2023 Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region
Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's Degree School for You
In 2021-2022, 319,502 degrees and certificates were awarded to nursing students, making the major the most popular in the country.
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.
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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 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 $20,444. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $601, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at Stanbridge University helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in the Far Western US Region . Located in the large city of Irvine, Stanbridge is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Stanbridge take out $31,470 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Pacific College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the medium-sized city of Costa Mesa, Pacific College is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
Loma Linda University 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 #6 on the list. Loma Linda University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Loma Linda.
After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Loma Linda University carry an average student debtload of $25,098. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $383, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
West Coast University - Orange County ranked #7 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. West Coast University - Orange County is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Anaheim.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at West Coast University - Orange County take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $31,215. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $742, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
West Coast University - Ontario ranked #8 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the medium-sized city of Ontario, West Coast University - Ontario is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
Nursing majors at West Coast University - Ontario take out an average of $31,215 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $742, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
West Coast University - Los Angeles came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the city of North Hollywood, West Coast University - Los Angeles is a private for-profit college 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 $31,215. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $742, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts landed the #10 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of San Mateo.
California State University - Monterey Bay ranked #11 on this year’s Best Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the midsize suburb of Seaside, CSUMB is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at CSUMB accumulate an average of around $7,530 in student debt.
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 medium-sized city of Eugene, Bushnell University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Bushnell University take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $18,372.
With a ranking of #13, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. UCLA is a very large public school located in the large city of 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 |
Rankings in Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing Concentrations
| Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Registered Nursing | 262,974 |
| Family Practice Nurse/Nursing | 16,647 |
| Nursing Practice | 8,862 |
| Nursing Administration | 8,663 |
| Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | 4,717 |
| Nursing Science | 4,701 |
| Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing | 2,895 |
| Adult Health Nurse/Nursing | 2,075 |
| Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing | 2,011 |
| Nurse Anesthetist | 1,768 |
| Critical Care Nursing | 747 |
| Geriatric Nurse/Nursing | 622 |
| Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery | 567 |
| School Nursing | 539 |
| Clinical Nurse Leader | 502 |
| Clinical Nurse Specialist | 340 |
| Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing | 269 |
| Women’s Health Nurse/Nursing | 262 |
| Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing | 192 |
| Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing | 87 |
| Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing | 26 |
| Forensic Nursing | 23 |
| Palliative Care Nursing | 13 |
Majors Similar to Nursing
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 85,339 |
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.