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2025 Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Far Western US Region

24 Colleges in the Far Western US Region
10,180 Practical Nursing Degrees Awarded
$43,800 Avg Early-Career Salary
When it comes to popularity, practical nursing & nursing assistants sits in the middle of the road, ranking #187 out of 395 majors in the country. So, you may have to do some digging around to find quality schools that offer the degree program. This list can help with that.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 24 schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones were the best for practical nursing & nursing assistants students pursuing a degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 10,180 degrees in practical nursing & nursing assistants during the 2021-2022 academic year.

What's on this page: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants School

Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Far Western US Region Your choice of practical nursing & nursing assistants school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

In order to find the schools that are the best fit for you, you may want to filter to one of the degree levels below.

Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Practical Nursing

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in the Far Western US Region list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

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.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants in the Far Western US Region

The schools below may not offer all types of practical nursing degrees so you may want to filter by degree level first. However, they are great for the degree levels they do offer.

10 Top Far Western US Region Schools in Practical Nursing

1
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
174 Practical Nursing Degrees Awarded
$63,264 Median Starting Salary

Every student pursuing a degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants has to look into Carrington College, Sacramento. Carrington College, Sacramento is a small private for-profit college located in the large suburb of Sacramento.

There were about 174 practical nursing & nursing assistants students who graduated with this degree at Carrington College, Sacramento in the most recent year we have data available. Those practical nursing & nursing assistants students who get their degree from Carrington College, Sacramento receive $19,464 more than the typical practical nursing student.

More information about a degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants from Carrington College, Sacramento

2
SWC Chula Vista crest
Southwestern College
Chula Vista, CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
8th Most Popular In CA
90 Practical Nursing Degrees Awarded

Southwestern College is one of the finest schools in the country for getting a degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants. SWC Chula Vista is a large public college located in the large city of Chula Vista. A Best Colleges rank of #120 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means SWC Chula Vista is a great college overall.

There were about 90 practical nursing & nursing assistants students who graduated with this degree at SWC Chula Vista in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants from Southwestern College

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BS in Nursing - RN to BSN Program Name

With the affordable and transfer-friendly online RN to BSN program at Southern New Hampshire University, you can build upon your prior educational journey and enhance your professional experience in a program designed to fit around your schedule.

More information about a degree in BS in Nursing - RN to BSN from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

3
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
7th Most Popular In CA
200 Practical Nursing Degrees Awarded

Every student who is interested in practical nursing & nursing assistants has to check out Riverside City College. Riverside City College is a fairly large public college located in the city of Riverside. This college ranks 71st out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 200 practical nursing & nursing assistants students who graduated with this degree at Riverside City College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants from Riverside City College

4
Allan Hancock College crest
Allan Hancock College
Santa Maria, CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
10th Most Popular In CA
124 Practical Nursing Degrees Awarded

Allan Hancock College is a wonderful decision for students interested in a degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants. Allan Hancock College is a large public college located in the medium-sized city of Santa Maria. A Best Colleges rank of #307 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Allan Hancock College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 124 practical nursing & nursing assistants students who graduated with this degree at Allan Hancock College in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants from Allan Hancock College

5
Butte College crest
Butte College
Oroville, CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
145 Practical Nursing Degrees Awarded
46.2% Growth in Graduates

Butte College is a fairly large public college located in the rural area of Oroville. This college ranks 63rd out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were about 145 practical nursing & nursing assistants students who graduated with this degree at Butte College in the most recent year we have data available. Those practical nursing & nursing assistants students who get their degree from Butte College earn $21,667 more than the average practical nursing student.

More information about a degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants from Butte College

6
Cuesta College crest
Cuesta College
San Luis Obispo, CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
23rd Most Popular In CA

Located in the rural area of San Luis Obispo, Cuesta College is a public college with a fairly large student population. This college ranks 112th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 8 practical nursing & nursing assistants students who graduated with this degree at Cuesta College in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants from Cuesta College

7
Mission College crest
Mission College
Santa Clara, CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
12th Most Popular In CA
97 Practical Nursing Degrees Awarded

Mission College is a medium-sized public college located in the midsize city of Santa Clara. A Best Colleges rank of #309 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Mission College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 97 practical nursing & nursing assistants students who graduated with this degree at Mission College in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants from Mission College

Sponsored
Bachelors Degree Type
BS in Nursing - RN to BSN - Accelerated RN to MSN Program Name

At Southern New Hampshire University, we understand the demands placed on today's nursing professionals. When it comes to your education, consider saving money and time by electing the RN to MSN pathway. Eligible students will complete graduate courses within their undergraduate program. This pathway allows you to gain a BSN along the way and ultimately shorten your time within the MSN Nursing Education or Population Healthcare tracks.

More information about a degree in BS in Nursing - RN to BSN - Accelerated RN to MSN from Southern New Hampshire University

Related Programs

8
SBCC crest
Santa Barbara City College
Santa Barbara, CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
28th Most Popular In CA
46 Practical Nursing Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Santa Barbara, SBCC is a public college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #289 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SBCC is a great college overall.

There were roughly 46 practical nursing & nursing assistants students who graduated with this degree at SBCC in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants from Santa Barbara City College

9
Sacramento City crest
Sacramento City College
Sacramento, CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In CA
70 Practical Nursing Degrees Awarded

Located in the large city of Sacramento, Sacramento City is a public college with a large student population. This college ranks 93rd out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 70 practical nursing & nursing assistants students who graduated with this degree at Sacramento City in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants from Sacramento City College

10
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
2nd Most Popular In WA
60 Practical Nursing Degrees Awarded

GRC is a moderately-sized public college located in the small city of Auburn. This college ranks 13th out of 50 colleges for overall quality in the state of Washington.

There were roughly 60 practical nursing & nursing assistants students who graduated with this degree at GRC in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants from Green River College

Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Colleges by State

Explore the best practical nursing & nursing assistants schools for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
California 330 1,055
Washington 300 113
Nevada 192 0

View All Rankings >

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

Practical Nursing Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Licensed Practical/Vocational Nurse Training 6,762
Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant/Aide 2,149
Other Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants 1,269

View All Practical Nursing Focus Areas >

Majors Similar to Practical Nursing

Related Major Annual Graduates
Nursing 28,627
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 19,921
Allied Health Professions 11,943
Health & Medical Administrative Services 9,011
Health Sciences & Services 8,038
Public Health 7,547
Dental Support Services 6,022
Mental & Social Health Services 4,719
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 3,825
Communication Sciences 3,058

View All Practical Nursing Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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