Federal data
Highest earning 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 | Sonoma State University | Rohnert Park | Public, 4-year | $125,646 | 90 |
| 2 | California State University-East Bay | Hayward | Public, 4-year | $124,392 | 180 |
| 3 | Samuel Merritt University | Oakland | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $119,486 | 723 |
| 4 | California State University-Stanislaus | Turlock | Public, 4-year | $119,356 | 194 |
| 5 | Pacific Union College | Angwin | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $119,258 | 65 |
| 6 | San Francisco State University | San Francisco | Public, 4-year | $117,532 | 118 |
| 7 | California State University-Monterey Bay | Seaside | Public, 4-year | $117,088 | 89 |
| 8 | California State University-Sacramento | Sacramento | Public, 4-year | $116,001 | 364 |
| 9 | California State University-Chico | Chico | Public, 4-year | $113,181 | 155 |
| 10 | California State University-Dominguez Hills | Carson | Public, 4-year | $110,626 | 157 |
| 11 | California State University-Northridge | Northridge | Public, 4-year | $106,780 | 98 |
| 12 | Azusa Pacific University | Azusa | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $105,521 | 419 |
| 13 | California State University-San Marcos | San Marcos | Public, 4-year | $103,799 | 555 |
| 14 | California State University-Channel Islands | Camarillo | Public, 4-year | $103,484 | 130 |
| 15 | California State University-Fullerton | Fullerton | Public, 4-year | $103,028 | 374 |
| 16 | Vanguard University of Southern California | Costa Mesa | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $102,915 | 57 |
| 17 | Simpson University | Redding | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $102,613 | 51 |
| 18 | Concordia University-Irvine | Irvine | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $102,324 | 176 |
| 19 | University of San Francisco | San Francisco | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $101,731 | 381 |
| 20 | Touro University | Vallejo | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $100,956 | 37 |
| 21 | San Diego State University | San Diego | Public, 4-year | $100,221 | 244 |
| 22 | California State University-Long Beach | Long Beach | Public, 4-year | $100,178 | 306 |
| 23 | National University | San Diego | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $99,714 | 521 |
| 24 | Mount Saint Mary's University | Los Angeles | Private nonprofit, 4-year | $99,457 | 316 |
| 25 | University of Phoenix-California | Ontario | For-profit, 4-year | $98,826 | 1,154 |
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.
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