Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants programs in California
173 schools in California teach this, at certificate or associate level. 63 of them report what graduates earn two years out; the highest is $65,332 at College of the Siskiyous.
What this work pays in California
Nursing Assistants in California earn a median of $47,630 a year across 110,060 jobs. That is what the occupation pays everyone in it — not what graduates of any one program below earned.
| Also leads to | Median | Jobs in California |
|---|---|---|
| Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses | $79,750 | 82,850 |
Occupation wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, 2025.
Schools
| School | Credential | Median debt | Graduate earnings, 2 yrs | Graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| College of the Siskiyous Weed | Associate's degree | — | $65,332 (11 grads) | 11 |
| Unitek College Fremont | Associate's degree | $12,523 | $54,697 (48 grads) | 333 |
| Unitek College South San Francisco | Undergraduate certificate | $16,973 | $53,699 (148 grads) | 109 |
| Unitek College Hayward | Undergraduate certificate | $16,973 | $53,699 (148 grads) | 134 |
| Unitek College Fremont | Undergraduate certificate | $16,610 | $51,180 (381 grads) | 931 |
| Xavier College School of Nursing Stockton | Undergraduate certificate | $16,687 | $49,618 (68 grads) | 45 |
| Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa | Associate's degree | — | $48,849 (15 grads) | 0 |
| Carrington College-Sacramento Sacramento | Associate's degree | $18,941 | $47,260 (63 grads) | 99 |
| Carrington College-San Jose San Jose | Associate's degree | $18,941 | $47,260 (63 grads) | 1 |
| Ukiah Adult School Ukiah | Undergraduate certificate | — | $47,260 (23 grads) | 0 |
| Merced College Merced | Undergraduate certificate | — | $45,696 (14 grads) | 84 |
| Smith Chason College Los Angeles | Undergraduate certificate | $16,640 | $45,500 (49 grads) | 140 |
| Concorde Career College-North Hollywood North Hollywood | Undergraduate certificate | $17,179 | $45,109 (127 grads) | 154 |
| Angeles Institute ARTESIA | Undergraduate certificate | $17,783 | $44,590 (30 grads) | 33 |
| Stanbridge University Irvine | Undergraduate certificate | $19,996 | $43,868 (209 grads) | 168 |
| Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts San Jose | Undergraduate certificate | $17,317 | $43,712 (152 grads) | 559 |
| Carrington College-Sacramento Sacramento | Undergraduate certificate | $17,375 | $42,682 (127 grads) | 75 |
| Carrington College-San Jose San Jose | Undergraduate certificate | $17,375 | $42,682 (127 grads) | 23 |
| Pacific College Costa Mesa | Undergraduate certificate | — | $42,495 (146 grads) | 8 |
| Concorde Career College-San Diego San Diego | Undergraduate certificate | $17,179 | $42,433 (70 grads) | 90 |
| Medical Allied Career Center Santa Fe Springs | Undergraduate certificate | $17,130 | $41,565 (31 grads) | 30 |
| Marian Health Careers Center-Los Angeles Campus Los Angeles | Undergraduate certificate | $10,897 | $41,441 (80 grads) | 53 |
| Marian Health Careers Center-Van Nuys Campus Van Nuys | Undergraduate certificate | $10,897 | $41,441 (80 grads) | 36 |
| San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield Bakersfield | Associate's degree | $20,000 | $41,441 (50 grads) | 28 |
| San Joaquin Valley College-Rancho Mirage Rancho Mirage | Associate's degree | $20,000 | $41,441 (50 grads) | 10 |
| San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria Santa Maria | Associate's degree | $20,000 | $41,441 (50 grads) | 10 |
| San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia Visalia | Associate's degree | $20,000 | $41,441 (50 grads) | 52 |
| Glendale Career College Glendale | Undergraduate certificate | $14,845 | $41,193 (167 grads) | 33 |
| North-West College-San Diego San Diego | Undergraduate certificate | $14,845 | $41,193 (167 grads) | 0 |
| Integrity College of Health Pasadena | Undergraduate certificate | $16,482 | $39,729 (32 grads) | 0 |
| Homestead Schools Torrance | Undergraduate certificate | $18,040 | $39,153 (46 grads) | 71 |
| Homestead Schools-Costa Mesa Costa Mesa | Undergraduate certificate | $18,040 | $39,153 (46 grads) | — |
| CES College Burbank | Undergraduate certificate | $16,810 | $39,009 (32 grads) | 33 |
| Clovis Adult Education Clovis | Undergraduate certificate | — | $38,829 (35 grads) | 132 |
| California Nurses Educational Institute Rancho Mirage | Undergraduate certificate | $20,000 | $38,018 (67 grads) | 149 |
| Blake Austin College Vacaville | Undergraduate certificate | $17,900 | $37,928 (38 grads) | 109 |
| American Career College-Anaheim Anaheim | Undergraduate certificate | $17,200 | $37,793 (541 grads) | 219 |
| American Career College-Los Angeles Los Angeles | Undergraduate certificate | $17,200 | $37,793 (541 grads) | 229 |
| Career Networks Institute Santa Ana | Undergraduate certificate | — | $37,606 (191 grads) | 0 |
| North-West College-Van Nuys Van Nuys | Undergraduate certificate | $15,487 | $37,568 (53 grads) | 37 |
| Beaumont Adult School Beaumont | Undergraduate certificate | $17,033 | $36,745 (37 grads) | 20 |
| American Career College-Ontario Ontario | Undergraduate certificate | $17,200 | $36,684 (354 grads) | 232 |
| Summit College San Bernardino | Undergraduate certificate | $17,492 | $36,668 (265 grads) | 189 |
| Institute of Technology Clovis | Undergraduate certificate | $16,719 | $36,279 (73 grads) | 285 |
| Concorde Career College-Garden Grove Garden Grove | Undergraduate certificate | $17,179 | $36,237 (144 grads) | 79 |
| California Career Institute Anaheim | Undergraduate certificate | $17,363 | $36,129 (145 grads) | 80 |
| Career Development Institute Inc Los Angeles | Undergraduate certificate | $16,873 | $35,416 (77 grads) | 81 |
| North-West College-Anaheim Anaheim | Undergraduate certificate | $18,482 | $34,625 (302 grads) | 8 |
| North-West College-Long Beach Long Beach | Undergraduate certificate | $18,482 | $34,625 (302 grads) | 36 |
