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Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

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2023 Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in California

62 Colleges
$64,238 Avg Salary
$28,730 Avg Student Debt

Finding the Best Nursing Bachelor's 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.

The Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree 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 62 schools in California to see which ones were the most popular bachelor's 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 bachelor's degree.

Our analysis found West Coast University - Orange County to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a bachelor’s degree in California. Located in the city of Anaheim, West Coast University - Orange County is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

Women make up 80% of the nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at West Coast University - Orange County accumulate an average of around $38,539 in student debt. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $665.

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#2

West Coast University - Los Angeles

North Hollywood, CA

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend West Coast University - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. West Coast University - Los Angeles is a small private for-profit school located in the city of North Hollywood.

Of the 778 students majoring in nursing at West Coast University - Los Angeles, 24% are male and 76% are female.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at West Coast University - Los Angeles take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $38,539. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $665.

Read full report on Nursing at West Coast University - Los Angeles

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at West Coast University - Ontario helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in California. West Coast University - Ontario is a small private for-profit school located in the city of Ontario.

Of the 698 students majoring in nursing at West Coast University - Ontario, 20% are male and 80% are female.

Nursing majors at West Coast University - Ontario take out an average of $38,539 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $665.

Read full report on Nursing at West Coast University - Ontario

A rank of #4 on this year’s list means Samuel Merritt University is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Samuel Merritt University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Oakland.

Of the 505 students majoring in nursing at Samuel Merritt University, 22% are male and 78% are female.

Nursing majors at Samuel Merritt University take out an average of $28,570 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $551.

Read full report on Nursing at Samuel Merritt University

A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Azusa Pacific University is a great place for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.

Women make up 82% of the nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Azusa Pacific accumulate an average of around $28,361 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $246.

Full Nursing at Azusa Pacific University Report

California State University - Fullerton did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular places for nursing students to get a bachelor’s degree. It came in at #6 on the list. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public college with a very large student population.

Of the 373 students majoring in nursing at Cal State Fullerton, 18% are male and 82% are female.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Cal State Fullerton carry an average student debt load of $21,365.

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#7

National University

La Jolla, CA

With a ranking of #7, National University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. National University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of La Jolla.

Women make up 75% of the nursing majors at the school.

Nursing majors at National University take out an average of $35,476 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $198, based on a 10-year repayment plan.

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California State University - San Marcos came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. CSUSM is a large public school located in the suburb of San Marcos.

About 78% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 22% are male.

On average, nursing graduates from CSUSM take out $26,292 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

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California State University - Sacramento ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California list. Sac State is a fairly large public school located in the city of Sacramento.

Of the 255 students majoring in nursing at Sac State, 17% are male and 83% are female.

Nursing majors at Sac State take out an average of $20,623 in student loans while working on their Bachelor's Degree.

Read full report on Nursing at California State University - Sacramento

#10

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

With a ranking of #10, San Diego State University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. SDSU is a very large public school located in the city of San Diego.

Of the 237 students majoring in nursing at SDSU, 19% are male and 81% are female.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at SDSU take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $18,998. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $250.

Full Nursing at San Diego State University Report

Additional Noteworthy Schools

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also popular but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Nursing Bachelor's Degree Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
11 University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA
12 Loma Linda University Loma Linda, 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 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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