Best Schools for Nursing in 2026

947 schools ranked by TSW Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Nursing, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Nursing graduate earns $69,475/yr across 947 schools.

Programs Ranked
947
Avg Earnings
$69,475/yr
Avg TSW Score
81/100
AI-Proof Rating
Moderate
43% task exposure

All Nursing Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

# School TSW Score Earnings ROI
1 Bishop State Community College
Mobile, AL · Nursing
84
77–84
$71,034/yr 78.7x
2 Glendale Community College
Glendale, AZ · Nursing
90
84–90
$75,418/yr 177.5x
3 GateWay Community College
Phoenix, AZ · Nursing
90
84–90
$74,062/yr 173.8x
4 Mesa Community College
Mesa, AZ · Nursing
90
84–90
$73,639/yr 169.5x
5 Mohave Community College
Kingman, AZ · Nursing
90
84–90
$73,774/yr 178.5x
6 Northland Pioneer College
Holbrook, AZ · Nursing
89
83–89
$71,105/yr 145.4x
7 Phoenix College
Phoenix, AZ · Nursing
89
83–90
$72,843/yr 165.5x
8 Pima Community College
Tucson, AZ · Nursing
89
84–90
$73,629/yr 166.0x
9 Scottsdale Community College
Scottsdale, AZ · Nursing
89
84–90
$73,683/yr 163.5x
10 Yavapai College
Prescott, AZ · Nursing
88
83–89
$74,560/yr 133.8x
11 Phillips Community College of the University of Arkansas
Helena, AR · Nursing
88
83–89
$78,213/yr 120.1x
12 American River College
Sacramento, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$98,951/yr 441.8x
13 Antelope Valley Community College District
Lancaster, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$89,234/yr 465.0x
14 Bakersfield College
Bakersfield, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$86,312/yr 314.7x
15 Butte College
Oroville, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$104,268/yr 407.1x
16 Cabrillo College
Aptos, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$91,090/yr 1067.5x
17 College of the Canyons
Santa Clarita, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$97,457/yr 382.6x
18 City College of San Francisco
San Francisco, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$100,031/yr 389.4x
19 Columbia College
Sonora, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$103,727/yr 358.4x
20 Contra Costa College
San Pablo, CA · Nursing
92
85–92
$101,064/yr 514.9x
21 Cuesta College
San Luis Obispo, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$99,000/yr 362.0x
22 College of the Desert
Palm Desert, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$91,848/yr 434.2x
23 East Los Angeles College
Monterey Park, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$81,498/yr 407.1x
24 Evergreen Valley College
San Jose, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$82,879/yr 400.4x
25 Fresno City College
Fresno, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$91,961/yr 364.9x
26 Golden West College
Huntington Beach, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$82,984/yr 390.6x
27 Imperial Valley College
Imperial, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$77,226/yr 403.3x
28 Los Angeles Harbor College
Wilmington, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$91,233/yr 414.6x
29 Los Angeles City College
Los Angeles, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$83,699/yr 458.9x
30 College of Marin
Kentfield, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$98,893/yr 316.4x
31 Mendocino College
Ukiah, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$113,261/yr 397.0x
32 Merced College
Merced, CA · Nursing
92
85–92
$107,024/yr 478.7x
33 Modesto Junior College
Modesto, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$99,339/yr 438.3x
34 Moorpark College
Moorpark, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$105,599/yr 326.3x
35 Mt San Antonio College
Walnut, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$92,486/yr 358.1x
36 Mt San Jacinto Community College District
San Jacinto, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$92,087/yr 326.5x
37 Pasadena City College
Pasadena, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$90,156/yr 427.1x
38 Santa Ana College
Santa Ana, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$98,493/yr 382.5x
39 College of the Redwoods
Eureka, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$98,703/yr 438.5x
40 Rio Hondo College
Whittier, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$95,666/yr 390.7x
41 Riverside City College
Riverside, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$89,869/yr 378.4x
42 Sacramento City College
Sacramento, CA · Nursing
92
85–92
$100,622/yr 503.6x
43 San Joaquin Delta College
Stockton, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$97,843/yr 378.8x
44 Santa Barbara City College
Santa Barbara, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$101,955/yr 428.7x
45 Santa Rosa Junior College
Santa Rosa, CA · Nursing
92
85–92
$100,800/yr 499.0x
46 College of the Sequoias
Visalia, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$98,926/yr 344.3x
47 Shasta College
Redding, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$99,544/yr 482.6x
48 College of the Siskiyous
Weed, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$92,905/yr 308.7x
49 Ventura College
Ventura, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$99,778/yr 354.9x
50 Victor Valley College
Victorville, CA · Nursing
91
85–92
$91,138/yr 375.4x

Methodology

Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (projected earnings vs. program tuition).

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Nursing?
Based on our TradeSchoolOutlook Score, Bishop State Community College ranks #1 for Nursing with a score of 84/100 and graduate earnings of $71,034/yr.
How much do Nursing graduates earn?
Across 947 schools, Nursing graduates earn an average of $69,475/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $160,797/yr.
Is Nursing an AI-proof career?
Nursing has an average AI task exposure of 43%, rated "Moderate". This trade has moderate AI exposure — some career paths are more resilient than others.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.