Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Registered Nursing

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

44 Ranked Colleges
8,306 Degrees Awarded
$8,100 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Making $0-$30k

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

Registered Nursing is one of the most popular majors in the nation, ranking 3rd of all the majors we analyze. In 2019-2020, 259,493 degrees were awarded to students with this major.

Across California, there were 16,063 registered nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the bachelor’s degree level specifically, there were 8,306 registered nursing graduates with average earnings and debt of $37,907 and $21,546 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking looked at 44 colleges that offer degrees in a bachelor’s in registered nursing. This ranking identifies schools with high-quality registered nursing programs that also have a lower cost than schools of similar quality.

When determining these rankings, we looked at things such as overall quality of the registered nursing program at the school and the cost to attend the school once aid has been awarded. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

More Ways to Rank Registered Nursing Schools

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

We’ve created a tool called College Combat that lets you create your own customized comparisons based on the factors that matter the most to you. Test it out by comparing your favorite schools against others you are considering, or bookmark the tool so you can experiment with it later.

Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The following schools top our list of the Best Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Registered Nursing (Income $0-$30k) in California

Out of the 44 schools in the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 171 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $1,379 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The 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 Registered Nursing at California State University - Los Angeles

Out of the 44 schools in the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #2 spot on the list. CSUDH is located in Carson, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 130 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to qualified students.

It costs about $2,455 for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend CSUDH.

The low student loan default rate of 2.6% 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 Registered Nursing at California State University - Dominguez Hills

#18 in overall quality

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Stanislaus. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Turlock, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to 135 students in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k list, Stan State has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Stan State is $3,410 for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.3%, 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 87%.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at California State University - Stanislaus

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend California State University - Fresno. The school came in at #4 for the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to 186 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,264 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Fresno.

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 student loan default rate of 4.7% 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%.

Full California State University - Fresno Registered Nursing Report

#21 in overall quality

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - Fullerton. It ranked #5 on our 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Cal State Fullerton is located in Fullerton, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 295 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to qualified students.

Cal State Fullerton not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #21 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $4,291 for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Cal State Fullerton.

The low student loan default rate of 2.7% 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Registered Nursing at California State University - Fullerton

California State University - Bakersfield came in at #6 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CSUB is a public institution located in Bakersfield, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 102 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $3,423 for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend California State University - Bakersfield.

Read more about Registered Nursing at California State University - Bakersfield

#17 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach landed the #7 spot on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school situated in Long Beach, California. It awarded 236 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

CSULB also took the #17 spot in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Long Beach is $6,364 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The low student loan default rate of 1.6% 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 Registered Nursing at CSULB

With a ranking of #8, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSUN is located in Northridge, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 90 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to qualified students.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Northridge is $5,945 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 2.0% 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 Registered Nursing at CSUN

#9

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#20 in overall quality

San Diego State University came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. San Diego State University is a public institution located in San Diego, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 224 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SDSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #20 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The yearly cost to attend SDSU is $8,870 for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 89%. The low student loan default rate of 2.8% 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 Registered Nursing at San Diego State University

#14 in overall quality

California State University - Sacramento ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Sacramento, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to 253 students in 2019-2020.

Sac State also took the #14 spot in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $6,819 for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend Sac State.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.6%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Registered Nursing at California State University - Sacramento

#11

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

With a ranking of #11, California State University - San Bernardino did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. CSUSB is a fairly large school located in San Bernardino, California that handed out 107 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - San Bernardino is $5,077 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 85%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at California State University - San Bernardino

#15 in overall quality

California State University - Monterey Bay landed the #12 spot on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Seaside, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 68 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s registered nursing students in 2019-2020.

CSUMB also made our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #15. The yearly cost to attend CSUMB is $7,688 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 5.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Monterey Bay Registered Nursing Report

#19 in overall quality

California State University - San Marcos came in at #13 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. California State University - San Marcos is a public institution located in San Marcos, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 345 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k list, CSUSM has also earned the #19 rank in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUSM is $9,517 for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.2%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at California State University - San Marcos

With a ranking of #14, California State University - East Bay did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. California State University - East Bay is a fairly large school located in Hayward, California that handed out 190 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - East Bay is $8,036 for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read more about Registered Nursing at California State University - East Bay

#15

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#13 in overall quality

San Jose State University ranked #15 on this year’s Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. San Jose State University is a large school located in San Jose, California that handed out 170 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

San Jose State also took the #13 spot in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for San Jose State University is $10,940 for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The 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 more about Registered Nursing at San Jose State

#16

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#25 in overall quality

San Francisco State University ranked #16 on this year’s Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. SFSU is located in San Francisco, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 114 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to qualified students.

SFSU not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #25 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for SFSU is $11,123 for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full San Francisco State University Registered Nursing Report

#22 in overall quality

California State University - Channel Islands came in at #17 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. CSUCI is a medium-sized school located in Camarillo, California that handed out 92 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUCI also took the #22 spot in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend CSUCI is $10,131 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.1%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at California State University - Channel Islands

California State University - Chico landed the #18 spot on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Located in Chico, California, this fairly large public school handed out 117 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s registered nursing students in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Chico State is $10,260 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low 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 Registered Nursing at Chico State

#19

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California
#16 in overall quality

Sonoma State University came in at #19 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Sonoma State University is a medium-sized public school situated in Rohnert Park, California. It awarded 67 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k list, SSU has also earned the #16 rank in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The estimated yearly cost for Sonoma State University is $12,263 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.7%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at SSU

#20

University of Phoenix - California

Costa Mesa, California

University of Phoenix - California did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #20. University of Phoenix - California is a small school located in Costa Mesa, California that handed out 203 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $12,680 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k per year to attend UOPX - California.

Full UOPX - California Registered Nursing Report

Vanguard University of Southern California landed the #21 spot on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. Costa Mesa, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to 24 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Vanguard is $15,222 for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

The low student loan default rate of 4.0% 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 Registered Nursing at Vanguard

#22

Pacific Union College

Angwin, California

With a ranking of #22, Pacific Union College did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. Angwin, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to 39 students in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for PUC is $15,901 for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at PUC

#23

American University of Health Sciences

Signal Hill, California
#8 in overall quality

American University of Health Sciences did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #23. American University of Health Sciences is a private for-profit institution located in Signal Hill, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 55 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

As a testament to the quality of education offered at AUHS Signal Hill, the school also landed the #8 spot in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at AUHS Signal Hill

#24

Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, California

Fresno Pacific University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking, coming in at #24. Fresno Pacific University is a private not-for-profit institution located in Fresno, California. The school has a small population, and it awarded 10 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend Fresno Pacific University is $11,410 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students whose families make $0-$30k.

Full Fresno Pacific University Registered Nursing Report

#25

National University

La Jolla, California

National University landed the #25 spot on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k ranking. La Jolla, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to 326 students in 2019-2020.

The student loan default rate at the school is 4.5%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at National University

Switch to a Different Ranking Method

Notes and References

References

  • 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 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).
  • Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

  • *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
  • Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

Featured Nursing Schools

Find Schools Near You