Best Nurse Practitioner programs in California, ranked by enrollment
Diagnose and treat acute, episodic, or chronic illness, independently or as part of a healthcare team. May focus on health promotion and disease prevention. May order, perform, or interpret diagnostic tests such as lab work and x rays.
33 schools in California run programs that feed this job, graduating 2,668 people a year. The job pays a median of $168,520 in California across about 25,120 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in California that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
14 programs in California that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in California (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own California page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 51.3805In California → | 1,220 | 45.7% | 15 | $71,623 | $25,750 |
| 2 | CIP 51.3818In California → | 295 | 11.1% | 17 | $71,623 | $25,750 |
| 3 | CIP 51.3820In California → | 265 | 9.9% | 4 | $71,623 | $25,750 |
| 4 | CIP 51.3810In California → | 259 | 9.7% | 8 | $71,623 | $25,750 |
| 5 | CIP 51.3899In California → | 222 | 8.3% | 3 | $71,623 | $25,750 |
| 6 | CIP 51.3808In California → | 138 | 5.2% | 6 | $71,623 | $25,750 |
| 7 | CIP 51.3802In California → | 117 | 4.4% | 10 | $71,623 | $25,750 |
| 8 | CIP 51.3821In California → | 87 | 3.3% | 1 | $71,623 | $25,750 |
| 9 | CIP 51.3811In California → | 37 | 1.4% | 1 | $71,623 | $25,750 |
| 10 | CIP 51.3803In California → | 10 | 0.4% | 3 | $71,623 | $25,750 |
| 11 | CIP 51.3813In California → | 6 | 0.2% | 2 | $71,623 | $25,750 |
| 12 | CIP 51.3816In California → | 6 | 0.2% | 1 | $71,623 | $25,750 |
| 13 | CIP 51.3809In California → | 4 | 0.1% | 2 | $71,623 | $25,750 |
| 14 | CIP 51.3814In California → | 2 | 0.1% | 1 | $71,623 | $25,750 |
Top 25 schools in California
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 19 of the 33 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | United States University Sandy Springs, CA Private for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 682 | Family Practice Nurse/Nursing | — | — | $21,557 | — |
| 2 | West Coast University - Anaheim - Orange County Anaheim, CA Private for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 303 | Family Practice Nurse/Nursing | $95,859 | 60% | $36,879 | — |
| 3 | University of California - Los Angeles Los Angeles, CA Public · 2 feeder programs | 217 | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Other | $94,611 | 93% | — | 9% |
| 4 | University of San Francisco San Francisco, CA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 187 | Clinical Nurse Leader | $101,731 | 70% | $37,121 | 62% |
| 5 | Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 166 | Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing | — | 30% | $28,376 | 39% |
| 6 | Samuel Merritt University Oakland, CA Private not-for-profit · 3 feeder programs | 113 | Family Practice Nurse/Nursing | $119,486 | — | — | — |
| 7 | University of California - Irvine Irvine, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 105 | Nursing Science | $87,715 | 87% | — | 29% |
| 8 | University of Massachusetts Global Aliso Viejo, CA Public · 5 feeder programs | 102 | Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing | — | 43% | — | — |
| 9 | University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences San Marcos, CA Private for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 101 | Family Practice Nurse/Nursing | — | — | — | — |
| 10 | University of San Diego San Diego, CA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 82 | Clinical Nurse Leader | — | 84% | $26,035 | 52% |
| 11 | Western University of Health Sciences Pomona, CA Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 72 | Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing | — | — | — | — |
| 12 | Azusa Pacific University Azusa, CA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 63 | Family Practice Nurse/Nursing | $105,521 | 62% | $20,686 | 88% |
| 13 | American University of Health Sciences Signal Hill, CA Private for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 60 | Family Practice Nurse/Nursing | $94,816 | 50% | — | 50% |
| 14 | University of California - Davis Davis, CA Public · 3 feeder programs | 60 | Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing | — | 86% | — | 42% |
| 15 | California State University - Fullerton Fullerton, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 48 | Nursing Practice | $103,028 | 70% | — | 91% |
| 16 | University of California - San Francisco San Francisco, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 47 | Nursing Practice | — | — | — | — |
| 17 | University of Southern California Los Angeles, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 47 | Family Practice Nurse/Nursing | — | 92% | $26,873 | 10% |
| 18 | Loma Linda University Loma Linda, CA Private not-for-profit · 7 feeder programs | 40 | Family Practice Nurse/Nursing | $98,610 | — | — | — |
| 19 | Stanbridge University Irvine, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 35 | Nursing Science | $90,853 | 62% | $25,244 | 10% |
| 20 | Touro University California Vallejo, CA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 30 | Nursing Science | $100,956 | — | — | 0% |
| 21 | Career Networks Institute Santa Ana, CA Private for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 22 | Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Other | $93,384 | 89% | $28,284 | — |
| 22 | Fresno Pacific University Fresno, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 17 | Nursing Science | — | 50% | $14,298 | 64% |
| 23 | Vanguard University of Southern California Costa Mesa, CA Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 17 | Nursing Administration | $102,915 | 57% | $18,716 | 62% |
