by our College Data Analytics Team
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California” ranking is part of that endeavor.
Nursing is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 3rd of all the majors we analyze. In 2020-2021, 322,592 degrees were awarded to students with this major. In 2019-2020, nursing graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $70,916 and had an average of $25,426 in loans still to pay off.
Across California, there were 18,633 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $90,600 and $21,020 respectively. At the doctor’s degree level specifically, there were 451 nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $75,525 and $0 respectively.
For this year’s “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California” ranking, we looked at 21 colleges that offer a degree in nursing. The colleges and universities that top this list are recognized because their nursing program is one of the largest majors offered at the school.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
The nursing school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we’ve developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of “Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California”.
In addition to College Factual’s rankings, you may want to take a look at College Combat, our unique tool that lets you pit your favorite schools head-to-head and compare how they rate on factors that most interest you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
The colleges and universities below are the best for california doctor’s degree nursing students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Brandman University. The school came in at #1 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California. Brandman University is a medium-sized school located in Irvine, California that handed out 113 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 4.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California list. University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences is located in San Marcos, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 45 doctorate’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Out of the 21 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, University of San Diego landed the #3 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 58 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Touro University California. The school came in at #4 for the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California. Touro University California is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Vallejo, California. It awarded 7 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Out of the 21 schools in the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Loma Linda University landed the #5 spot on the list. Loma Linda University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Loma Linda, California. It awarded 25 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
University of California - San Francisco came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California ranking. This small school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 16 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read full report on Nursing at University of California - San Francisco
Western University of Health Sciences came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California ranking. Western University of Health Sciences is a small school located in Pomona, California that handed out 15 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.4% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read more about Nursing at Western University of Health Sciences
University of San Francisco landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California ranking. USFCA is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 46 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Samuel Merritt University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California ranking. Samuel Merritt University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Oakland, California. It awarded 9 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.7%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Azusa Pacific University ranked #10 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California list. Azusa Pacific is a medium-sized school located in Azusa, California that handed out 24 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.3%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one.
Point Loma Nazarene University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California ranking, coming in at #11. Point Loma Nazarene University is located in San Diego, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 doctorate’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
California State University - Fullerton did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California ranking, coming in at #12. Located in Fullerton, California, this large public school handed out 26 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%.
California State University - Fresno ranked #13 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California list. Fresno State is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 12 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 87%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.2% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
University of California - Los Angeles landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California ranking. UCLA is a large school located in Los Angeles, California that handed out 25 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
California Baptist University came in at #15 in this year’s edition of the Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California ranking. California Baptist University is a fairly large school located in Riverside, California that handed out 4 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.1%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #16, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California list. San Jose State is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 9 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 86%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Davis ranked #17 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California list. University of California - Davis is a large school located in Davis, California that handed out 6 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 93%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
University of California - Irvine ranked #18 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California list. University of California - Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California. It awarded 2 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 94%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Northcentral University did quite well in the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California ranking, coming in at #19. Located in San Diego, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school awarded 0 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
With a ranking of #19, West Coast University - Orange County did quite well on the 2023 Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California list. West Coast University - Orange County is located in Anaheim, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 1,307 doctorate’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
National University ranked #19 on this year’s Schools for a Doctorate Highly Focused on Nursing Major in California list. National University is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in La Jolla, California. It awarded 423 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.7% is a good sign that students have an easier time paying off their loans than they might at other schools. For comparison, the national default rate is 10.1%.
Read more about our data sources and methodologies
