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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
$64,114 Avg Salary
$22,124 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 2023 rankings named West Coast University - Orange County the most popular school in California for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the large city of Anaheim, West Coast University - Orange County is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

About 79% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 21% are male.

Nursing majors at West Coast University - Orange County take out an average of $31,215 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 $742.

Full Nursing at West Coast University - Orange County Report

#2

West Coast University - Los Angeles

North Hollywood, CA

The in-demand bachelor’s degree programs at West Coast University - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the most popular nursing schools in California. West Coast University - Los Angeles is a small private for-profit school located in the large city of North Hollywood.

About 81% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 19% are male.

On average, nursing graduates from West Coast University - Los Angeles take out $31,215 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 $742.

Read More…

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 medium-sized city of Ontario.

Of the 842 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 $31,215 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 $742.

Full Nursing at West Coast University - Ontario Report

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 large city of Oakland.

About 80% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 20% are male.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Samuel Merritt University accumulate an average of around $20,444 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 $601.

Full Nursing at Samuel Merritt University Report

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 suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit college with a moderately-sized student population.

Women make up 81% of the nursing majors at the school.

While working on their Bachelor's Degree, nursing majors at Azusa Pacific accumulate an average of around $24,085 in student debt. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $312, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at Azusa Pacific University Report

With a ranking of #6, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public school with a fairly large student population.

Of the 432 students majoring in nursing at Cal State Fullerton, 18% are male and 82% are female.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Cal State Fullerton take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $14,402.

Full Nursing at California State University - Fullerton Report

#7

National University

San Diego, CA

National University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. Located in the large city of San Diego, National University is a private not-for-profit college with a large student population.

About 70% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 30% are male.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at National University take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $30,156. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $294, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.

Full Nursing at National University Report

California State University - San Marcos 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 #8 on the list. CSUSM is a large public school located in the suburb of San Marcos.

Women make up 79% of the nursing majors at the school.

The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at CSUSM take out while working on their Bachelor's Degree is $21,785.

Read full report on Nursing at California State University - San Marcos

California State University - Sacramento landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular bachelor’s degree nursing programs. Sac State is a very large public school located in the city of Sacramento.

About 83% of the students majoring in nursing at the school are women while 17% are male.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from Sac State carry an average student debt load of $15,602.

Full Nursing at California State University - Sacramento Report

#10

San Diego State University

San Diego, CA

San Diego State University came in at #10 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California ranking. SDSU is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Diego.

Of the 212 students majoring in nursing at SDSU, 15% are male and 85% are female.

After completing their Bachelor's Degree, nursing graduates from SDSU carry an average student debt load of $17,061. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $393.

Read More…

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 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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