Find Schools

Study Area & Zipcode

Registered Nursing

Find Schools Near

2022 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Registered Nursing in California (With Aid)

45 Ranked Colleges
8,306 Degrees Awarded
$11,900 Avg Net Price*
Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor's in California For Those Getting Aid

When pursuing a degree in today’s world, students have many different options to choose from. College Factual was founded, in part, to help students make the decision as to what would be the best school for them. Our “Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking is part of that endeavor.

With 259,493 degrees handed out in 2019-2020, registered nursing is the 3rd most popular major in the United States.

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.

For this year’s “Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” ranking, we looked at 45 colleges that offer a degree in registered nursing. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great registered nursing programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the registered nursing program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

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 “Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid” list, to help you choose the best school for you.

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. When you have some time, check it out - you may want to bookmark the link so you don’t forget it.

Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid

The colleges and universities below are the best for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students with aid.

Top 25 Best Value Bachelor’s Degree Colleges for Registered Nursing in California (With Aid)

Out of the 45 schools in the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Los Angeles landed the #1 spot on the list. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 171 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Los Angeles is $2,768 for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students with aid.

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%.

Full California State University - Los Angeles Registered Nursing Report

Out of the 45 schools in the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Dominguez Hills landed the #2 spot on the list. CSUDH is a public institution located in Carson, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 130 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The yearly cost to attend California State University - Dominguez Hills is $4,215 for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read more about 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 Getting Aid. California State University - Stanislaus is a public institution located in Turlock, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 135 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

In addition to being on our california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students with aid list, Stan State has also earned the #18 rank in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend California State University - Stanislaus is $6,019 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students with aid.

Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%. 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%.

Full Stan State Registered Nursing Report

Out of the 45 schools in the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid that were part of this year’s ranking, California State University - Fresno landed the #4 spot on the list. Fresno State is located in Fresno, California and, has a large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 186 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to qualified students.

The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Fresno is $5,464 for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students with aid.

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%. Students who start out at the school are likely to stick around. The freshman retention rate is 87%.

Full California State University - Fresno Registered Nursing Report

#21 in overall quality

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 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid. Cal State Fullerton is a large public school situated in Fullerton, California. It awarded 295 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

Cal State Fullerton did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #21 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $7,991 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students with aid 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%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full California State University - Fullerton Registered Nursing Report

California State University - Bakersfield did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #6. Bakersfield, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to 102 students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $5,318 for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students with aid per year to attend California State University - Bakersfield.

Full CSUB Registered Nursing Report

With a ranking of #7, California State University - Northridge did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. CSUN is a large public school situated in Northridge, California. It awarded 90 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

It costs about $8,414 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students with aid per year to attend California State University - Northridge.

The student loan default rate at the school is 2.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.

Read more about Registered Nursing at CSUN

#17 in overall quality

California State University - Long Beach ranked #8 on this year’s Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. Long Beach, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to 236 students in 2019-2020.

CSULB did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #17 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSULB is $9,622 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students with aid.

With a freshman retention rate of 89%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students. The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 1.6%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at CSULB

#14 in overall quality

With a ranking of #9, California State University - Sacramento did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This large school is located in Sacramento, California, and it awarded 253 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

Sac State also made our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #14. The estimated yearly cost for California State University - Sacramento is $9,979 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students with aid.

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%.

Full Sac State Registered Nursing Report

#10

California State University - San Bernardino

San Bernardino, California

California State University - San Bernardino ranked #10 on this year’s Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. CSUSB is a fairly large public school situated in San Bernardino, California. It awarded 107 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for CSUSB is $7,342 for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students with aid.

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 more about Registered Nursing at California State University - San Bernardino

#19 in overall quality

California State University - San Marcos came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - San Marcos is located in San Marcos, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 345 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to qualified students.

CSUSM did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #19 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSUSM is $13,399 for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students with aid.

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%.

Full CSUSM Registered Nursing Report

#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 Getting Aid ranking. CSUMB is a medium-sized school located in Seaside, California that handed out 68 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

CSUMB not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #15 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. The estimated yearly cost for CSUMB is $12,212 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students with aid.

The low student loan default rate of 5.0% 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%.

