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2024 Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California

70 Colleges in California
5,625 Associate Degrees
$74,973 Avg Early-Career Salary
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.

College Factual reviewed 70 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for associate degree seekers in the field of nursing. Combined, these schools handed out 5,625 associate degrees in nursing to qualified students.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

Choosing a Great Nursing School for Your Associate Degree

Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California Your choice of nursing for getting your associate degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:

Quality Overall Is Important

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To take this into account we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of different factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Average Earnings

One measure we use to determine the quality of a school is to look at the average salary of associate graduates during the early years of their career. This is because one of the main reasons people pursue their associate degree is to enable themselves to find better-paying positions.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for nursing students working on their associate degree.

More Ways to Rank Nursing Schools

Rankings by Location Check Out Other Locales
More Nursing Rankings Other Ranking Categories

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 the Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California.


 

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Nursing in California

The following list ranks the best 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.

10 Top California Schools for an Associate in Nursing

1
Pacific College crest
Pacific College
Costa Mesa, CA

It is hard to beat Pacific College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in nursing. Located in the medium-sized city of Costa Mesa, Pacific College is a private for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a associate in nursing from Pacific College

2
45 Annual Graduates
$67,666 Median Starting Salary
$23,333 Median Student Debt

Any student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in nursing has to look into Mount Saint Mary's University. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles.

Students who graduate with their associate from the nursing program state that they receive average early career wages of $67,666.

More information about a associate in nursing from Mount Saint Mary’s University

3
123 Annual Graduates

San Joaquin Delta College is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting an associate degree in nursing. Located in the city of Stockton, Delta is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in nursing from San Joaquin Delta College

4
91 Annual Graduates
$27,000 Median Student Debt

It's difficult to beat Pacific Union College if you want to pursue an associate degree in nursing. Located in the rural area of Angwin, PUC is a private not-for-profit college with a fairly small student population.More information about a associate in nursing from Pacific Union College

5
75 Annual Graduates
$77,481 Median Starting Salary
$19,224 Median Student Debt

Located in the city of Los Angeles, L.A. County School of Nursing is a public college with a small student population.

Nursing associate degree recipients from Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health receive an earnings boost of around $2,508 above the average income of nursing majors.

More information about a associate in nursing from Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health

6
202 Annual Graduates
$77,104 Median Starting Salary
$8,000 Median Student Debt

Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno City College is a public college with a very large student population.

Nursing associate degree recipients from Fresno City College earn a boost of about $2,131 over the typical earnings of nursing majors.

More information about a associate in nursing from Fresno City College

7
48 Annual Graduates
$92,587 Median Starting Salary
$35,740 Median Student Debt

Carrington College, Sacramento is a small private for-profit college located in the large suburb of Sacramento.

Nursing associate degree recipients from Carrington College, Sacramento earn a boost of around $17,614 above the average earnings of nursing graduates.

More information about a associate in nursing from Carrington College, Sacramento

8
54 Annual Graduates
$97,454 Median Starting Salary
$14,700 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of Santa Rosa, SRJC is a public college with a fairly large student population.

Nursing associate degree recipients from Santa Rosa Junior College receive an earnings boost of approximately $22,481 over the typical earnings of nursing graduates.

More information about a associate in nursing from Santa Rosa Junior College

9
Butte College crest
Butte College
Oroville, CA
113 Annual Graduates
$88,944 Median Starting Salary
$15,375 Median Student Debt

Butte College is a moderately-sized public college located in the rural area of Oroville.

Those nursing students who get their associate degree from Butte College receive $13,971 more than the typical nursing student.

More information about a associate in nursing from Butte College

10
$80,981 Median Starting Salary
$22,750 Median Student Debt

Located in the midsize city of Ontario, is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

Nursing associate degree recipients from San Joaquin Valley College-Ontario receive an earnings boost of about $6,008 over the typical earnings of nursing majors.

More information about a associate in nursing from San Joaquin Valley College-Ontario

Honorable Mentions

These are some additional schools worth mentioning that are also great but just didn't quite make the cut to earn our top Best Nursing Associate Degree Schools in California award.

Rank College Location
11 Riverside City College Riverside, CA
12 Saddleback College Mission Viejo, CA
13 Merced College Merced, CA
14 Modesto Junior College Modesto, CA
15 College of the Canyons Santa Clarita, CA
16 Pasadena City College Pasadena, CA
17 San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia Visalia, CA

Best Nursing Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Nursing Schools in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Oregon 147 608
Washington 131 1,825
Nevada 112 533
Hawaii 59 135

View All Rankings >

Nursing is one of 34 different types of Health Professions programs to choose from.

Nursing Concentrations

Major Annual Graduates
Registered Nursing 5,625

Related Major Annual Graduates
Health Sciences & Services 3,763
Allied Health Professions 2,984
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 1,367
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants 1,055
Dental Support Services 799
Health & Medical Administrative Services 654
Health/Medical Prep Programs 372
Mental & Social Health Services 304
Communication Sciences 110
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 98

Notes and References

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