Ranked #2 in popularity, nursing is one of the most sought-after associate degree programs in the nation. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
For its 2022 ranking, College Factual looked at 92 schools in California to determine which ones were the most popular for nursing students pursuing a associate degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 5,887 associate degrees in nursing during the 2019-2020 academic year.
Choosing a Great Nursing School for Your Associate Degree
The nursing associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future.
As an aid in helping you pick the right school for you, we created our Most Popular Associate Degree Colleges for Nursing in California ranking.
While being high in popularity does not always mean a school has a quality nursing program, it is a sign that a large number of students choose the school. This may be due to it being a great value, it offering a stellar educational experience, or the subject is a major focus of the school.
This is not our only ranking, nor the only degree level we have ranked.
In addition to this ranking, you may want to take at the rankings for different degree levels as called out above.
You can also narrow your search by location by filtering for a certain area of the country.
Plus, you can view our other rankings for nursing.
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Featured Nursing Programs
Learn about start dates, transferring credits, availability of financial aid, and more by contacting the universities below.
With the affordable and transfer-friendly online RN to BSN program at Southern New Hampshire University, you can build upon your prior educational journey and enhance your professional experience in a program designed to fit around your schedule.
At Southern New Hampshire University, we understand the demands placed on today's nursing professionals. When it comes to your education, consider saving money and time by electing the RN to MSN pathway. Eligible students will complete graduate courses within their undergraduate program. This pathway allows you to gain a BSN along the way and ultimately shorten your time within the MSN Nursing Education or Population Healthcare tracks.
Most Popular Schools for Associate Students to Study Nursing in California
The following list ranks the most popular colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in nursing. Only those schools that rank in the top 15% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
14 Most Well Attended Schools for Nursing Students Working on Their Associate
You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at Fresno City College if you want to pursue an associate degree in nursing. Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno City College is a public college with a fairly large student population. Potential students might also be interested to know that the school ranks #4 in quality for associate degrees in nursing in California.
There were about 211 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Fresno City College in the most recent data year.
Nursing associate degree recipients from Fresno City College get an earnings boost of about $2,408 above the typical earnings of nursing graduates.
You'll be surrounded by many like-minded peers at Riverside City College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in nursing. Riverside City College is a fairly large public college located in the large city of Riverside. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #8 in quality for associate degrees in nursing in California.
There were about 177 nursing individuals who graduated with this degree at Riverside City College in the most recent year we have data available.
Nursing associate degree recipients from Riverside City College earn a boost of about $2,008 over the typical earnings of nursing majors.
Every student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in nursing has to look into Unitek College. Located in the large suburb of Fremont, Unitek College is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
There were approximately 171 nursing individuals who graduated with this degree at Unitek College in the most recent year we have data available.
Nursing associate degree recipients from Unitek College receive an earnings boost of around $9,508 above the average earnings of nursing majors.
Every student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in nursing has to take a look at Bakersfield College. Located in the large city of Bakersfield, Bakersfield College is a public college with a very large student population.
There were about 122 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Bakersfield College in the most recent year we have data available.
Located in the medium-sized city of Modesto, MJC is a public college with a fairly large student population. This isn't the only ranking where the school placed. It's also #6 in quality for associate degrees in nursing in California.
There were roughly 114 nursing individuals who graduated with this degree at MJC in the most recent data year.
Nursing associate degree recipients from Modesto Junior College earn a boost of approximately $12,108 over the average income of nursing graduates.
Antelope Valley College is a large public college located in the suburb of Lancaster.
There were approximately 110 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Antelope Valley College in the most recent year we have data available.
Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program report average early career earnings of $72,000.
College of the Canyons is a fairly large public college located in the large suburb of Santa Clarita. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #5 in quality for associate degrees in nursing in California.
There were approximately 106 nursing individuals who graduated with this degree at College of the Canyons in the most recent data year.
Associate recipients from the nursing major at College of the Canyons get $6,908 more than the average college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
College of the Sequoias is a fairly large public college located in the midsize city of Visalia.
There were approximately 98 nursing individuals who graduated with this degree at College of the Sequoias in the most recent year we have data available.
Nursing associate degree recipients from College of the Sequoias earn a boost of about $8,008 over the average income of nursing majors.
Located in the city of Los Angeles, L.A. County School of Nursing is a public college with a fairly small student population. You also may be intersted to know that the school ranks #1 in quality for associate degrees in nursing in California.
There were roughly 98 nursing students who graduated with this degree at L.A. County School of Nursing in the most recent data year.
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These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Most Popular Associate Degree Colleges for Nursing in California award.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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).
college factual
The nursing associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future.
As an aid in helping you pick the right school for you, we created our Most Popular Associate Degree Colleges for Nursing in California ranking.
