2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region
Finding the Best Nursing 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 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 207 schools in the Far Western US Region to see which programs offered the best educational experiences for nursing students.
View our full ranking methodology.
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2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region
The following schools top our list of the Best Nursing Colleges.
Top 25 Top Far Western US Region Schools in Nursing
Our analysis found Samuel Merritt University to be the best school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in the Far Western US Region . Located in the large city of Oakland, Samuel Merritt University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Samuel Merritt University accumulate an average of around $25,500 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $551.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Stanbridge University. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Nursing 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.
Nursing majors at Stanbridge take out an average of $37,517 in student loans while working on their egree.
A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a great place for nursing students. Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts is a small private for-profit school located in the city of San Mateo.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts accumulate an average of around $18,603 in student debt.
A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health is a great place for nursing students. L.A. County School of Nursing is a small public school located in the city of Los Angeles.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at L.A. County School of Nursing take out is $19,688.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of Southern California. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the city of Los Angeles, USC is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population.
Pacific College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the medium-sized city of Costa Mesa, Pacific College is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences ranked #7 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region list. USAHS is a moderately-sized private for-profit school located in the large suburb of San Marcos.
Full Nursing at University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences Report
Linfield University - Online and Continuing Education landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the distant town of McMinnville, Linfield OCE is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Linfield OCE carry an average student debtload of $31,403. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $346.
Linfield University - School of Nursing did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #9 on the list. Located in the large city of Portland, Linfield Nursing is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly small student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Linfield Nursing carry an average student debtload of $31,403. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $346.
Full Nursing at Linfield University - School of Nursing Report
With a ranking of #10, Loma Linda University did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Loma Linda University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the suburb of Loma Linda.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Loma Linda University take out is $32,500. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $416.
Touro University California landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. TUC is a small private not-for-profit school located in the midsize city of Vallejo.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from TUC carry an average student debtload of $16,982.
West Coast University - Ontario ranked #12 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the midsize city of Ontario, West Coast University - Ontario is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at West Coast University - Ontario take out is $38,146. 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
West Coast University - Los Angeles did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #13 on the list. Located in the large city of North Hollywood, West Coast University - Los Angeles is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from West Coast University - Los Angeles take out $38,146 in student loans while working on their 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 - Los Angeles
California State University - Monterey Bay landed the #14 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the suburb of Seaside, CSUMB is a public school with a medium-sized student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at CSUMB take out is $13,312.
Read full report on Nursing at California State University - Monterey Bay
West Coast University - Orange County ranked #15 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region list. West Coast University - Orange County is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of Anaheim.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at West Coast University - Orange County accumulate an average of around $38,146 in student debt. 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 - Orange County
American University of Health Sciences came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. AUHS Signal Hill is a small private for-profit school located in the large suburb of Signal Hill.
Nursing majors at AUHS Signal Hill take out an average of $46,029 in student loans while working on their egree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $471, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Bushnell University landed the #17 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best nursing programs. Located in the midsize city of Eugene, Bushnell University is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Bushnell University take out $29,141 in student loans while working on their degree.
With a ranking of #18, University of California - San Francisco did quite well on this year’s best schools for nursing students. Located in the large city of San Francisco, UCSF is a public school with a small student population.
Read full report on Nursing at University of California - San Francisco
Oregon Health & Science University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region list. OHSU is a small public school located in the large city of Portland.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from OHSU carry an average student debtload of $31,651. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $332.
Read full report on Nursing at Oregon Health & Science University
Unitek College ranked #20 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Unitek College is a small private for-profit school located in the suburb of Fremont.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Unitek College accumulate an average of around $23,468 in student debt.
Chamberlain University - California did quite well in this year’s ranking of the best schools for nursing students. It came in at #21 on the list. Chamberlain - California is a fairly small private for-profit school located in the small city of Rancho Cordova.
Nursing majors at Chamberlain - California take out an average of $38,460 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $256.
University of California - Davis came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. UC Davis is a fairly large public school located in the small suburb of Davis.
Sonoma State University came in at #23 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. SSU is a medium-sized public school located in the large suburb of Rohnert Park.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from SSU carry an average student debtload of $17,747.
Gonzaga University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region list. Located in the medium-sized city of Spokane, Gonzaga is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Gonzaga accumulate an average of around $27,000 in student debt.
University of Portland came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region ranking. Located in the city of Portland, University of Portland is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from University of Portland take out $28,175 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $768, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
Rest of the Top Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region
Honorable Mentions
Here are some additional great schools for Nursing students in the Far Western US Region that almost earned our Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Region award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 32 | Dominican University of California | San Rafael, CA |
| 33 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 34 | California State University - Sacramento | Sacramento, CA |
| 35 | Mount Saint Mary’s University | Los Angeles, CA |
| 36 | California State University - Channel Islands | Camarillo, CA |
| 37 | Merced College | Merced, CA |
| 38 | Touro University Nevada | Henderson, NV |
| 39 | University of Washington - Tacoma Campus | Tacoma, WA |
| 40 | Azusa Pacific University | Azusa, CA |
| 41 | Point Loma Nazarene University | San Diego, CA |
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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