by our College Data Analytics Team
When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our “Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major” ranking - to help you make that decision.
In 2020-2021, 84,274 people earned their degree in practical nursing and nursing assistants, making the major the 187th most popular in the United States. In 2019-2020, practical nursing and nursing assistants graduates who were awarded their degree in 2017-2019, earned an average of $36,863 and had an average of $15,708 in loans still to pay off.
For this year’s “Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major” ranking, we looked at 114 colleges that offer a degree in practical nursing and nursing assistants. To top this list, a school must have a successful practical nursing and nursing assistants program that graduates more students in the field than other colleges that offer the same major.
See our ranking methodology to learn more.
Since the program you select can have a significant impact on your future, we’ve developed a number of rankings, including this “Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major” list, to help you choose the best school for you.
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.
The colleges and universities below are the best for practical nursing students.
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Unitek College. The school came in at #1 for the Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major. This small school is located in Fremont, California, and it awarded 1,162 ’s practical nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
With a freshman retention rate of 85%, the school does an excellent job of retaining its undergraduate students.
Full Unitek College Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Report
Out of the 114 schools in the Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major that were part of this year’s ranking, Universidad del Turabo landed the #2 spot on the list. Gurabo, is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s practical nursing degrees to 201 students in 2020-2021.
Full Universidad del Turabo Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Report
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts. It ranked #3 on our 2023 Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major list. San Mateo, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s practical nursing degrees to 876 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 4.4%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Carrington College, Sacramento. The school came in at #4 for the Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major. Located in Sacramento, California, this small private for-profit school handed out 213 degrees to qualified ’s practical nursing students in 2020-2021.
Full Carrington College, Sacramento Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Report
You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend Del Mar College. The school came in at #5 for the Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major. Del Mar College is located in Corpus Christi, Texas and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 99 ’s practical nursing degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at DMC
Bates Technical College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major ranking, coming in at #6. Bates Technical College is located in Tacoma, Washington and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 77 ’s practical nursing degrees to qualified students.
Read more about Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Bates Technical College
Pacific College ranked #7 on this year’s Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major list. This small school is located in Costa Mesa, California, and it awarded 80 ’s practical nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
With a undergrad student-to-faculty ratio of 9 to 1, it’s easy to see that the school is committed to helping their undergraduates succeed.
Read more about Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Pacific College
Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Metro did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major ranking, coming in at #8. Located in San Juan, , this medium-sized private not-for-profit school awarded 67 degrees to qualified ’s practical nursing students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo ranked #9 on this year’s Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major list. Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Arecibo is a small private not-for-profit school situated in Arecibo, . It awarded 64 ’s practical nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The undergrad student loan default rate at the school is 3.0%, which is quite low when compared to the national default rate of 10.1%.
Coconino Community College landed the #10 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major ranking. Coconino Community College is located in Flagstaff, Arizona and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 132 ’s practical nursing degrees to qualified students.
Full Coconino Community College Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Report
PITC Institute came in at #11 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major ranking. This small school is located in Wyncote, Pennsylvania, and it awarded 54 ’s practical nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.6% 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 PITC Institute Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Report
ATA College did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major ranking, coming in at #12. ATA College is a small private for-profit school situated in Louisville, Kentucky. It awarded 47 ’s practical nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Full ATA College Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Report
Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Aguadilla did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major ranking, coming in at #13. This small school is located in Aguadilla, , and it awarded 40 ’s practical nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
The low undergrad student loan default rate of 3.0% 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%.
North Dakota State College of Science came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major ranking. North Dakota State College of Science is a public institution located in Wahpeton, North Dakota. The school has a small population, and it awarded 38 ’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Full North Dakota State College of Science Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Report
Green River College ranked #15 on this year’s Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major list. Green River College is a medium-sized public school situated in Auburn, Washington. It awarded 66 ’s practical nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Full Green River College Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Report
Long Beach City College landed the #16 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major ranking. Located in Long Beach, California, this large public school handed out 83 degrees to qualified ’s practical nursing students in 2020-2021.
Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Long Beach City College
With a ranking of #17, Inter American University of Puerto Rico - Guayama did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major list. Guayama, is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private not-for-profit school handed out ’s practical nursing degrees to 34 students in 2020-2021.
The school has an impressive undergrad student loan default rate. It’s only 3.0%, which is much lower than the national rate of 10.1%.
Platt College - Tulsa ranked #18 on this year’s Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major list. Platt College - Tulsa is a small private for-profit school situated in Tulsa, Oklahoma. It awarded 33 ’s practical nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Platt College - Tulsa
With a ranking of #19, Citrus College did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major list. Located in Glendora, California, this medium-sized public school handed out 74 diplomas to qualified ’s practical nursing students in 2020-2021.
Full Citrus College Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Report
Arkansas Tech University came in at #20 in this year’s edition of the Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major ranking. ATU is located in Russellville, Arkansas and, has a medium-sized student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 105 ’s practical nursing degrees to qualified students.
Read full report on Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at ATU
Riverside City College landed the #21 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major ranking. Riverside City College is located in Riverside, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 156 ’s practical nursing degrees to qualified students.
Full Riverside City College Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Report
Caribbean University - Bayamon landed the #22 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major ranking. Caribbean University - Bayamon is located in Bayamon, and, has a small student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 29 ’s practical nursing degrees to qualified students.
Full Caribbean University - Bayamon Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Report
With a ranking of #22, Dickinson State University did quite well on the 2023 Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major list. This small school is located in Dickinson, North Dakota, and it awarded 29 ’s practical nursing degrees in 2020-2021.
Read more about Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at Dickinson State University
Southwestern College landed the #24 spot on the 2023 Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major ranking. Southwestern College is located in Chula Vista, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 64 ’s practical nursing degrees to qualified students.
Full SWC Chula Vista Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants Report
San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia did quite well in the 2023 Most Well Attended Practical Nursing Major ranking, coming in at #24. Visalia, California is the setting for this small institution of higher learning. The private for-profit school handed out ’s practical nursing degrees to 28 students in 2020-2021.
Read more about Practical Nursing & Nursing Assistants at San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia
Read more about our data sources and methodologies