Best Nursing Schools in California (2026): Rankings and Reviews

California is one of the best-paid states for registered nurses, and competition for nursing school places is fierce. This guide ranks California BSN programmes using official federal data and reviews the top ten, so you can compare graduation rates, graduate earnings and cost across public and private universities.

Imagine applying to one popular Cal State nursing programme and being turned away despite good grades, because there were far more qualified applicants than places. Next year you apply to five programmes across different regions, and get in. In California, knowing your options is half the battle.

How we ranked these schools

We used the latest official data from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard. We included colleges in California that award a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN), and ranked those producing at least 20 BSN graduates a year by their graduation rate. We also show how much their nursing graduates earn and what tuition costs. Graduation rates are for each college as a whole, not nursing students alone.

California nursing schools ranked (2026)

Rank	College	City	Type	Graduation rate	BSN graduates a year	BSN graduates’ median earnings (1 year)	In-state tuition
1	University of California-Los Angeles	Los Angeles	Public	93%	50	$98,398	$15,729
2	University of California-Irvine	Irvine	Public	87%	46	$95,269	$16,235
3	San Diego State University	San Diego	Public	77%	200	$111,312	$9,180
4	Point Loma Nazarene University	San Diego	Private nonprofit	77%	94	$104,802	$48,450
5	Dominican University of California	San Rafael	Private nonprofit	75%	111	$128,516	$53,700
6	California State University-Long Beach	Long Beach	Public	70%	174	$104,884	$8,338
7	Westmont College	Santa Barbara	Private nonprofit	69%	37	n/a	$55,724
8	California State University-Fullerton	Fullerton	Public	69%	292	$110,306	$7,952
9	San Jose State University	San Jose	Public	68%	157	n/a	$8,846
10	University of San Francisco	San Francisco	Private nonprofit	68%	258	$120,438	$62,462
11	Biola University	La Mirada	Private nonprofit	68%	59	$100,604	$50,904
12	Azusa Pacific University	Azusa	Private nonprofit	62%	614	$106,669	$45,340
13	California State University-Chico	Chico	Public	62%	94	$114,417	$8,896
14	California Baptist University	Riverside	Private nonprofit	61%	188	$99,363	$42,788
15	California State University-Monterey Bay	Seaside	Public	61%	52	$127,203	$8,145
16	California State University-Fresno	Fresno	Public	58%	152	$101,988	$8,224
17	California State University-Northridge	Northridge	Public	57%	125	$107,276	$7,850
18	Sonoma State University	Rohnert Park	Public	57%	62	$134,423	$9,062
19	Vanguard University of Southern California	Costa Mesa	Private nonprofit	56%	54	$100,785	$43,400
20	California State University-Sacramento	Sacramento	Public	55%	212	$132,168	$9,014
21	Pacific Union College	Angwin	Private nonprofit	55%	55	$126,952	$38,310
22	Mount Saint Mary’s University	Los Angeles	Private nonprofit	55%	223	$104,483	$51,052
23	California State University-San Marcos	San Marcos	Public	55%	294	$110,156	$8,454
24	California State University-San Bernardino	San Bernardino	Public	54%	139	$100,101	$8,524
25	California State University-Los Angeles	Los Angeles	Public	54%	128	$104,058	$7,530
26	California State University-Channel Islands	Camarillo	Public	53%	70	$107,988	$7,596
27	California State University-Stanislaus	Turlock	Public	53%	120	$126,532	$8,690
28	Concordia University-Irvine	Irvine	Private nonprofit	53%	129	$107,439	$44,500
29	San Francisco State University	San Francisco	Public	50%	182	$145,008	$8,324
30	Fresno Pacific University	Fresno	Private nonprofit	50%	26	n/a	$37,760
31	California State University-Bakersfield	Bakersfield	Public	49%	71	$102,135	$8,496
32	California State University-East Bay	Hayward	Public	48%	141	$139,123	$7,993
33	California State University-Dominguez Hills	Carson	Public	42%	165	$116,349	$7,853
34	Simpson University	Redding	Private nonprofit	41%	47	$113,707	$40,880
35	Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science	Los Angeles	Private nonprofit	32%	39	n/a	$23,407

Also offering a BSN in California (not ranked: either a comparable graduation rate isn’t reported, often because they mainly enrol transfer, upper-division or adult students, or they’re for-profit career colleges whose college-wide rates aren’t comparable with universities):

College	City	Type	Graduation rate	BSN graduates a year	BSN graduates’ median earnings (1 year)	In-state tuition
California Career College	Canoga Park	Private for-profit	100%	50	n/a	n/a
Angeles College	Los Angeles	Private for-profit	90%	24	n/a	n/a
Career Networks Institute	Santa Ana	Private for-profit	88%	101	$116,832	$36,832
Unitek College	Fremont	Private for-profit	73%	355	$143,152	n/a
Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts	San Jose	Private for-profit	72%	75	$126,893	n/a
West Coast University-Anaheim-Orange County	Anaheim	Private for-profit	60%	1076	$100,459	$24,715
Stanbridge University	Irvine	Private for-profit	57%	79	$110,463	n/a
West Coast University-Ontario	Ontario	Private for-profit	47%	925	$100,459	$38,314
American University of Health Sciences	Signal Hill	Private for-profit	n/a	72	$95,423	$24,800
Chamberlain University-California	Rancho Cordova	Private for-profit	n/a	279	$89,974	$22,465
Loma Linda University	Loma Linda	Private nonprofit	n/a	150	$101,708	$21,032
National University	San Diego	Private nonprofit	n/a	262	$108,706	$13,284
Pacific College	Costa Mesa	Private for-profit	n/a	26	n/a	n/a
Samuel Merritt University	Oakland	Private nonprofit	n/a	471	$138,536	n/a
United States University	Sandy Springs	Private for-profit	n/a	28	$113,311	$7,158
University of Massachusetts Global	Aliso Viejo	Public	n/a	42	n/a	$12,560

