Ranking
Best Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants Colleges in California 2026
Mission College leads this ROI ranking with an A+ value grade and a 25.07 school-wide ROI proxy. EduGradify ranks 23 eligible colleges here by earnings against net price.
23 eligible California colleges reporting awards in Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants, ranked by EduGradify's school-wide value signal.
- Schools ranked
- 23
- Cheapest net price
- $5,080
- Top earnings 10y
- $62,144
- Public / Private
- 20 / 3
Mission College
A+- ROI proxy
- 25.07
- Net price
- $5,080
- Earnings 10y
- $50,936
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Chaffey College
A+- ROI proxy
- 18.94
- Net price
- $5,672
- Earnings 10y
- $42,975
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Butte College
A+- ROI proxy
- 18.94
- Net price
- $5,520
- Earnings 10y
- $41,810
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Gavilan College
A+- ROI proxy
- 18.03
- Net price
- $6,542
- Earnings 10y
- $47,169
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Sacramento City College
A- ROI proxy
- 15.96
- Net price
- $6,614
- Earnings 10y
- $42,214
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
MiraCosta College
A- ROI proxy
- 14.94
- Net price
- $7,339
- Earnings 10y
- $43,845
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Los Medanos College
A- ROI proxy
- 14.26
- Net price
- $7,443
- Earnings 10y
- $42,454
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
College of the Redwoods
A- ROI proxy
- 13.12
- Net price
- $6,904
- Earnings 10y
- $36,243
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
American River College
A- ROI proxy
- 12.55
- Net price
- $7,999
- Earnings 10y
- $40,162
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Riverside City College
A- ROI proxy
- 12.26
- Net price
- $8,377
- Earnings 10y
- $41,091
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Santa Barbara City College
B- ROI proxy
- 10.53
- Net price
- $11,315
- Earnings 10y
- $47,647
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Copper Mountain Community College
B- ROI proxy
- 9.14
- Net price
- $9,105
- Earnings 10y
- $33,281
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Feather River Community College District
B- ROI proxy
- 8.83
- Net price
- $10,800
- Earnings 10y
- $38,142
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
College of the Siskiyous
B- ROI proxy
- 8.79
- Net price
- $11,120
- Earnings 10y
- $39,098
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Napa Valley College
B- ROI proxy
- 8.45
- Net price
- $14,644
- Earnings 10y
- $49,517
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Southwestern College
B- ROI proxy
- 7.90
- Net price
- $12,671
- Earnings 10y
- $40,060
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Los Angeles Mission College
B- ROI proxy
- 7.44
- Net price
- $13,380
- Earnings 10y
- $39,834
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Lassen Community College
C- ROI proxy
- 7.19
- Net price
- $12,517
- Earnings 10y
- $35,994
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Bakersfield College
C- ROI proxy
- 6.38
- Net price
- $14,621
- Earnings 10y
- $37,291
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Cerro Coso Community College
D- ROI proxy
- 4.77
- Net price
- $18,306
- Earnings 10y
- $34,963
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Smith Chason College
D- ROI proxy
- 4.22
- Net price
- $34,367
- Earnings 10y
- $58,004
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
Stanbridge University
D- ROI proxy
- 3.42
- Net price
- $45,372
- Earnings 10y
- $62,144
- Acceptance
- 10%
Glendale Career College
D- ROI proxy
- 2.11
- Net price
- $49,195
- Earnings 10y
- $41,472
- Acceptance
- Open / not reported
How we picked this list
This list starts with California schools reporting awards in Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants, excludes low-denominator, very small and incomplete records, then sorts by EduGradify's school-wide ROI proxy: ten-year median earnings weighed against average net price. The eligible set's average EduGradify ROI proxy is 11.01 (20 public, 3 private).
ROI lists require average net price of at least $4,600, enrollment of at least 500 and a reported graduation rate so unusually small denominators or incomplete records cannot dominate the public leaderboard.
Source transparency: every figure comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard public data set. See our full methodology for the ROI formula, value grade rules and missing-data handling.
FAQ
Who leads this ranking?
Mission College in Santa Clara, CA tops this ranking. EduGradify value grade is A+.
How does EduGradify pick this list?
We rank this set by roi proxy 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?
23 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.
Can I use this ranking as a final college decision?
Use it as a shortlist, not a final decision. The ranking compares school-wide federal data; you should still confirm program fit, aid letters, graduation path, transfer policies and current costs with each college.