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Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in California

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2023 Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in California

11 Schools Ranked
$21,127 Avg Student Debt

There are lots of options to pick from today when trying to decide which nursing program is right 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. Or you may find the programs at a trade school or bootcamp to be a better alternative for you.

To help you arm yourself with the information you need to make your decision, Nursing Degree Search has developed this Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking. This report analyzed 11 schools in California to see which ones offered the best graduate certificate programs for nursing students. Factors related to overall quality of the school, post-graduation earnings, average student debt, and more accumulated were considered when coming up with this list.

View our full ranking methodology.

Top Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in California

Learn more about these excellent schools below:

$8,494 Average Tuition & Fees

Our 2023 rankings named California State University - Dominguez Hills the best school in California for nursing students working on their graduate certificate.

CSUDH does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In 2019-2020 about 97% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read More…

#2

National University

La Jolla, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend National University. The school came in at #2 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in California list.

Depending on your major, you may be able to take online graduate classes at National University. In fact, around 48% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

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$8,280 Average Tuition & Fees
$18,477 Avg Student Debt

The excellent graduate certificate programs at California State University - Long Beach helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in California.

By the time they get their graduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $18,477 in student loans.

You may have the opportunity to take online graduate classes at CSULB. In 2019-2020 about 100% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read full report on California State University - Long Beach

#4

Point Loma Nazarene University

San Diego, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around you if you attend Point Loma Nazarene University. The school came in at #4 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in California list.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since PLNU does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In fact, around 56% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

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#5

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, California
$27,250 Average Tuition & Fees

The excellent graduate certificate programs at University of San Francisco helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best nursing schools in California.

USFCA does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In fact, around 100% of the graduate population registered for at least one online class in 2019-2020.

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#6

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, California
$13,099 Average Tuition & Fees

Mount Saint Mary’s University ranked #6 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in California list.

If you are interested in distance education, be sure to check with the school since MSMU does offer online graduate classes for certain majors. In 2019-2020 about 99% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Full Mount Saint Mary’s University Report

#7

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
$8,738 Average Tuition & Fees

San Francisco State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking.

One thing to take note of is that SFSU does offer online graduate classes in some areas. To give an idea of how popular online courses are at the school, 93% of graduates took at least one course online in 2019-2020.

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#8

Brandman University

Irvine, California
$12,720 Average Tuition & Fees

Brandman University came in at #8 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking.

Since the graduate programs at Brandman are online, the school is an excellent choice for graduate students who need more flexibility than what is offered at some other schools.

Full Brandman University Report

#9

Holy Names University

Oakland, California
$18,590 Average Tuition & Fees
$18,972 Avg Student Debt

Holy Names University landed the #9 spot in the 2023 rankings for the best graduate certificate nursing programs.

By the time they get their graduate certificate, students from this school have racked up an average of $18,972 in student loans.

Since the graduate programs at HNU are primarily online school, so it is a great choice for returning adults and students who work full time.

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#10

California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, California
$8,219 Average Tuition & Fees

California State University - Los Angeles ranked #10 on this year’s Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in California list.

Cal State LA does offer online graduate classes for certain degree levels. In 2019-2020 about 100% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

Read full report on California State University - Los Angeles

#11

University of Phoenix - California

Costa Mesa, California

University of Phoenix - California came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in California ranking.

UOPX - California does have options available for those who want to take online graduate classes. You will need to check with the school to see if they are available for your specific major. In 2019-2020 about 9% of the graduate students at the school chose to take one or more online courses.

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Best Nursing Graduate Certificate Schools in the Far Western US Region

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Notes and References

Footnotes

*These averages are for the top 11 schools only.

References

  • Read more about our ranking methodology.
  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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