Full CSUMB Registered Nursing Report

#13

San Diego State University

San Diego, California
#20 in overall quality

With a ranking of #13, San Diego State University did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. 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 also took the #20 spot in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $14,788 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students with aid per year to attend SDSU.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 2.8%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%. The school has an excellent freshman retention rate of 89%, which means students like the school well enough to return for a second year.

Full SDSU Registered Nursing Report

California State University - East Bay landed the #14 spot on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in Hayward, California, this fairly large public school awarded 190 diplomas to qualified bachelors’s registered nursing students in 2019-2020.

It costs about $11,116 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students with aid per year to attend California State University - East Bay.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at California State University - East Bay

#15

San Jose State University

San Jose, California
#13 in overall quality

San Jose State University did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #15. San Jose State University is a large public school situated in San Jose, California. It awarded 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 yearly cost to attend San Jose State is $14,928 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students with aid.

The low 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%. With a freshman retention rate of 86%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its students.

Read more about Registered Nursing at San Jose State

#16

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 Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #16. UOPX - California is a small private for-profit school situated in Costa Mesa, California. It awarded 203 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for UOPX - California is $12,664 for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students with aid.

Full University of Phoenix - California Registered Nursing Report

#22 in overall quality

California State University - Channel Islands did quite well in the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #17. California State University - Channel Islands is located in Camarillo, California and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 92 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees to qualified students.

CSUCI also took the #22 spot in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. It costs about $13,558 for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students with aid per year to attend CSUCI.

The low student loan default rate of 2.1% 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 Registered Nursing at CSUCI

#18

San Francisco State University

San Francisco, California
#25 in overall quality

San Francisco State University came in at #18 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. San Francisco State University is a public institution located in San Francisco, California. The school has a large population, and it awarded 114 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SFSU also made our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #25. It costs about $15,113 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students with aid per year to attend San Francisco State University.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at San Francisco State University

#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 Getting Aid ranking. SSU is a public institution located in Rohnert Park, California. The school has a medium-sized population, and it awarded 67 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

SSU did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #16 on our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” list. It costs about $17,478 for california bachelor’s degree registered nursing students with aid per year to attend SSU.

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%.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at Sonoma State University

California State University - Chico came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. California State University - Chico is a public institution located in Chico, California. The school has a fairly large population, and it awarded 117 bachelors’s degrees in 2019-2020.

The estimated yearly cost for Chico State is $15,017 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students with aid.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 3.3%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full California State University - Chico Registered Nursing Report

#21

American University of Health Sciences

Signal Hill, California
#8 in overall quality

With a ranking of #21, American University of Health Sciences did quite well on the 2022 Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This small school is located in Signal Hill, California, and it awarded 55 bachelors’s registered nursing 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. It costs about $21,706 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students with aid per year to attend AUHS Signal Hill.

Full American University of Health Sciences Registered Nursing Report

#22

United States University

San Diego, California

United States University came in at #22 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Located in San Diego, California, this small private for-profit school handed out 26 degrees to qualified bachelors’s registered nursing students in 2019-2020.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at USU

#23

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 Getting Aid ranking, coming in at #23. Fresno Pacific 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 $16,356 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students with aid.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at Fresno Pacific

#24

National University

La Jolla, California

National University ranked #24 on this year’s Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid list. This fairly large school is located in La Jolla, California, and it awarded 326 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

The school has an impressive student loan default rate. It’s only 4.5%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.

Full National University Registered Nursing Report

#25

Pacific College

Costa Mesa, California
#6 in overall quality

Pacific College came in at #25 in this year’s edition of the Best Value Registered Nursing Schools for a Bachelor’s in California For Those Getting Aid ranking. Pacific College is a small private for-profit school situated in Costa Mesa, California. It awarded 12 bachelors’s registered nursing degrees in 2019-2020.

Pacific College also took the #6 spot in our “Best Registered Nursing Bachelor’s Degree Schools in California” ranking. The yearly cost to attend Pacific College is $28,147 for California Bachelor’s Degree Registered Nursing students with aid.

With a student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.

Read full report on Registered Nursing at Pacific College

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