Ranking

Best Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants Colleges in California 2026

32 California colleges offering Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants, ranked by EduGradify value grade.

Schools ranked: 25
Cheapest net price: $1,115
Top earnings 10y: $51,688
Public / Private: 25 / 0

Imperial Valley College

A+

Imperial, CA · Public

ROI score: 77.33
Net price: $1,115
Earnings 10y: $34,487
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Hartnell College

A+

Salinas, CA · Public

ROI score: 54.34
Net price: $2,039
Earnings 10y: $44,316
Acceptance: Open / not reported

West Valley College

A+

Saratoga, CA · Public

ROI score: 37.75
Net price: $3,423
Earnings 10y: $51,688
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Modesto Junior College

A+

Modesto, CA · Public

ROI score: 37.59
Net price: $2,818
Earnings 10y: $42,368
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Shasta College

A+

Redding, CA · Public

ROI score: 34.11
Net price: $2,878
Earnings 10y: $39,269
Acceptance: Open / not reported

College of the Canyons

A+

Santa Clarita, CA · Public

ROI score: 33.11
Net price: $3,702
Earnings 10y: $49,022
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Pasadena City College

A+

Pasadena, CA · Public

ROI score: 28.43
Net price: $3,864
Earnings 10y: $43,937
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Mission College

A+

Santa Clara, CA · Public

ROI score: 25.07
Net price: $5,080
Earnings 10y: $50,936
Acceptance: Open / not reported

Antelope Valley Community College District

A+

Lancaster, CA · Public

ROI score: 23.66
Net price: $3,860
Earnings 10y: $36,526
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#10

Chaffey College

A+

Rancho Cucamonga, CA · Public

ROI score: 18.94
Net price: $5,672
Earnings 10y: $42,975
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#11

Butte College

A+

Oroville, CA · Public

ROI score: 18.94
Net price: $5,520
Earnings 10y: $41,810
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#12

Gavilan College

A+

Gilroy, CA · Public

ROI score: 18.03
Net price: $6,542
Earnings 10y: $47,169
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#13

Sacramento City College

Sacramento, CA · Public

ROI score: 15.96
Net price: $6,614
Earnings 10y: $42,214
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#14

MiraCosta College

Oceanside, CA · Public

ROI score: 14.94
Net price: $7,339
Earnings 10y: $43,845
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#15

Los Medanos College

Pittsburg, CA · Public

ROI score: 14.26
Net price: $7,443
Earnings 10y: $42,454
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#16

College of the Redwoods

Eureka, CA · Public

ROI score: 13.12
Net price: $6,904
Earnings 10y: $36,243
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#17

American River College

Sacramento, CA · Public

ROI score: 12.55
Net price: $7,999
Earnings 10y: $40,162
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#18

Riverside City College

Riverside, CA · Public

ROI score: 12.26
Net price: $8,377
Earnings 10y: $41,091
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#19

Santa Barbara City College

Santa Barbara, CA · Public

ROI score: 10.53
Net price: $11,315
Earnings 10y: $47,647
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#20

Copper Mountain Community College

Joshua Tree, CA · Public

ROI score: 9.14
Net price: $9,105
Earnings 10y: $33,281
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#21

Feather River Community College District

Quincy, CA · Public

ROI score: 8.83
Net price: $10,800
Earnings 10y: $38,142
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#22

College of the Siskiyous

Weed, CA · Public

ROI score: 8.79
Net price: $11,120
Earnings 10y: $39,098
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#23

Napa Valley College

Napa, CA · Public

ROI score: 8.45
Net price: $14,644
Earnings 10y: $49,517
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#24

Southwestern College

Chula Vista, CA · Public

ROI score: 7.90
Net price: $12,671
Earnings 10y: $40,060
Acceptance: Open / not reported

#25

Los Angeles Mission College

Sylmar, CA · Public

ROI score: 7.44
Net price: $13,380
Earnings 10y: $39,834
Acceptance: Open / not reported

How we picked this list

This list starts with California schools with positive Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants program-share evidence, then sorts by EduGradify's school-wide ROI proxy: ten-year median earnings weighed against average net price. The set's average EduGradify ROI score is 22.06 (25 public, 0 private).

Every figure comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. See our full methodology for the formulas.

FAQ

Who leads this ranking?

Imperial Valley College in Imperial, CA tops this ranking. EduGradify value grade is A+.

How does EduGradify pick this list?

We rank this set by roi score using the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard — see our methodology for the full formula. No paid placements, no surveys.

How many California colleges are in this list?

32 California colleges qualified for this ranking based on available federal data.

What does net price mean here?

Net price is what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — not the sticker price. It is reported by each college to the U.S. Department of Education.