2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Nursing Associate Degree School for You
Out of the majors we analyze each year, nursing was the most popular one in California. In total, 18,329 people earned a degree or certificate in the field from a school in California.
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. With more and more schools offering online options, you could even register for a great program on the other side of the country. On top of that, there are a considerable number of trade schools that offer fast-track entry to many fields.
To assist you in seeing some of the education options that are available to you, Nursing Degree Search has created its Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 69 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value associate degree programs for 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.
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2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California
The following schools top our list of the Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Colleges.
Top 10 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Merced College the best value school in California for nursing students working on their associate degree. Merced Community College District is a moderately-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. Nursing majors at Merced Community College District take out an average of $12,152 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
In addition to its best value ranking, and one of the reasons why the school is on the list, Merced Community College District is ranked #1 for overall quality for nursing in California.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Modesto Junior College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the midsize city of Modesto, MJC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at MJC are $1,274 per year. On average, nursing graduates from MJC take out $16,015 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
MJC also took the #2 spot in our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California rankings.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Butte College. The school came in at #3 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. Butte College is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of Oroville.
Butte College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,368 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at Butte College take out an average of $19,826 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Butte College not only placed well in our value ranking, but it is also #4 on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend San Joaquin Delta College. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. Delta is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Stockton.
Delta undergraduate students pay an average of $1,288 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Delta carry an average student debtload of $15,248.
Delta excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 10% of all schools on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Cabrillo College. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the midsize suburb of Aptos, Cabrillo College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cabrillo College are $1,262 per year.
Cabrillo College also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 10% of all schools in this category.
Cuesta College ranked #6 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. Cuesta College is a moderately-sized public school located in the small suburb of San Luis Obispo.
Cuesta College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,338 in in-state tuition and fees each year. Nursing majors at Cuesta College take out an average of $14,937 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Cuesta College also claimed a spot on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 15% of all schools in this category.
With a ranking of #7, West Hills College-Lemoore did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. West Hills College-Lemoore is a small public school located in the rural area of Lemoore.
West Hills College-Lemoore undergraduate students pay an average of $1,380 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from West Hills College-Lemoore take out $15,061 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
In addition to its great value ranking, West Hills College-Lemoore is in the top 15% of all schools on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list.
With a ranking of #8, Yuba College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the midsize suburb of Marysville, Yuba College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Yuba College are $1,128 per year. After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Yuba College carry an average student debtload of $11,836.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Yuba College also is in the top 15% of our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California ranking.
Santa Rosa Junior College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. SRJC is a large public school located in the city of Santa Rosa.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at SRJC are $1,328 per year. On average, nursing graduates from SRJC take out $16,223 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
On top of its placing in our value ranking, SRJC also did well on our Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. It’s in the top 20% of all schools reviewed in this analysis.
Sacramento City 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 #10 on the list. Sacramento City is a large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.
Nursing majors at Sacramento City take out an average of $13,621 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great value schools for Nursing students in the state of California seeking value that almost earned our Best Value Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Santa Barbara City College | Santa Barbara, CA |
| 12 | Ventura College | Ventura, CA |
| 13 | Mt. San Antonio College | Walnut, CA |
Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.
| State | Degrees Awarded |
|---|---|
| Washington | 3,851 |
| Nevada | 2,015 |
| Alaska | 177 |
| Hawaii | 535 |
| Oregon | 1,502 |
More Nursing Rankings in California
Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing Focus Areas
Most Popular Majors Related to Nursing
| Related Major | Annual Graduates |
|---|---|
| Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 84,274 |
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).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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