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Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California

93 Colleges
$57,601 Avg Salary
$21,889 Avg Student Debt

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 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 93 schools in California to see which ones were the most popular associate degree programs for nursing students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.

The colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing a associate degree.

#1

Fresno City College

Fresno, CA

Our analysis found Fresno City College to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a associate degree in California. Fresno City College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Fresno.

Of the 202 students majoring in nursing at Fresno City College, 22% are male and 78% are female.

On average, nursing graduates from Fresno City College take out $11,400 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#2

Riverside City College

Riverside, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Riverside City College. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the city of Riverside, Riverside City College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 76% of the nursing majors at the school.

On average, nursing graduates from Riverside City College take out $15,050 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#3

Bakersfield College

Bakersfield, CA

A rank of #3 on this year’s list means Bakersfield College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the large city of Bakersfield, Bakersfield College is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 78% of the nursing majors at the school.

On average, nursing graduates from Bakersfield College take out $14,858 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Bakersfield College

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend San Joaquin Delta College. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. Delta is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Stockton.

Of the 123 students majoring in nursing at Delta, 32% are male and 68% are female.

On average, nursing graduates from Delta take out $15,248 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at San Joaquin Delta College

#5

Butte College

Oroville, CA

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Butte College is a great place for nursing students working on their associate degree. Butte College is a moderately-sized public school located in the rural area of Oroville.

Of the 113 students majoring in nursing at Butte College, 24% are male and 76% are female.

On average, nursing graduates from Butte College take out $19,826 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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#6

Modesto Junior College

Modesto, CA

Modesto Junior College landed the #6 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. Located in the city of Modesto, MJC is a public college with a large student population.

Women make up 78% of the nursing majors at the school.

Nursing majors at MJC take out an average of $16,015 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

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Career Networks Institute came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. CNI College is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Orange.

Of the 111 students majoring in nursing at CNI College, 27% are male and 73% are female.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from CNI College carry an average student debt load of $33,332.

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Mt. San Antonio College landed the #8 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. Located in the large suburb of Walnut, Mt. SAC is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Women make up 69% of the nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at Mt. SAC accumulate an average of around $16,459 in student debt.

Full Nursing at Mt. San Antonio College Report

#9

Santa Monica College

Santa Monica, CA

Santa Monica College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. SMC is a fairly large public school located in the city of Santa Monica.

Of the 106 students majoring in nursing at SMC, 25% are male and 75% are female.

On average, nursing graduates from SMC take out $16,693 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Santa Monica College Report

#10

Antelope Valley College

Lancaster, CA

Antelope Valley College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the suburb of Lancaster, Antelope Valley College is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Of the 102 students majoring in nursing at Antelope Valley College, 16% are male and 84% are female.

Nursing majors at Antelope Valley College take out an average of $15,472 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at Antelope Valley College

#11

San Bernardino Valley College

San Bernardino, CA

San Bernardino Valley College did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a associate degree. It came in at #11 on the list. San Bernardino Valley College is a medium-sized public school located in the midsize city of San Bernardino.

Of the 99 students majoring in nursing at San Bernardino Valley College, 16% are male and 84% are female.

Read full report on Nursing at San Bernardino Valley College

#12

Pacific Union College

Angwin, CA

With a ranking of #12, Pacific Union College did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. Located in the rural area of Angwin, PUC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.

Women make up 74% of the nursing majors at the school.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from PUC carry an average student debt load of $29,980. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $222, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Pacific Union College Report

#13

College of the Sequoias

Visalia, CA

College of the Sequoias came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. College of the Sequoias is a fairly large public school located in the midsize city of Visalia.

Of the 89 students majoring in nursing at College of the Sequoias, 22% are male and 78% are female.

After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from College of the Sequoias carry an average student debt load of $15,483.

Read More…

#13

Solano Community College

Fairfield, CA

Solano Community College ranked #13 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California list. Located in the midsize suburb of Fairfield, Solano College is a public school with a medium-sized student population.

Women make up 83% of the nursing majors at the school.

On average, nursing graduates from Solano College take out $14,561 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.

Full Nursing at Solano Community College Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

Here are some additional popular schools for Nursing students in the state of California that almost earned our Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
15 Saddleback College Mission Viejo, CA
16 Glendale Community College Glendale, CA
17 Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts San Mateo, CA
18 Golden West College Huntington Beach, CA

Best Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Most Popular 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

Nursing Focus Areas

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

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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