Top California nursing schools reviewed

1. University of California-Los Angeles

UCLA’s School of Nursing is part of a leading research university and UCLA Health. Its small undergraduate cohort makes it one of the most selective BSN programmes in the country.

• Graduation rate: 93%, number 1 in California on our list
• Programme size: about 50 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year, a smaller programme with a more personal feel
• Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $98,398 one year after graduating
• Cost: $15,729 in-state tuition ($53,331 out of state)
• Acceptance rate: 9% (selective)

2. University of California-Irvine

UC Irvine’s Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing offers a research-focused BSN alongside UCI Health in Orange County.

• Graduation rate: 87%, number 2 in California on our list
• Programme size: about 46 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year, a smaller programme with a more personal feel
• Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $95,269 one year after graduating
• Cost: $16,235 in-state tuition ($53,837 out of state)
• Acceptance rate: 29% (selective)

3. San Diego State University

SDSU’s School of Nursing is a highly competitive public programme, and its graduates report excellent early earnings in San Diego’s job market.

• Graduation rate: 77%, number 3 in California on our list
• Programme size: about 200 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year
• Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $111,312 one year after graduating
• Cost: $9,180 in-state tuition ($25,500 out of state)
• Acceptance rate: 36% (selective)

4. Point Loma Nazarene University

A private Christian university on the San Diego coast with a strong graduation rate and high graduate earnings.

• Graduation rate: 77%, number 4 in California on our list
• Programme size: about 94 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year
• Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $104,802 one year after graduating
• Cost: $48,450 tuition a year before financial aid
• Acceptance rate: 84%

5. Dominican University of California

A small private university in Marin County whose nursing graduates report some of the highest early earnings on our list, reflecting the Bay Area job market.

• Graduation rate: 75%, number 5 in California on our list
• Programme size: about 111 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year
• Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $128,516 one year after graduating
• Cost: $53,700 tuition a year before financial aid
• Acceptance rate: 84%

6. California State University-Long Beach

Cal State Long Beach offers a well-established nursing programme at low public tuition, in the heart of Los Angeles County’s large hospital market.

• Graduation rate: 70%, number 6 in California on our list
• Programme size: about 174 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year
• Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $104,884 one year after graduating
• Cost: $8,338 in-state tuition ($21,658 out of state)
• Acceptance rate: 46% (selective)

7. Westmont College

A small Christian liberal arts college in Santa Barbara offering nursing in small cohorts.

• Graduation rate: 69%, number 7 in California on our list
• Programme size: about 37 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year, a smaller programme with a more personal feel
• Cost: $55,724 tuition a year before financial aid
• Acceptance rate: 77%

8. California State University-Fullerton

Cal State Fullerton combines a large nursing programme with low public tuition and strong early earnings in Orange County.

• Graduation rate: 69%, number 8 in California on our list
• Programme size: about 292 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year
• Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $110,306 one year after graduating
• Cost: $7,952 in-state tuition ($21,272 out of state)
• Acceptance rate: 91%

9. San Jose State University

San José State’s nursing programme serves Silicon Valley, one of the highest-paying regions for nurses in the US.

• Graduation rate: 68%, number 9 in California on our list
• Programme size: about 157 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year
• Cost: $8,846 in-state tuition ($22,166 out of state)
• Acceptance rate: 85%

10. University of San Francisco

USF’s School of Nursing and Health Professions is a large private programme in San Francisco with very strong graduate earnings.

• Graduation rate: 68%, number 10 in California on our list
• Programme size: about 258 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year
• Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $120,438 one year after graduating
• Cost: $62,462 tuition a year before financial aid
• Acceptance rate: 62%

Public CSU nursing programmes are often “impacted”, meaning there are more qualified applicants than places, so apply to several. Major nursing schools not ranked here include Samuel Merritt University, Loma Linda University and National University. Many for-profit colleges also offer BSNs in California; check their NCLEX results and total cost carefully.

But is a ranking enough to choose a school?

No ranking can tell you everything. Before you apply, also check:

• NCLEX pass rates: the California Board of Registered Nursing publishes first-time NCLEX-RN pass rates for every approved programme. Look for consistently high rates over several years.
• Accreditation: make sure the BSN is accredited by CCNE or ACEN.
• Getting into the nursing major: many universities admit students as “pre-nursing” first. Ask what share progress into the nursing programme.
• Clinical placements: where students train and how placements are arranged.
• Total cost: use each college’s net price calculator to see your likely cost after financial aid.

Related: US nursing schools with the highest graduation rates

Sources: US Department of Education College Scorecard (accessed November 2026), California Board of Registered Nursing, Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. Figures change every year; always confirm with the college.