CA
18 Unitek College Fremont, CA

Best Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best nursing colleges 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

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.

Featured Schools

Find Nursing Schools Near You

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