2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in California
Finding the Best Nursing 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 Schools in California ranking is one of many tools that Nursing Degree Search has developed to help you make your educational decision. Our analysis looked at 153 schools in California to see which programs were the most popular for nursing students. To create this ranking we looked at how many students graduated from the Nursing program at each school on the list.
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2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in California
The following schools top our list of the Most Popular Nursing Colleges.
Top 15% Most Popular Nursing Schools
Our analysis found West Coast University - Orange County to be the most popular school for nursing students who want to pursue a degree in California. Located in the city of Anaheim, West Coast University - Orange County is a private for-profit school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at West Coast University - Orange County take out is $38,146. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $665.
Out of the 153 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, West Coast University - Los Angeles landed the # 2 spot on the list. West Coast University - Los Angeles is a small private for-profit school located in the city of North Hollywood.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at West Coast University - Los Angeles accumulate an average of around $38,146 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.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Samuel Merritt University. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in California list. Samuel Merritt University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Oakland.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Samuel Merritt University take out is $25,500. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $551.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend West Coast University - Ontario. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Popular Nursing Schools in California list. West Coast University - Ontario is a small private for-profit school located in the medium-sized city of Ontario.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from West Coast University - Ontario carry an average student debt load of $38,146. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $665.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Azusa Pacific University. The school came in at #5 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in California list. Located in the large suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Azusa Pacific take out is $26,740. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $246.
University of San Francisco ranked #6 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in California list. USFCA is a fairly large private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Francisco.
Nursing majors at USFCA take out an average of $27,000 in student loans while working on their egree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $639.
With a ranking of #7, United States University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the large city of San Diego, USU is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
With a ranking of #8, California State University - Fullerton did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Cal State Fullerton carry an average student debt load of $18,607.
National University ranked #9 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in California list. National University is a large private not-for-profit school located in the city of La Jolla.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at National University take out is $37,500. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $198, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
With a ranking of #10, California State University - Long Beach did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public school with a fairly large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at CSULB accumulate an average of around $16,575 in student debt.
Read full report on Nursing at California State University - Long Beach
California State University - San Marcos landed the #11 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. CSUSM is a large public school located in the large suburb of San Marcos.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at CSUSM accumulate an average of around $25,000 in student debt.
Full Nursing at California State University - San Marcos Report
California State University - Sacramento ranked #12 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in California list. Sac State is a very large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Sac State carry an average student debt load of $18,574.
California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #13 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Located in the small city of Carson, CSUDH is a public college with a fairly large student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from CSUDH carry an average student debt load of $17,500.
Read full report on Nursing at California State University - Dominguez Hills
University of California - Los Angeles ranked #14 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in California list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a very large student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at UCLA take out is $19,210.
Read full report on Nursing at University of California - Los Angeles
San Diego State University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in California ranking. SDSU is a fairly large public school located in the city of San Diego.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at SDSU accumulate an average of around $19,448 in student debt. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $250.
Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #16 on the list. CDU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Los Angeles.
California State University - Los Angeles came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in California ranking. Cal State LA is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Cal State LA carry an average student debt load of $18,131.
Read full report on Nursing at California State University - Los Angeles
With a ranking of #18, California Baptist University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the city of Riverside, Cal Baptist is a private not-for-profit school with a large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at Cal Baptist accumulate an average of around $35,562 in student debt. This translates to an average monthly loan payment of $458, based on a 10-year repayment plan.
Read full report on Nursing at California Baptist University
With a ranking of #19, Loma Linda University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the suburb of Loma Linda, Loma Linda University is a private not-for-profit school with a small student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Loma Linda University take out $32,500 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $416, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
San Jose State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #20 on the list. Located in the large city of San Jose, San Jose State is a public college with a very large student population.
Mount Saint Mary’s University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #20 on the list. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit school located in the city of Los Angeles.
On average, nursing graduates from MSMU take out $25,242 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $212.
California State University - East Bay landed the #22 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. Cal State East Bay is a large public school located in the large suburb of Hayward.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Cal State East Bay carry an average student debt load of $17,910.
Read full report on Nursing at California State University - East Bay
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 Schools in California award.
| Rank | College | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | Fresno City College | Fresno, CA |
| 24 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco, CA |
| 25 | University of California - San Francisco | San Francisco, CA |
| 26 | University of Phoenix - California | Costa Mesa, CA |
| 27 | Saddleback College | Mission Viejo, CA |
| 28 | Glendale Community College | Glendale, CA |
| 29 | Point Loma Nazarene University | San Diego, CA |
| 30 | California State University - Fresno | Fresno, 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 | 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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