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2024 Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California

19 Colleges in California
8,037 Practical Nursing Degrees Awarded
$40,752 Avg Early-Career Salary
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants isn't the most popular major in the world, but it's not the least popular either. To be more precise it ranks #187 in popularity out of 395 majors in the country. As such, the degree program isn't offered at every college in the United States, but there are schools that do have a program in the field that are top-notch when it comes to quality.

In 2024, College Factual analyzed 19 schools in order to identify the top ones for its Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 8,037 degrees in practical nursing & nursing assistants during the 2020-2021 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 California Your choice of practical nursing & nursing assistants school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. In order to come up with a best overall ranking for practical nursing & nursing assistants schools, we combine our degree-level rankings, weighting them by the number of degrees awarded at each 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

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we've developed the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Schools in California ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision. You can also filter this list by location to find schools closer to 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.

More information on how we come up with our rankings can be found here: College Factual's Data Methodology.

Best Schools for Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants in California

If you aren't interested in a particular degree level and want to know which schools are the overall best at delivering an education for the practical nursing degrees they offer, see the list below.

10 Top California Schools in Practical Nursing

1
Pacific College crest
Pacific College
Costa Mesa, CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
80 Practical Nursing Degrees Awarded
$44,471 Median Starting Salary

Pacific College is one of the finest schools in the United States for getting a degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants. Located in the city of Costa Mesa, Pacific College is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.

There were roughly 80 practical nursing & nursing assistants students who graduated with this degree at Pacific College in the most recent data year. Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants degree recipients from Pacific College earn a boost of approximately $3,719 over the average earnings of practical nursing & nursing assistants majors.

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

2
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
213 Practical Nursing Degrees Awarded
13.1% Growth in Graduates

Carrington College, Sacramento is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants. Carrington College, Sacramento is a small private for-profit college located in the suburb of Sacramento.

There were about 213 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 $8,189 more than the standard practical nursing grad.

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

3
Merced Community College District crest
Merced College
Merced, CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
24th Most Popular In CA

Every student who is interested in practical nursing & nursing assistants has to take a look at Merced College. Merced Community College District is a fairly large public college located in the city of Merced. A Best Colleges rank of #929 out of 2,217 schools nationwide means Merced Community College District is a great college overall.

There were about 12 practical nursing & nursing assistants students who graduated with this degree at Merced Community College District in the most recent year we have data available.

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

4
Butte College crest
Butte College
Oroville, CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
30th Most Popular In CA
78 Practical Nursing Degrees Awarded

It's difficult to beat Butte College if you want to pursue a degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants. Butte College is a medium-sized public college located in the rural area of Oroville. This college ranks 131st out of 168 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.

There were roughly 78 practical nursing & nursing assistants students who graduated with this degree at Butte College in the most recent year we have data available.

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

5

is a small private for-profit college located in the large city of Bakersfield.More information about a degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants from San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield

6
Sacramento City crest
Sacramento City College
Sacramento, CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
14th Most Popular In CA
41 Practical Nursing Degrees Awarded

Located in the city of Sacramento, Sacramento City is a public college with a large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #687 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Sacramento City is a great college overall.

There were about 41 practical nursing & nursing assistants students who graduated with this degree at Sacramento City in the most recent data year.

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

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

Riverside City College is a large public college located in the city of Riverside. A Best Colleges rank of #487 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Riverside City College is a great college overall.

There were roughly 156 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

8
Cuesta College crest
Cuesta College
San Luis Obispo, CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
23rd Most Popular In CA
58 Practical Nursing Degrees Awarded

Located in the suburb of San Luis Obispo, Cuesta College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #236 out of 2,217 colleges nationwide means Cuesta College is a great college overall.

There were approximately 58 practical nursing & nursing assistants students who graduated with this degree at Cuesta College in the most recent data year.

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

9
Reedley College crest
Reedley College
Reedley, CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
26th Most Popular In CA
37.5% Growth in Graduates

Reedley College is a moderately-sized public college located in the town of Reedley. This college ranks 153rd out of 168 schools for overall quality in the state of California.

There were approximately 16 practical nursing & nursing assistants students who graduated with this degree at Reedley College in the most recent data year.

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

9
Unitek College crest
Unitek College
Fremont, CA
Associate Degree Highest Degree Type
1,162 Practical Nursing Degrees Awarded
20.6% Growth in Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Fremont, Unitek College is a private for-profit college with a small student population.

There were roughly 1162 practical nursing & nursing assistants students who graduated with this degree at Unitek College in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the practical nursing & nursing assistants degree program at Unitek College make $14,938 more than the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.

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

Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Colleges in the Far Western US Region

Explore all the Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Colleges in the Far Western US Area or other specific states within that region.

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
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 5,606
Other Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants 1,223
Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant/Aide 1,208

View All Practical Nursing Focus Areas >

Related Major Annual Graduates
Nursing 18,633
Allied Health & Medical Assisting Services 12,446
Allied Health Professions 8,587
Health Sciences & Services 6,956
Health & Medical Administrative Services 6,833
Public Health 5,117
Dental Support Services 4,009
Rehabilitation & Therapeutic Professions 3,158
Mental & Social Health Services 2,890
Communication Sciences 2,260

View All Practical Nursing Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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