Nursing is of the hottest degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #3 most popular major in the country. This makes choosing the right school a hard decision.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 118 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for nursing students pursuing a degree. Combined, these schools handed out 19,867 degrees in nursing to qualified students.
Your choice of nursing school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Nursing School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we've developed a number of rankings, including this Best Nursing Schools in California list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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.
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 nursing degrees they offer, see the list below. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.
Every student who is interested in nursing has to check out Samuel Merritt University. Located in the large city of Oakland, Samuel Merritt University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
There were roughly 772 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Samuel Merritt University in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the nursing program at Samuel Merritt University make $43,338 above the typical college grad in this field shortly after graduation.
Loma Linda University is a wonderful option for students pursuing a degree in nursing. Located in the large suburb of Loma Linda, Loma Linda University is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
There were approximately 228.99999999999997 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Loma Linda University in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the nursing degree program at Loma Linda University make $35,932 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
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.
University of Southern California is a good decision for students interested in a degree in nursing. USC is a very large private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles. A Best Colleges rank of #13 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means USC is a great university overall.
There were roughly 89 nursing students who graduated with this degree at USC in the most recent data year. Nursing degree recipients from University of Southern California earn a boost of around $52,143 over the typical earnings of nursing graduates.
University of San Francisco is a wonderful choice for students pursuing a degree in nursing. USFCA is a medium-sized private not-for-profit university located in the city of San Francisco. A Best Colleges rank of #152 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means USFCA is a great university overall.
There were roughly 493 nursing students who graduated with this degree at USFCA in the most recent data year. Nursing degree recipients from University of San Francisco earn a boost of about $32,876 over the typical income of nursing majors.
Located in the large city of Los Angeles, UCLA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #28 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UCLA is a great university overall.
There were roughly 225 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UCLA in the most recent data year. Those nursing students who get their degree from University of California - Los Angeles earn $23,996 more than the typical nursing student.
Azusa Pacific is a moderately-sized private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Azusa. A Best Colleges rank of #143 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Azusa Pacific is a great university overall.
There were approximately 889 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Azusa Pacific in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the nursing program at Azusa Pacific University get $27,064 above the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
Located in the large city of Los Angeles, MSMU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. A Best Colleges rank of #186 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means MSMU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 319 nursing students who graduated with this degree at MSMU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the nursing major at Mount Saint Mary's University earn $10,690 above the standard college grad with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
BS in Nursing - RN to BSN - Accelerated RN to MSNProgram 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.
Located in the small suburb of Turlock, Stan State is a public university with a medium-sized student population. This university ranks 76th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 142 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Stan State in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from California State University - Stanislaus earn $35,249 more than the average nursing grad.
Located in the city of North Hollywood, West Coast University - Los Angeles is a private for-profit university with a small student population.
There were about 892 nursing students who graduated with this degree at West Coast University - Los Angeles in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from West Coast University - Los Angeles make $12,426 more than the standard nursing graduate.
CSULB is a fairly large public university located in the city of Long Beach. This university ranks 36th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 425 nursing students who graduated with this degree at CSULB in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the nursing degree program at California State University - Long Beach earn $30,063 more than the average college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
Located in the large city of Anaheim, West Coast University - Orange County is a private for-profit university with a small student population.
There were approximately 1289 nursing students who graduated with this degree at West Coast University - Orange County in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the nursing program at West Coast University - Orange County make $12,426 above the typical college graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
MJC is a large public college located in the medium-sized city of Modesto. A Best Colleges rank of #230 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means MJC is a great college overall.
There were about 102 nursing students who graduated with this degree at MJC in the most recent data year. Nursing degree recipients from Modesto Junior College receive an earnings boost of approximately $15,232 over the typical income of nursing majors.
SDSU is a fairly large public university located in the city of San Diego. A Best Colleges rank of #185 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SDSU is a great university overall.
There were roughly 229 nursing students who graduated with this degree at SDSU in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the nursing program at San Diego State University make $16,114 above the standard graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
Located in the large suburb of Los Angeles, CDU is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population.
There were approximately 287 nursing students who graduated with this degree at CDU in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the nursing program at Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science earn $44,634 above the average graduate in this field shortly after graduation.
PLNU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the large city of San Diego. This university ranks 58th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 158 nursing students who graduated with this degree at PLNU in the most recent data year. Nursing degree recipients from Point Loma Nazarene University earn a boost of approximately $16,230 above the average income of nursing majors.
MS in Nursing - Family Nurse PractitionerProgram Name
Break into one of the most high-demand occupations in the nation with your online MSN Family Nurse Practitioner track from Southern New Hampshire University.
Located in the small city of Merced, Merced Community College District is a public college with a large student population. This college ranks 39th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 53 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Merced Community College District in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from Merced College receive $22,917 more than the average nursing student.
Located in the city of San Diego, National University is a private not-for-profit university with a large student population. This university ranks 37th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were approximately 415 nursing students who graduated with this degree at National University in the most recent data year. Degree recipients from the nursing major at National University make $18,945 more than the average college graduate with the same degree shortly after graduation.
Located in the suburb of Sacramento, Carrington College, Sacramento is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
There were about 72 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Carrington College, Sacramento in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from Carrington College, Sacramento earn $20,316 more than the average nursing grad.
CSUSM is a large public university located in the suburb of San Marcos. This university ranks 65th out of 161 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
There were roughly 346 nursing students who graduated with this degree at CSUSM in the most recent data year. Those nursing students who get their degree from California State University - San Marcos earn $20,632 more than the average nursing grad.
Located in the city of San Rafael, DUofC is a private not-for-profit university with a small student population. This university ranks 54th out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 115 nursing students who graduated with this degree at DUofC in the most recent data year. Those nursing students who get their degree from Dominican University of California receive $13,655 more than the typical nursing student.
Located in the suburb of Fullerton, Cal State Fullerton is a public university with a very large student population. This university ranks 41st out of 161 colleges for overall quality in the state of California.
There were about 528 nursing students who graduated with this degree at Cal State Fullerton in the most recent data year. Those nursing students who get their degree from California State University - Fullerton make $43,520 more than the standard nursing graduate.
SFSU is a fairly large public university located in the city of San Francisco. A Best Colleges rank of #225 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means SFSU is a great university overall.
There were about 209 nursing students who graduated with this degree at SFSU in the most recent year we have data available. Nursing degree recipients from San Francisco State University receive an earnings boost of about $36,196 above the average income of nursing majors.
UC Irvine is a very large public university located in the large city of Irvine. A Best Colleges rank of #73 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UC Irvine is a great university overall.
There were about 88 nursing students who graduated with this degree at UC Irvine in the most recent year we have data available. Those nursing students who get their degree from University of California - Irvine earn $3,469 more than the standard nursing student.
Rest of the Top Best Nursing Schools in California
Additional Noteworthy Schools
Here are some additional great schools for Nursing students in the state of California that almost earned our Best Nursing Schools in California award.
The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
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 the rest 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).
Your choice of nursing school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Nursing School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.