| North-West College-Pomona Pomona | Undergraduate certificate | $18,482 | $34,625 (302 grads) | 52 |
| North-West College-Riverside Riverside | Undergraduate certificate | $18,482 | $34,625 (302 grads) | 37 |
| Casa Loma College-Los Angeles Sherman Oaks | Undergraduate certificate | — | $34,157 (154 grads) | — |
| Career Care Institute Lancaster | Undergraduate certificate | $17,246 | $33,807 (281 grads) | 142 |
| California Career College Canoga Park | Undergraduate certificate | — | $33,565 (62 grads) | 0 |
| Imperial Valley College Imperial | Associate's degree | — | $33,565 (17 grads) | 18 |
| North-West College-West Covina West Covina | Undergraduate certificate | $18,075 | $32,658 (112 grads) | 84 |
| Concorde Career College-San Bernardino San Bernardino | Undergraduate certificate | $17,179 | $32,284 (122 grads) | 101 |
| Premiere Career College Irwindale | Undergraduate certificate | $20,000 | $30,988 (45 grads) | 23 |
| Platt College-Anaheim Anaheim | Undergraduate certificate | — | $29,685 (15 grads) | 0 |
| Platt College-Los Angeles Alhambra | Undergraduate certificate | — | $29,685 (15 grads) | 5 |
| Platt College-Riverside Riverside | Undergraduate certificate | — | $29,685 (15 grads) | 0 |
| Healthcare Career College Paramount | Undergraduate certificate | $20,000 | $24,035 (24 grads) | 0 |
| Hacienda La Puente Adult Education La Puente | Undergraduate certificate | — | $20,140 (65 grads) | 61 |
| American Medical Sciences Center Glendale | Undergraduate certificate | $16,092 | not published | — |
| Angeles College Los Angeles | Undergraduate certificate | $20,000 | not published | 97 |
| Butte College Oroville | Associate's degree | $11,824 | not published | 27 |
| Charles A Jones Career and Education Center Sacramento | Undergraduate certificate | $9,496 | not published | 46 |
| City College of San Francisco San Francisco | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 45 |
| College of the Desert Palm Desert | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts San Jose | Associate's degree | $17,779 | not published | 155 |
| High Desert Medical College Lancaster | Undergraduate certificate | $17,567 | not published | 261 |
| National Career College Panorama City | Undergraduate certificate | $17,947 | not published | 63 |
| Pacific College Costa Mesa | Associate's degree | — | not published | 102 |
| The Chicago School at Los Angeles Los Angeles | Undergraduate certificate | $19,125 | not published | — |
| Agape College of Business and Science Fresno | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Allan Hancock College Santa Maria | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 89 |
| Allan Hancock College Santa Maria | Associate's degree | — | not published | 35 |
| American River College Sacramento | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 11 |
| Annenberg School of Nursing Reseda | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 19 |
| Antelope Valley Community College District Lancaster | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 23 |
| Bakersfield College Bakersfield | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 2 |
| Butte College Oroville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 118 |
| California Career College Canoga Park | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| California Career Institute Anaheim | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Central Coast College Salinas | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 55 |
| Cerro Coso Community College Ridgecrest | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 18 |
| Cerro Coso Community College Ridgecrest | Associate's degree | — | not published | 9 |
| Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 62 |
| Chaffey College Rancho Cucamonga | Associate's degree | — | not published | 23 |
| Citrus College Glendora | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 28 |
| Citrus College Glendora | Associate's degree | — | not published | 22 |
| College of the Canyons Santa Clarita | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| College of the Desert Palm Desert | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| College of the Redwoods Eureka | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| College of the Redwoods Eureka | Associate's degree | — | not published | 4 |
| College of the Sequoias Visalia | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 49 |
| College of the Siskiyous Weed | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 12 |
| Columbia College Sonora | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Contra Costa Medical Career College Antioch | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Copper Mountain Community College Joshua Tree | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 12 |
| Copper Mountain Community College Joshua Tree | Associate's degree | — | not published | 13 |
| Cuesta College San Luis Obispo | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Cuesta College San Luis Obispo | Associate's degree | — | not published | 8 |
| Downey Adult School Downey | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 50 |
| Feather River Community College District Quincy | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 9 |
| Feather River Community College District Quincy | Associate's degree | — | not published | 6 |
| Fresno City College Fresno | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Gavilan College Gilroy | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Gavilan College Gilroy | Associate's degree | — | not published | 15 |
| Hacienda La Puente Adult Education La Puente | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Hartnell College Salinas | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 56 |
| Hartnell College Salinas | Associate's degree | — | not published | 29 |
| High Desert Medical College Lancaster | Associate's degree | — | not published | 16 |
| Imperial Valley College Imperial | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 8 |
