2025 Best Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Associate Degree Schools in California
an associate degree in
practical nursing & nursing assistants is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #57 out of 328 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. As a result, there are many college that offer the degree, making your choice of school a hard one.
For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 23 schools in California to determine which ones were the best for practical nursing & nursing assistants students pursuing a associate degree. Combined, these schools handed out 1,285 associate degrees in practical nursing & nursing assistants to qualified students.
Jump to one of the following sections: * Our Methodology
Choosing a Great Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants School for Your Associate Degree
Your choice of practical nursing & nursing assistants for getting your associate degree school matters. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. To make it into this list, a school must excel in the following areas.
A Great Overall School
The overall quality of a associate degree school is important to ensure a quality education, not just how well they do in a particular major. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Early-Career Earnings
Average early-career salary of those graduating with their associate degree is one indicator we use in our analysis to find the schools that offer the highest-quality education. That is, everyone wants their associate degree to be worth something, and salaries are one measure of determining that.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to practical nursing & nursing assistants students as compared to other majors.
- Major Demand - How many other practical nursing & nursing assistants students want to attend this school to pursue a associate degree.
- Educational Resources - The amount of money and other resources allocated to students while they are pursuing their degree. These resources include such things as number of students per instructor and education expenditures per student.
- Student Debt - How easy is it for practical nursing & nursing assistants to pay back their student loans after receiving their associate degree.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized practical nursing & nursing assistants related body.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for practical nursing & nursing assistants students working on their associate degree.
One Size Does Not Fit All
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 Associate Degree Schools in California list to help you make the college decision.
Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants in California
Explore the top ranked colleges and universities for practical nursing & nursing assistants students seeking a an associate degree.
10 Top California Schools for an Associate in Practical Nursing
It is difficult to beat Carrington College, Sacramento if you wish to pursue an associate degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants. Located in the suburb of Sacramento, Carrington College, Sacramento is a private for-profit college with a small student population.
Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants associate degree recipients from Carrington College, Sacramento earn a boost of around $7,043 above the typical earnings of practical nursing & nursing assistants graduates.
More information about a associate in practical nursing & nursing assistants from Carrington College, Sacramento
It is hard to beat Southwestern College if you wish to pursue an associate degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants. Located in the city of Chula Vista, SWC Chula Vista is a public college with a large student population.More information about a associate in practical nursing & nursing assistants from Southwestern College
Every student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants needs to take a look at Riverside City College. Located in the large city of Riverside, Riverside City College is a public college with a very large student population.More information about a associate in practical nursing & nursing assistants from Riverside City College
Allan Hancock College is a wonderful choice for students interested in an associate degree in practical nursing & nursing assistants. Located in the midsize city of Santa Maria, Allan Hancock College is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in practical nursing & nursing assistants from Allan Hancock College
Located in the rural area of Oroville, Butte College is a public college with a fairly large student population.
Those practical nursing & nursing assistants students who get their associate degree from Butte College receive $7,475 more than the standard practical nursing graduate.
More information about a associate in practical nursing & nursing assistants from Butte College
