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 2023 rankings named West Coast University - Orange County the most popular school in California for nursing students. 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 $34,858. 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
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend West Coast University - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in California list. West Coast University - Los Angeles is a small private for-profit school located in the city of North Hollywood.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at West Coast University - Los Angeles take out is $34,858. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $742.
Out of the 153 schools in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Samuel Merritt University landed the # 3 spot on the list. Samuel Merritt University is a small private not-for-profit school located in the large city of Oakland.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Samuel Merritt University take out is $100,511. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $601.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend West Coast University - Ontario. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in California list. West Coast University - Ontario is a small private for-profit school located in the midsize city of Ontario.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from West Coast University - Ontario carry an average student debt load of $34,145. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $742.
A rank of #5 on this year’s list means Azusa Pacific University is a great place for nursing students. Located in the suburb of Azusa, Azusa Pacific is a private not-for-profit school with a moderately-sized student population.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from Azusa Pacific carry an average student debt load of $43,250. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $312, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
With a ranking of #6, University of San Francisco did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. USFCA is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit school located in the large city of San Francisco.
On average, nursing graduates from USFCA take out $72,607 in student loans while working on their degree. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $737.
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 school with a small student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at USU take out is $46,254.
California State University - Fullerton came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in California ranking. Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public school with a fairly large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Cal State Fullerton take out $31,403 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Nursing at California State University - Fullerton Report
With a ranking of #9, National University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the large city of San Diego, National University is a private not-for-profit school with a fairly large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from National University take out $66,521 in student loans while working on their degree. The average monthly payment of a loan this size is about $294, assuming that the borrower is on a 10-year repayment plan.
California State University - Long Beach did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #10 on the list. Located in the large city of Long Beach, CSULB is a public college with a very large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from CSULB take out $23,622 in student loans while working on their degree.
California State University - San Marcos came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Popular Nursing Schools in California ranking. CSUSM is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of San Marcos.
After completing their degree, nursing graduates from CSUSM carry an average student debt load of $42,123.
Full Nursing at California State University - San Marcos Report
With a ranking of #12, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Sac State is a very large public school located in the large city of Sacramento.
On average, nursing graduates from Sac State take out $17,927 in student loans while working on their degree.
Full Nursing at California State University - Sacramento Report
With a ranking of #13, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the small city of Carson, CSUDH is a public college with a large student population.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at CSUDH take out is $16,750.
Full Nursing at California State University - Dominguez Hills Report
University of California - Los Angeles did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #14 on the list. Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public school with a very large student population.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at UCLA accumulate an average of around $46,644 in student debt.
Read full report on Nursing at University of California - Los Angeles
San Diego State University did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #15 on the list. SDSU is a fairly large public school located in the large city of San Diego.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at SDSU accumulate an average of around $17,375 in student debt. For students who choose a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly student loan payment is $393.
Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science landed the #16 spot in the 2023 rankings for the most popular nursing programs. CDU is a fairly small private not-for-profit school located in the large suburb of Los Angeles.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at CDU accumulate an average of around $88,375 in student debt.
Read full report on Nursing at Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science
California State University - Los Angeles ranked #16 on this year’s Most Popular Nursing Schools in California list. Cal State LA is a fairly large public school located in the large city of Los Angeles.
The average amount in student loans that nursing majors at Cal State LA take out is $16,500.
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 college with a large student population.
On average, nursing graduates from Cal Baptist take out $63,203 in student loans while working on their degree. Assuming that a graduate chooses a 10-year repayment plan, the average monthly loan payment is $571.
With a ranking of #19, Loma Linda University did quite well on this year’s most popular schools for nursing students. Located in the large suburb of Loma Linda, Loma Linda University is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.
Nursing majors at Loma Linda University take out an average of $75,173 in student loans while working on their egree. When it comes time to repay the loan, graduates who are on a 10-year repayment plan pay an average monthly payment of $383.
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 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.
While working on their degree, nursing majors at MSMU accumulate an average of around $21,535 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 $334.
Read full report on Nursing at Mount Saint Mary’s University
California State University - East Bay did quite well in this year’s ranking of the most popular schools for nursing students. It came in at #22 on the list. Cal State East Bay is a fairly large public school located in the suburb of Hayward.
Nursing majors at Cal State East Bay take out an average of $14,747 in student loans while working on their egree.
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 | Ontario, 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 | 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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