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2023 Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California

16 Ranked Colleges
451 Degrees Awarded
$127,792 Avg Salary
Most Veteran Friendly in California for Nursing for a Doctorate

It’s not easy to decide which college to attend when there so many options available for veterans. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Nursing 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.

This year’s “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Nursing for a Doctorate” ranking analyzed 16 colleges that offered a degree in nursing. Not only do the schools that top this list have excellent nursing programs, but they also offer a lot of support to veterans and active service members.

To come up with these rankings, we looked at factors such as veteran satisfaction, veteran affordability, and overall quality of the nursing program at the school. Check out our ranking methodology for more information.

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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 “Most Veteran Friendly in California for Nursing for a Doctorate”.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. Test it out when you get a chance! You may also want to bookmark the link and share it with others who are trying to make the college decision.

Most Veteran Friendly in California for Nursing for a Doctorate

The colleges and universities below are the best for california doctor’s degree vets studying nursing.

Top 16 Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Colleges for Veterans in California

1

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Los Angeles. The school came in at #1 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Nursing for a Doctorate. Los Angeles, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out doctorate’s nursing degrees to 25 students in 2020-2021.

UCLA also made our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #1.Among the 44,589 students enrolled at UCLA, 7 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 4 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $8,071. On top of their other funding sources, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 96%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full UCLA Veteran Student Life Report

2
Brandman crest
Brandman University
Irvine, California

Out of the 16 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Nursing for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, Brandman University landed the #2 spot on the list. Brandman is a medium-sized school located in Irvine, California that handed out 113 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

Brandman also made our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #9.Our most recent data shows that 7 of the 10,986 students enrolled at Brandman University were GI Bill® students, of which 9 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,406. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full Brandman Veteran Student Life Report

3
PLNU crest
Point Loma Nazarene University
San Diego, California

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 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Nursing for a Doctorate. San Diego, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out doctorate’s nursing degrees to 9 students in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at PLNU, the school also landed the #10 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, PLNU supports 4,616 students, and 334 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 219 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $13,825. In addition to receiving other benefits, 76 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full PLNU Veteran Student Life Report

4
USFCA crest
University of San Francisco
San Francisco, California

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of San Francisco. The school came in at #4 for the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Nursing for a Doctorate. This fairly large school is located in San Francisco, California, and it awarded 46 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at USFCA, the school also landed the #4 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 10,068 students enrolled at University of San Francisco, 6 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 5 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $19,232. In addition to receiving other benefits, 2 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Students may be able to receive credit for their military training, depending on their background.

The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

5

Out of the 16 schools in the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Nursing for a Doctorate that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Davis landed the #5 spot on the list. University of California - Davis is a public institution located in Davis, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 6 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

UC Davis also made our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #8.Our most recent data shows that 31 of the 39,074 students enrolled at University of California - Davis were GI Bill® students, of which 23 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $6,489. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at UC Davis]](/colleges/university-of-california-davis/student-life/veterans/)

6
USD crest
University of San Diego
San Diego, California

University of San Diego landed the #6 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Nursing for a Doctorate ranking. USD is a medium-sized school located in San Diego, California that handed out 58 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree vets studying nursing list, USD has also earned the #6 rank in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, USD supports 8,861 students, and 44 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 28 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $22,598. In addition to receiving other benefits, 17 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at University of San Diego]](/colleges/university-of-san-diego/student-life/veterans/)

7
San Jose State crest
San Jose State University
San Jose, California

San Jose State University came in at #7 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Nursing for a Doctorate ranking. San Jose State University is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 9 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at San Jose State, the school also landed the #15 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.According to our most recent data, San Jose State University supports 36,208 students, and 660 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 384 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,909. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.

Full San Jose State University Veteran Student Life Report

8

California State University - Fullerton landed the #8 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Nursing for a Doctorate ranking. This large school is located in Fullerton, California, and it awarded 26 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

In addition to being on our california doctor’s degree vets studying nursing list, Cal State Fullerton has also earned the #13 rank in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Our most recent data shows that 748 of the 42,051 students enrolled at Cal State Fullerton were GI Bill® students, of which 342 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $4,729. In addition to receiving other benefits, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Eligible students may be able to receive credit for their military training.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students. The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Cal State Fullerton]](/colleges/california-state-university-fullerton/student-life/veterans/)

9

University of California - San Francisco did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Nursing for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #9. Located in San Francisco, California, this small public school handed out 16 degrees to qualified doctorate’s nursing students in 2020-2021.