| 24 | San Jose State University San Jose, CA Public · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Nursing Practice | — | 69% | — | 85% |
| 25 | California Baptist University Riverside, CA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Nursing Practice | $92,441 | 62% | $26,940 | 85% |
All 33 schools in California
Every school in California with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States University | Sandy Springs | Private for-profit | 682 | 3 |
| West Coast University - Anaheim - Orange County | Anaheim | Private for-profit | 303 | 4 |
| University of California - Los Angeles | Los Angeles | Public | 217 | 2 |
| University of San Francisco | San Francisco | Private not-for-profit | 187 | 3 |
| Charles R Drew University of Medicine and Science | Los Angeles | Private not-for-profit | 166 | 4 |
| Samuel Merritt University | Oakland | Private not-for-profit | 113 | 3 |
| University of California - Irvine | Irvine | Public | 105 | 3 |
| University of Massachusetts Global | Aliso Viejo | Public | 102 | 5 |
| University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences | San Marcos | Private for-profit | 101 | 4 |
| University of San Diego | San Diego | Private not-for-profit | 82 | 4 |
| Western University of Health Sciences | Pomona | Private not-for-profit | 72 | 4 |
| Azusa Pacific University | Azusa | Private not-for-profit | 63 | 2 |
| American University of Health Sciences | Signal Hill | Private for-profit | 60 | 2 |
| University of California - Davis | Davis | Public | 60 | 3 |
| California State University - Fullerton | Fullerton | Public | 48 | 1 |
What nurse practitioners earn in California
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $132,300. California pays above the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in California
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Nurse Practitioners page.
How to become a Nurse Practitioner
Job zone 5 of 5 · SVP 8.0 and above- Typical entry education
- Master's degree
Most of these occupations require graduate school. For example, they may require a master's degree, and some require a Ph.D., M.D., or J.D. (law degree).
Extensive skill, knowledge, and experience are needed for these occupations. Many require more than five years of experience. For example, surgeons must complete four years of college and an additional five to seven years of specialized medical training to be able to do their job.
Employees may need some on-the-job training, but most of these occupations assume that the person will already have the required skills, knowledge, work-related experience, and/or training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in California
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 25 majors mapped to Nurse Practitioners20 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 51.3802Nursing Administration
- 51.3803Adult Health Nurse/Nursing
- 51.3805Family Practice Nurse/Nursing
- 51.3806Maternal/Child Health and Neonatal Nurse/Nursing
- 51.3808Nursing Science
- 51.3809Pediatric Nurse/Nursing
- 51.3810Psychiatric/Mental Health Nurse/Nursing
- 51.3811Public Health/Community Nurse/Nursing
- 51.3812Perioperative/Operating Room and Surgical Nurse/Nursing
- 51.3813Clinical Nurse Specialist
- 51.3814Critical Care Nursing
- 51.3815Occupational and Environmental Health Nursing
- 51.3816Emergency Room/Trauma Nursing
- 51.3818Nursing Practice
- 51.3819Palliative Care Nursing
- 51.3820Clinical Nurse Leader
- 51.3821Geriatric Nurse/Nursing
- 51.3822Women's Health Nurse/Nursing
- 51.3824Forensic Nursing
- 51.3899Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing, Other
- 60.0701Nurse Practitioner Residency/Fellowship Program, General(no graduates reported)
- 60.0702Combined Nurse Practitioner Residency/Fellowship Program(no graduates reported)
- 60.0703Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Residency/Fellowship Program(no graduates reported)
- 60.0704Adult/Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Residency/Fellowship Program(no graduates reported)
- 60.0705Adult/Gerontology Critical Care Nurse Practitioner Residency/Fellowship Program(no graduates reported)
Common questions
Answers for people weighing nurse practitioners programs in California.
What degree do you need to become a Nurse Practitioner?+
Master's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Family Practice Nurse/Nursing, which awarded 1,220 degrees in California in 2024-25, 45.7% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Nurse Practitioner?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 14 programs to this occupation. The largest are Registered Nursing. Together they graduate about 2,668 people a year in California.
How much do nurse practitioners earn in California?+
The median is $168,520 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 27.4% above the U.S. median of $132,300. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for nurse practitioners growing?+
BLS projects a +40.1% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, much faster than average, with roughly 29,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in California?+
33 institutions in California reported graduates from at least one of the 14 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do nurse practitioners work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Nurse Practitioner (NP), Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP), Gastroenterology Nurse Practitioner, ACNP (Acute Care Nurse Practitioner) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 29-1171.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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