2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California
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.
2023 Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California
The colleges and universities below are the most popular for nursing majors pursuing a associate degree.
Top 15% Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools
Our 2023 rankings named Fresno City College the most popular school in California for nursing students working on their associate degree. Fresno City College is a fairly large public school located in the city of Fresno.
Of the 220 students majoring in nursing at Fresno City College, 20% are male and 80% are female.
On average, nursing graduates from Fresno City College take out $4,551 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
The in-demand associate degree programs at Riverside City College helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in California. Located in the large city of Riverside, Riverside City College is a public college with a large student population.
About 82% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 18% are male.
On average, nursing graduates from Riverside City College take out $11,160 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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 college with a very large student population.
Of the 127 students majoring in nursing at Bakersfield College, 17% are male and 83% are female.
Nursing majors at Bakersfield College take out an average of $11,201 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
Out of the 93 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, San Joaquin Delta College landed the # 4 spot on the list. Delta is a large public school located in the large city of Stockton.
Of the 122 students majoring in nursing at Delta, 25% are male and 75% are female.
The in-demand associate degree programs at Butte College helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in California. Butte College is a medium-sized public school located in the rural area of Oroville.
Of the 119 students majoring in nursing at Butte College, 13% are male and 87% are female.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Butte College carry an average student debt load of $16,097.
Modesto Junior College came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the midsize city of Modesto, MJC is a public college with a large student population.
About 72% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 28% are male.
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 large city of Santa Ana.
About 64% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 36% are male.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at CNI College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $26,348.
Mt. San Antonio 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 #8 on the list. Located in the suburb of Walnut, Mt. SAC is a public college with a fairly large student population.
About 68% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 32% are male.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from Mt. SAC carry an average student debt load of $12,514.
Santa Monica College landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. SMC is a very large public school located in the city of Santa Monica.
Women make up 69% of the nursing majors at the school.
Antelope Valley College came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the suburb of Lancaster, Antelope Valley College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
About 80% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 20% are male.
On average, nursing graduates from Antelope Valley College take out $13,330 in student loans while working on their Associate Degree.
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 large public school located in the midsize city of San Bernardino.
About 80% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 20% are male.
Pacific Union College landed the #12 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. Located in the rural area of Angwin, PUC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Of the 80 students majoring in nursing at PUC, 21% are male and 79% are female.
After completing their Associate Degree, nursing graduates from PUC carry an average student debt load of $27,275. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $204.
With a ranking of #13, College of the Sequoias did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their associate degree. College of the Sequoias is a fairly large public school located in the medium-sized city of Visalia.
Of the 91 students majoring in nursing at College of the Sequoias, 30% are male and 70% are female.
While working on their Associate Degree, nursing majors at College of the Sequoias accumulate an average of around $10,264 in student debt.
Solano Community College landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular associate degree nursing programs. Located in the midsize suburb of Fairfield, Solano College is a public school with a moderately-sized student population.
About 84% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 16% are male.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Solano College take out while working on their Associate Degree is $13,384.
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 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 |
Majors Related to Nursing
Nursing Focus Areas
Most Popular Majors Related to Nursing
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants | 85,339 |
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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