2023 Best Value Nursing Schools in California
Identifying Quality Schools at More Affordable Prices
Finding the Best Nursing 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.
The Best Value Nursing Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. This report analyzed 124 schools in California to see which ones offered the best value 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.
Top 15% Best Nursing Schools
Our analysis found Merced College to be the best value school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in California. Merced Community College District is a medium-sized public school located in the small city of Merced.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Merced Community College District are $1,180 per year. Nursing majors at Merced Community College District take out an average of $11,000 in student loans while working on their egree.
As a testament to the quality of education it offers, Merced Community College District also is in the top 15% of our Best Nursing Schools in California ranking.
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The excellent programs at Modesto Junior College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in California. Located in the medium-sized city of Modesto, MJC is a public college with a large student population.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at MJC are $1,274 a year.
MJC excels when it comes to quality. It’s ranked in the top 20% of all schools on our Best Nursing Schools in California list.
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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 Schools in California list. Butte College is a moderately-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. On average, nursing graduates from Butte College take out $16,161 in student loans while working on their degree.
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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 Schools in California list. Delta is a large public school located in the city of Stockton.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Delta are $1,288 a year.
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A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Cabrillo College is a great value for nursing students. Located in the suburb of Aptos, Cabrillo College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Cabrillo College are $1,262 per year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Cabrillo College accumulate an average of around $14,500 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #6, Cuesta College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Cuesta College is a moderately-sized public school located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Cuesta College are $1,338 a year.
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West Hills College-Lemoore ranked #7 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in California list. 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. While working on their degree, nursing majors at West Hills College-Lemoore accumulate an average of around $14,000 in student debt.
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With a ranking of #8, Yuba College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. 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. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Yuba College accumulate an average of around $10,000 in student debt.
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Santa Rosa Junior College ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in California list. SRJC is a large public school located in the city of Santa Rosa.
SRJC undergraduate students pay an average of $1,328 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from SRJC carry an average student debtload of $13,916.
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Sacramento City College ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in California list. Sacramento City is a large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Sacramento City accumulate an average of around $11,277 in student debt.
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Santa Barbara City College landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. SBCC is a large public school located in the city of Santa Barbara.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at SBCC are $1,232 a year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at SBCC accumulate an average of around $16,823 in student debt.
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Ventura College ranked #12 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in California list. Located in the medium-sized city of Ventura, Ventura College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Ventura College undergraduate students pay an average of $1,394 in in-state tuition and fees each year. On average, nursing graduates from Ventura College take out $16,953 in student loans while working on their degree.
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Mt. San Antonio College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best value nursing programs. Located in the large suburb of Walnut, Mt. SAC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Mt. SAC are $1,352 per year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Mt. SAC carry an average student debtload of $14,500.
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With a ranking of #14, Glendale Community College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. GCC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Glendale.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at GCC are $1,171 a year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at GCC take out is $16,304.
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With a ranking of #15, Fresno City College did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. Fresno City College is a very large public school located in the city of Fresno.
The average tuition and fees for an in-state undergraduate at Fresno City College are $1,304 a year. While working on their degree, nursing majors at Fresno City College accumulate an average of around $8,500 in student debt.
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Riverside City College came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of Riverside, Riverside City College is a public school with a fairly large student population.
In-state tuition fees for undergraduate students at Riverside City College are $1,420 per year. The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Riverside City College take out is $12,500.
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With a ranking of #17, College of the Sequoias did quite well on this year’s best value schools for nursing students. College of the Sequoias is a large public school located in the medium-sized city of Visalia.
College of the Sequoias undergraduate students pay an average of $1,394 in in-state tuition and fees each year. After completing their degree, nursing graduates from College of the Sequoias carry an average student debtload of $13,060.
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American River College ranked #18 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools in California list. Located in the suburb of Sacramento, American River is a public college with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at American River accumulate an average of around $20,779 in student debt.
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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 Value Nursing Schools in California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 19 | College of the Canyons | Santa Clarita, CA |
| 20 | Mendocino College | Ukiah, CA |
| 21 | College of the Desert | Palm Desert, CA |
| 22 | Moorpark College | Moorpark, CA |
| 23 | Napa Valley College | Napa, CA |
| 24 | Bakersfield College | Bakersfield, CA |
Best Value Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region
Explore all the Best Value Nursing Schools 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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