2023 Most Popular Colleges for Nursing in California
153
Ranked Colleges
18,633
Degrees Awarded
$30,700
Avg Cost*
With all of the options students have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take. College Factual has developed its “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California” ranking as one item you can use to help make this decision.
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.
This year’s “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California” ranking analyzed 153 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.
Check out our ranking methodology for more information.
One Size Does Not Fit All
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.
Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California
The following schools top our list of the Best “Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California”.
Top 25 Most Popular Colleges for Nursing in California
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend West Coast University - Orange County. It ranked #1 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California list. West Coast University - Orange County is a small private for-profit school situated in Anaheim, California. It awarded 1,307 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 0.5% 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 West Coast University - Orange County Nursing Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend West Coast University - Los Angeles. It ranked #2 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California list. West Coast University - Los Angeles is a small school located in North Hollywood, California that handed out 778 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full West Coast University - Los Angeles Nursing Report
Out of the 153 schools in the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California that were part of this year’s ranking, Samuel Merritt University landed the #3 spot on the list. Samuel Merritt University is a small school located in Oakland, California that handed out 739 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed. 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%.
Read full report on Nursing at Samuel Merritt University
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend West Coast University - Ontario. It ranked #4 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California list. West Coast University - Ontario is a private for-profit institution located in Ontario, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 698 ’s 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 0.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full West Coast University - Ontario Nursing Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Azusa Pacific University. It ranked #5 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California list. Located in Azusa, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 680 degrees to qualified ’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors. 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%.
Read more about Nursing at Azusa Pacific University
University of San Francisco did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California ranking, coming in at #6. USFCA is a fairly large private not-for-profit school situated in San Francisco, California. It awarded 466 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 1.5% 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 Nursing at USFCA
United States University landed the #7 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California ranking. This small school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 451 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Full USU Nursing Report
California State University - Fullerton landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California ranking. California State University - Fullerton is a large school located in Fullerton, California that handed out 449 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Read full report on Nursing at Cal State Fullerton
With a ranking of #9, National University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s nursing degrees to 423 students 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 full report on Nursing at National University
With a ranking of #10, California State University - San Marcos did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California list. CSUSM is located in San Marcos, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 321 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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 Nursing at California State University - San Marcos
California State University - Sacramento came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California ranking. California State University - Sacramento is a public institution located in Sacramento, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 316 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.9%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Full California State University - Sacramento Nursing Report
With a ranking of #12, California State University - Dominguez Hills did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California list. California State University - Dominguez Hills is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 260 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
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 more about Nursing at California State University - Dominguez Hills
University of California - Los Angeles came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this large public school awarded 252 diplomas to qualified ’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 96%. 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%.
Full UCLA Nursing Report
San Diego State University landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California ranking. This large school is located in San Diego, California, and it awarded 249 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The low undergrad student loan default rate of 2.2% 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%.
Read more about Nursing at San Diego State University
California State University - Long Beach landed the #15 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California ranking. California State University - Long Beach is located in Long Beach, California and, has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 356 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 2.4%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Nursing at California State University - Long Beach
California Baptist University came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California ranking. Located in Riverside, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 240 diplomas to qualified ’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Full California Baptist University Nursing Report
California State University - Los Angeles landed the #17 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California ranking. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out ’s nursing degrees to 246 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Nursing at California State University - Los Angeles
Loma Linda University landed the #18 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California ranking. Loma Linda University is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Loma Linda, California. It awarded 224 ’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%. Since the school has a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1, those pursuing a degree will have more opportunities to interact with their professors.
Read full report on Nursing at Loma Linda University
San Jose State University ranked #19 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California list. San Jose State University is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 216 ’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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 2.9%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read more about Nursing at San Jose State University
Mount Saint Mary’s University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California ranking. Located in Los Angeles, California, this small private not-for-profit school handed out 216 diplomas to qualified ’s nursing students in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.3% 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%. 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.
Read full report on Nursing at MSMU
Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California ranking, coming in at #20. Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 246 ’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 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 Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science
California State University - East Bay came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California ranking. Cal State East Bay is located in Hayward, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 207 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Nursing at California State University - East Bay
With a ranking of #23, Fresno City College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California list. Fresno City College is a large public school situated in Fresno, California. It awarded 202 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Nursing at Fresno City College
With a ranking of #24, San Francisco State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California list. San Francisco State University is a large school located in San Francisco, California that handed out 192 ’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 4.3% 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 Nursing at SFSU
University of Phoenix - California ranked #25 on this year’s Most Well Attended Nursing Major in California list. University of Phoenix - California is located in Costa Mesa, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 180 ’s nursing degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Nursing at University of Phoenix - California
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