2023 Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Nursing in California
21
Ranked Colleges
451
Degrees Awarded
$127,792
Avg Salary
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate” ranking.
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.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate” ranking analyzed 21 colleges that offered a degree in nursing. To top this list, a school must have a successful nursing program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.
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. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.
Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate”.
Top 21 Most Popular Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Nursing in California
Out of the 21 schools in the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Brandman University landed the #1 spot on the list. This medium-sized school is located in Irvine, California, and it awarded 113 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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 full report on Nursing at Brandman
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of San Diego. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate list. University of San Diego is a private not-for-profit institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 58 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.9% 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 full report on Nursing at USD
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of San Francisco. The school came in at #3 for the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate. 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 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%.
Full University of San Francisco Nursing Report
Out of the 21 schools in the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences landed the #4 spot on the list. USAHS is a medium-sized school located in San Marcos, California that handed out 45 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 is a sign that students will have more opportunities to engage with their professors one-on-one. 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%.
Read more about Nursing at University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fullerton. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate. California State University - Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 26 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full Cal State Fullerton Nursing Report
With a ranking of #6, University of California - Los Angeles did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 25 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Nursing at University of California - Los Angeles
Loma Linda University landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate 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 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Nursing at Loma Linda University
Azusa Pacific University landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate ranking. This medium-sized school is located in Azusa, California, and it awarded 24 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Full Azusa Pacific Nursing Report
University of California - San Francisco came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate ranking. Located in San Francisco, California, this small public school handed out 16 degrees to qualified doctorate’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 1.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default 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 more about Nursing at UCSF
Western University of Health Sciences did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #10. Western University of Health Sciences is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Pomona, California. It awarded 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 full report on Nursing at Western University of Health Sciences
California State University - Fresno ranked #11 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate list. This large school is located in Fresno, California, and 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%.
Full California State University - Fresno Nursing Report
Point Loma Nazarene University landed the #12 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 9 degrees to qualified doctorate’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
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%.
Full PLNU Nursing Report
Samuel Merritt University ranked #12 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate list. Samuel Merritt University is located in Oakland, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 9 doctorate’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.7% 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 full report on Nursing at Samuel Merritt University
San Jose State University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #12. San Jose State University is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 9 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 86%. 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%.
Read more about Nursing at San Jose State University
With a ranking of #15, Touro University California did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate list. Touro University California is a small school located in Vallejo, California that handed out 7 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
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. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 0.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full Touro University California Nursing Report
University of California - Davis did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #16. This large school is located in Davis, California, and it awarded 6 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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 93%.
Full UC Davis Nursing Report
California Baptist University did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #17. Riverside, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s nursing degrees to 4 students 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%.
Read more about Nursing at California Baptist University
University of California - Irvine landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate ranking. This large school is located in Irvine, California, and 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%.
Read full report on Nursing at UC Irvine
Northcentral University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate list. This fairly large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 0 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.1% 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%.
Full Northcentral University Nursing Report
With a ranking of #19, National University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California for a Doctorate list. National University is located in La Jolla, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 423 doctorate’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Nursing at National University
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