Federal data
Highest earning master's registered nursing programs in California
California registered 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 | Loma Linda University | Loma Linda | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $217,830 | 36 |
| 2 | California State University-Fullerton | Fullerton | Public, 4-year | $193,133 | 101 |
| 3 | National University | San Diego | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $147,392 | 33 |
| 4 | California State University-Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public, 4-year | $145,897 | 98 |
| 5 | Sonoma State University | Rohnert Park | Public, 4-year | $144,966 | 67 |
| 6 | California State University-Long Beach | Long Beach | Public, 4-year | $143,563 | 31 |
| 7 | University of California-Davis | Davis | Public, 4-year | $141,870 | 60 |
| 8 | Samuel Merritt University | Oakland | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $141,819 | 365 |
| 9 | University of California-San Francisco | San Francisco | Public, 4-year | $138,842 | 212 |
| 10 | University of Southern California | Los Angeles | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $136,250 | 139 |
| 11 | Fresno Pacific University | Fresno | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $132,057 | 59 |
| 12 | Touro University | Vallejo | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $129,957 | 108 |
| 13 | California State University-Dominguez Hills | Carson | Public, 4-year | $128,758 | 76 |
| 14 | West Coast University | North Hollywood | For-profit, 4-year | $128,308 | 163 |
| 15 | Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science | Los Angeles | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $127,454 | 233 |
| 16 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $125,983 | 267 |
| 17 | Azusa Pacific University | Azusa | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $122,638 | 144 |
| 18 | United States University | San Diego | For-profit, 4-year | $120,862 | 195 |
| 19 | California State University-San Marcos | San Marcos | Public, 4-year | $119,753 | 34 |
| 20 | Western University of Health Sciences | Pomona | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $115,594 | 89 |
| 21 | California Baptist University | Riverside | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $115,491 | 99 |
| 22 | University of Phoenix-California | Ontario | For-profit, 4-year | $113,925 | 712 |
| 23 | University of San Diego | San Diego | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $113,492 | 142 |
| 24 | University of California-Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public, 4-year | $112,065 | 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.