Federal data
Highest earning certificate practical nursing programs in California
California practical nursing programs, ranked by median earnings one year after completion, from the College Scorecard field-of-study file (September 18, 2026). Only programs with at least 30 counted graduates in the earnings sample are shown, and at least 5 programs must qualify for this list to exist.
| Rank | School | City | Sector | Median earnings, 1 year after | Graduates counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Unitek College | South San Francisco | For-profit, under 2-year | $66,221 | 187 |
| 2 | Medical Allied Career Center | Santa Fe Springs | For-profit, under 2-year | $65,387 | 43 |
| 3 | North-West College-Van Nuys | Van Nuys | For-profit, under 2-year | $62,356 | 86 |
| 4 | Unitek College | Fremont | For-profit, 4-year | $61,838 | 803 |
| 5 | Concorde Career College-San Diego | San Diego | For-profit, 2-year | $60,979 | 140 |
| 6 | Carrington College | Sacramento | For-profit, 4-year | $60,778 | 94 |
| 7 | Charles A Jones Career and Education Center | Sacramento | Public, under 2-year | $60,282 | 34 |
| 8 | American Career College | Los Angeles | For-profit, 2-year | $60,281 | 439 |
| 9 | Glendale Career College | Glendale | For-profit, 4-year | $59,140 | 120 |
| 10 | North-West College-San Diego | San Diego | For-profit, 4-year | $59,140 | 120 |
| 11 | The Chicago School | Los Angeles | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $59,039 | 81 |
| 12 | Marian Health Careers Center | Los Angeles | For-profit, under 2-year | $58,726 | 203 |
| 13 | Stanbridge University | Irvine | For-profit, 4-year | $57,359 | 181 |
| 14 | Concorde Career College-North Hollywood | North Hollywood | For-profit, 2-year | $56,444 | 148 |
| 15 | Career Development Institute Inc | Los Angeles | For-profit, under 2-year | $56,099 | 82 |
| 16 | Institute of Technology | Clovis | For-profit, 2-year | $55,599 | 278 |
| 17 | Smith Chason College | Los Angeles | For-profit, 4-year | $55,488 | 95 |
| 18 | Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts | San Jose | For-profit, 4-year | $54,359 | 787 |
| 19 | Xavier College School of Nursing | Stockton | For-profit, 2-year | $53,442 | 88 |
| 20 | Clovis Adult Education | Clovis | Public, under 2-year | $53,287 | 46 |
| 21 | American Career College-Ontario | Ontario | For-profit, 2-year | $52,792 | 248 |
Earnings cover federally aided graduates only, as published by College Scorecard.
How to read this. A smaller program can show a high or low figure from just a few graduates, and this earnings figure only ever covers students who received federal aid, so it does not describe every graduate.