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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
$57,700 Avg Salary
$16,287 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 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.

Read More…

#2

Riverside City College

Riverside, CA

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.

Read full report on Nursing at Riverside City College

#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 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.

Full Nursing at Bakersfield College Report

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.

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#5

Butte College

Oroville, CA

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.

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#6

Modesto Junior College

Modesto, CA

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.

Read full report on Nursing at Modesto Junior College

#7

Career Networks Institute

Santa Ana, CA

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.

Read More…

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.

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 very large public school located in the city of Santa Monica.

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

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#10

Antelope Valley College

Lancaster, CA

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.

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 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.

Read More…

#12

Pacific Union College

Angwin, CA

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.

Read More…

#13

College of the Sequoias

Visalia, CA

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.

Full Nursing at College of the Sequoias Report

#13

Solano Community College

Fairfield, CA

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.

Read More…

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

Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 262,974
Family Practice Nurse/Nursing 16,647
Nursing Practice 8,862
Nursing Administration 8,663
Other Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 4,717
Nursing Science 4,701
Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing 2,895
Adult Health Nurse/Nursing 2,075
Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing 2,011
Nurse Anesthetist 1,768
Critical Care Nursing 747
Geriatric Nurse/Nursing 622
Nurse Midwife/Nursing Midwifery 567
School Nursing 539
Clinical Nurse Leader 502
Clinical Nurse Specialist 340
Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing 269
Women’s Health Nurse/Nursing 262
Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing 192
Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing 87
Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing 26
Forensic Nursing 23
Palliative Care Nursing 13

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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