UCSF not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #7 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list.According to our most recent data, UCSF supports 3,201 students, and 44 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 29 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $27,260. During this same period, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 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 [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 UCSF Veteran Student Life Report

10

California State University - Fresno did quite well in the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Nursing for a Doctorate ranking, coming in at #10. Fresno State is a public institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 12 doctorate’s degrees in 2020-2021.

Fresno State did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list.Our most recent data shows that 471 of the 25,497 students enrolled at Fresno State were GI Bill® students, of which 211 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $3,324. To help with additional expenses, 0 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Fresno State offers credit for military training for eligible students.

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 school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

[Read full report on veteran student life at Fresno State]](/colleges/california-state-university-fresno/student-life/veterans/)

11
Samuel Merritt University crest
Samuel Merritt University
Oakland, California

Samuel Merritt University landed the #11 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Nursing for a Doctorate 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.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at Samuel Merritt University, the school also landed the #2 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Among the 2,050 students enrolled at Samuel Merritt University, 44 are GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 23 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $18,284. In addition to receiving other benefits, 12 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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%. 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.

Read More…

12
Azusa Pacific crest
Azusa Pacific University
Azusa, California

With a ranking of #12, Azusa Pacific University did quite well on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Nursing for a Doctorate list. Located in Azusa, California, this medium-sized private not-for-profit school handed out 24 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s nursing students in 2020-2021.

Azusa Pacific also made our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #12.Our most recent data shows that 58 of the 9,006 students enrolled at Azusa Pacific University were GI Bill® students, of which 44 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $5,529. During this same period, 0 students received scholarships through the Yellow Ribbon Program. Azusa Pacific University does offer credit for military training for eligible students.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 10 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Read More…

13
TUC crest
Touro University California
Vallejo, California

Touro University California came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Most Veteran Friendly in California for Nursing for a Doctorate ranking. Touro University California is located in Vallejo, California and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 7 doctorate’s nursing degrees to qualified students.

TUC also made our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14.According to our most recent data, Touro University California supports 1,321 students, and 15 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 9 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $15,293. In addition to receiving other benefits, 1 students received funds through the Yellow Ribbon Program.

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 low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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…

14

University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences landed the #14 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Nursing for a Doctorate ranking. USAHS is a medium-sized private for-profit school situated in San Marcos, California. It awarded 45 doctorate’s nursing degrees in 2020-2021.

USAHS not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #5 on our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list.According to our most recent data, University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences supports 4,711 students, and 31 of those are GI Bill® students, of which 20 are Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $17,427. To help with additional expenses, 9 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%. 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.

Read More…

15

Western University of Health Sciences ranked #15 on this year’s Most Veteran Friendly in California for Nursing for a Doctorate list. 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.

Western University of Health Sciences also took the #11 spot in our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.Of the 3,813 students enrolled at Western University of Health Sciences, 46 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 26 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average tuition and fees award for the Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients was $20,467. In addition to receiving other benefits, 15 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools. The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read More…

16
Loma Linda University crest
Loma Linda University
Loma Linda, California

Loma Linda University landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Veteran Friendly in California for Nursing for a Doctorate ranking. Located in Loma Linda, California, this small private not-for-profit school awarded 25 diplomas to qualified doctorate’s nursing students in 2020-2021.

Loma Linda University also made our “Best Nursing Doctor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #3.Of the 4,468 students enrolled at Loma Linda University, 1 were GI Bill® students, according to our most recent data. Out of that number, 0 were Post-9/11 GI Bill® recipients. The average Post-9/11 GI Bill® award for tuition and fees at the school was $0. To help with additional expenses, 0 students qualified for the Yellow Ribbon Program.

The low undergrad student loan default rate of [DEFAULT_RATE_STRING]% 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 impressive undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio of 3 to 1 means that students may have more opportunities to work more closely with their professors than they would at other schools.

Full Loma Linda University Veteran Student Life Report

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