| Lassen Community College Susanville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 27 |
| Lassen Community College Susanville | Associate's degree | — | not published | 26 |
| Long Beach City College Long Beach | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 42 |
| Long Beach City College Long Beach | Associate's degree | — | not published | 37 |
| Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health Los Angeles | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Los Angeles Harbor College Wilmington | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Los Angeles Mission College Sylmar | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 3 |
| Los Medanos College Pittsburg | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 32 |
| Madera Community College Madera | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 10 |
| Madera Community College Madera | Associate's degree | — | not published | 21 |
| Merced College Merced | Associate's degree | — | not published | 29 |
| Merritt College Oakland | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Milan Institute-Visalia Visalia | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| MiraCosta College Oceanside | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| MiraCosta College Oceanside | Associate's degree | — | not published | 2 |
| Mission College Santa Clara | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 77 |
| Mission College Santa Clara | Associate's degree | — | not published | 20 |
| Modesto Junior College Modesto | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 1 |
| Moreno Valley College Moreno Valley | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Mount Saint Mary's University Los Angeles | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Mt San Jacinto Community College District San Jacinto | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Mt. Diablo Adult Education-Mt. Diablo USD Concord | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 24 |
| Napa Valley College Napa | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Napa Valley College Napa | Associate's degree | — | not published | 1 |
| National University San Diego | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Norco College Norco | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| Palo Verde College Blythe | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 43 |
| Pasadena City College Pasadena | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 18 |
| Pasadena City College Pasadena | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Platt College-Los Angeles Alhambra | Associate's degree | — | not published | 16 |
| Platt College-Riverside Riverside | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Porterville College Porterville | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Premiere Career College Irwindale | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| Reedley College Reedley | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 8 |
| Reedley College Reedley | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| Rio Hondo College Whittier | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 11 |
| Rio Hondo College Whittier | Associate's degree | — | not published | 6 |
| Riverside City College Riverside | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 157 |
| Riverside City College Riverside | Associate's degree | — | not published | 43 |
| Riverside County Office of Education-School of Career Education Riverside | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 18 |
| Sacramento City College Sacramento | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 36 |
| Sacramento City College Sacramento | Associate's degree | — | not published | 34 |
| Saddleback College Mission Viejo | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| San Joaquin Delta College Stockton | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| San Joaquin Delta College Stockton | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield Bakersfield | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 18 |
| San Joaquin Valley College-Rancho Mirage Rancho Mirage | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 11 |
| Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 27 |
| Santa Barbara City College Santa Barbara | Associate's degree | — | not published | 19 |
| Santa Rosa Junior College Santa Rosa | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 80 |
| Shasta College Redding | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 15 |
| Solano Community College Fairfield | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 0 |
| Southwestern College Chula Vista | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 86 |
| Southwestern College Chula Vista | Associate's degree | — | not published | 4 |
| Sri Sai Krish Institute ORANGE | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 18 |
| Stanbridge University Irvine | Associate's degree | — | not published | 0 |
| The Chicago School at Los Angeles Los Angeles | Associate's degree | — | not published | — |
| The Nurse Academy National City | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | — |
| West Valley College Saratoga | Undergraduate certificate | — | not published | 5 |
A dash under earnings or debt means the U.S. Department of Education has not published a figure for that program — it withholds any median computed from too few graduates, which covers about four of every five programs. It never means zero, and it says nothing about whether the program is any good. Where a figure is shown, the number of graduates behind it is shown with it.
Email me when these figures change
The U.S. Department of Education publishes new cost, debt and earnings figures once a year, and every number on this page changes at once. One email when that happens for Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants — nothing else, and nothing in between.
Program and outcome figures: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, released 2026-06-10.