2025 Best Registered Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region

Registered Nursing is of the hottest associate degree programs in the United States, coming in as the #3 most popular major in the country. So, there are lots of possibilities to explore when you're trying to determine where you want to get your degree.

For its 2025 ranking, College Factual looked at 122 schools in the Far Western US Region to determine which ones were the best for registered nursing students pursuing a associate degree. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 8,670 associate degrees in registered nursing during the 2022-2023 academic year.

What's on this page: * Our Methodology

• Best Associate Degree Schools List

Choosing a Great Registered Nursing School for Your Associate Degree

The registered nursing associate degree program you select can have a big impact on your future. This section explores some of the factors we include in our ranking and how much they vary depending on the school you select. Below we explain some of the most important factors to consider before making your choice:

Overall Quality Is a Must

A school that excels in educating for a particular major and degree level must be a great school overall as well. To account for this we include a college's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.

Other Factors We Consider

The metrics below are just some of the other metrics that we use to determine our rankings.

• Major Focus - How many resources a school devotes to registered nursing students as compared to other majors.
• Major Demand - The number of registered nursing students who choose to seek a associate degree at the school.
• Educational Resources - How many resources are allocated to students. These resources may include educational expenditures per student, number of students per instructor, and graduation rate among other things.
• Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or accredited by a recognized registered nursing related body.

Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best schools for registered nursing students working on their associate degree.

One Size Does Not Fit All

The registered nursing school you choose to invest your time and money in matters. To help you make the decision that is right for you, we've developed a number of major-specific rankings, including this list of the Best Registered Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region.

Best Schools for Associate Students to Study Registered Nursing in the Far Western US Region

The following list ranks the best colleges and universities for pursuing an associate degree in registered nursing. Only those schools that rank in the top 20% of all the schools we analyze get awarded with a place on this list.

24 Top Far Western US Region Schools for an Associate in Registered Nursing

1

Mount Saint Mary's University
Los Angeles, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

38 Annual Graduates

Every student pursuing a degree in an associate degree in registered nursing has to check out Mount Saint Mary's University. MSMU is a small private not-for-profit university located in the city of Los Angeles.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Mount Saint Mary’s University

2

Modesto Junior College
Modesto, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

82 Annual Graduates

Any student who is interested in an associate degree in registered nursing needs to check out Modesto Junior College. Located in the city of Modesto, MJC is a public college with a large student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Modesto Junior College

3

Merced College
Merced, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

54 Annual Graduates

Merced College is one of the best schools in the country for getting an associate degree in registered nursing. Merced Community College District is a large public college located in the small city of Merced.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Merced College

4

Carrington College, Sacramento
Sacramento, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

93 Annual Graduates

Every student who is interested in an associate degree in registered nursing has to check out Carrington College, Sacramento. Carrington College, Sacramento is a small private for-profit college located in the suburb of Sacramento.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Carrington College, Sacramento

5

College of Southern Nevada
Las Vegas, NV

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

170 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Las Vegas, CSN is a public college with a very large student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from College of Southern Nevada

6

Santa Rosa Junior College
Santa Rosa, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

100 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Santa Rosa, SRJC is a public college with a large student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Santa Rosa Junior College

7

Riverside City College
Riverside, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

166 Annual Graduates

Riverside City College is a fairly large public college located in the large city of Riverside.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Riverside City College

8

Pacific College
Costa Mesa, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

113 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize city of Costa Mesa, Pacific College is a private for-profit college with a fairly small student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Pacific College

9

City College of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

84 Annual Graduates

City College of San Francisco is a fairly large public college located in the city of San Francisco.More information about a associate in registered nursing from City College of San Francisco

10

Southwestern College
Chula Vista, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

62 Annual Graduates

SWC Chula Vista is a large public college located in the city of Chula Vista.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Southwestern College

11

Pacific Union College
Angwin, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

80 Annual Graduates

Located in the rural area of Angwin, PUC is a private not-for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Pacific Union College

12

Butte College
Oroville, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

116 Annual Graduates

Butte College is a fairly large public college located in the rural area of Oroville.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Butte College

13

Mt. San Jacinto College
San Jacinto, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

44 Annual Graduates

MSJC is a large public college located in the medium-sized suburb of San Jacinto.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Mt. San Jacinto College

14

Shoreline Community College
Shoreline, WA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

113 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Shoreline, Shoreline Community College is a public college with a small student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Shoreline Community College

15

Yuba College
Marysville, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

115 Annual Graduates

Located in the midsize suburb of Marysville, Yuba College is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Yuba College

16

Seattle Central College
Seattle, WA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

134 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Seattle, Seattle Central is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Seattle Central College

17

San Joaquin Delta College
Stockton, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

126 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Stockton, Delta is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from San Joaquin Delta College

18

Santa Barbara City College
Santa Barbara, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

68 Annual Graduates

Located in the small city of Santa Barbara, SBCC is a public college with a large student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Santa Barbara City College

19

College of the Canyons
Santa Clarita, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

93 Annual Graduates

Located in the large suburb of Santa Clarita, College of the Canyons is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from College of the Canyons

20

San Joaquin Valley College-Ontario
Ontario, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

31 Annual Graduates

Located in the city of Ontario, is a private for-profit college with a small student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from San Joaquin Valley College-Ontario

21

University of Hawaii Maui College
Kahului, HI

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

31 Annual Graduates

UH Maui College is a small public university located in the city of Kahului.More information about a associate in registered nursing from University of Hawaii Maui College

22

Kapiolani Community College
Honolulu, HI

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

44 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Honolulu, Kapiolani CC is a public college with a moderately-sized student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Kapiolani Community College

23

Lake Washington Institute of Technology
Kirkland, WA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

74 Annual Graduates

Located in the suburb of Kirkland, LWTech is a public school with a small student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Lake Washington Institute of Technology

24

Fresno City College
Fresno, CA

Associate Degree Highest Degree Type

216 Annual Graduates

Located in the large city of Fresno, Fresno City College is a public college with a fairly large student population.More information about a associate in registered nursing from Fresno City College

Rest of the Top Best Registered Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region

Honorable Mentions

Here are some additional great schools for Registered Nursing students in the Far Western US Region that almost earned our Best Registered Nursing Associate Degree Schools in the Far Western US Region award.

Rank	College	Location
25	San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia	Visalia, CA
26	Sacramento City College	Sacramento, CA
27	Victor Valley College	Victorville, CA
28	College of the Desert	Palm Desert, CA
29	Moorpark College	Moorpark, CA
30	Walla Walla Community College	Walla Walla, WA
31	Ventura College	Ventura, CA
32	Grossmont College	El Cajon, CA
33	College of San Mateo	San Mateo, CA
34	Wenatchee Valley College	Wenatchee, WA
35	Lower Columbia College	Longview, WA
36	Rio Hondo College	Whittier, CA
37	Evergreen Valley College	San Jose, CA
38	College of the Sequoias	Visalia, CA
39	Saddleback College	Mission Viejo, CA
40	Santa Ana College	Santa Ana, CA

Best Registered Nursing Colleges by State

Explore the best registered nursing schools for a specific state in the Far Western US Region .

State	Colleges	Degrees Awarded
California	405	5,581
Washington	288	1,825
Oregon	260	608
Nevada	185	519
Hawaii	79	135

View All Rankings >

Rankings in Majors Related to Registered Nursing

Registered Nursing is one of 23 different types of Nursing programs to choose from.

Most Popular Related Majors

Related Major	Annual Graduates
Nursing Practice	112

Notes and References

• The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
• The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
• Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
• Credit for the banner image above goes to Aleksahgabrielle. More about our data sources and methodologies.