2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California” ranking - to help you make that decision.
With 313,362 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, nursing is the 3rd most popular major in the United States. In 2017-2018, nursing graduates who were awarded their degree in 2015-2017, earned an average of $67,065 and had an average of $26,282 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 18,266 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $87,508 and $30,286 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 358 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $71,544 and $133,402 respectively.
This year’s “Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California” ranking looked at 15 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in nursing. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent nursing programs, but they also cost less that schools of similar quality.
To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as the cost to attend the school after aid is awarded and overall quality of the nursing program at the school. See our ranking methodology to learn more.
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When choosing the right school for you, it’s important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we’ve created a number of major-specific rankings, including this “Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California” list to help you make the college decision.
To further help you make the college decision, we’ve developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.
Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California
The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California.
Top 17 Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Nursing in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - San Francisco. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California list. UCSF is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 23 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UCSF not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCSF are $28,092, but some majors have different tuition rates.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California. UCLA is a public institution located in Los Angeles, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 20 doctorate’s degrees in 2019-2020.
UCLA not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #3 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UCLA are $28,131, but some majors have different tuition rates.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Point Loma Nazarene University. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California. Point Loma Nazarene University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in San Diego, California. It awarded 8 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
PLNU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #10 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Point Loma Nazarene University are $11,880, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #4 spot on the list. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and it awarded 15 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
Fresno State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #13 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Fresno State are $17,581.
Out of the 15 schools in the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Brandman University landed the #5 spot on the list. Brandman is located in Irvine, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 96 doctorate’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
Brandman not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #9 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Brandman are $12,540, but some majors have different tuition rates.
With a ranking of #6, Azusa Pacific University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California list. This medium-sized school is located in Azusa, California, and it awarded 12 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
Azusa Pacific did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #11 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Azusa Pacific University are $16,571, but some majors have different tuition rates.
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking, coming in at #7. Fullerton, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s nursing degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.
Cal State Fullerton also took the #12 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Cal State Fullerton are $17,892, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking, coming in at #8. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 5 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #8 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at UC Davis are $28,700, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
With a ranking of #8, California Baptist University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California list. Cal Baptist is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in Riverside, California. It awarded 1 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
Cal Baptist also took the #16 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at California Baptist University are $14,140.
Loma Linda University landed the #9 spot on the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking. Loma Linda University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Loma Linda, California. It awarded 25 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree nursing students list, Loma Linda University has also earned the #2 rank in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at Loma Linda University are $30,640, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of California - Irvine ranked #9 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California list. Irvine, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s nursing degrees to 1 students in 2019-2020.
UC Irvine also made our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Irvine are $28,456.
Read full report on Nursing at University of California - Irvine
Western University of Health Sciences did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking, coming in at #10. This small school is located in Pomona, California, and it awarded 13 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
Western University of Health Sciences not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at Western University of Health Sciences are $23,596, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.
Read full report on Nursing at Western University of Health Sciences
University of San Francisco came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking. University of San Francisco is located in San Francisco, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 47 doctorate’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
USFCA also made our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of San Francisco are $26,710, but some majors have different tuition rates.
University of San Diego came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking. University of San Diego is a medium-sized school located in San Diego, California that handed out 46 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
USD not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #6 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of San Diego are $28,410, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Touro University California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking, coming in at #13. TUC is located in Vallejo, California and, has a small student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 7 doctorate’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
TUC also took the #14 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Touro University California are $31,020.
University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California ranking. University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences is a small school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 2 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
USAHS also took the #15 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Average graduate tuition and fees at USAHS are $26,450, but some majors have different tuition rates.
Read more about Nursing at University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
Samuel Merritt University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Nursing Schools for a Doctorate in California list. This small school is located in Oakland, California, and it awarded 17 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2019-2020.
Samuel Merritt University also took the #1 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at Samuel Merritt University are $53,468.
- Best Value Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Nursing in the Far Western US Region
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Notes and References
References
- 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%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
Footnotes
- *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
- Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.
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- Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle.
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