Accredited Nursing Schools in San Diego

About 11 schools within 25 miles of San Diego offer nursing or nursing administration programs. In order to qualify for a registered nurse (RN) license in the state of California, students must have graduated from an accredited nursing program and passed the NCLEX-RN exam. Based on national rankings, graduation rates and available programs, the top three nursing schools in the San Diego area are San Diego State University, University of San Diego and Point Loma Nazarene University.

Winner: San Diego State University has the second-highest ranking among these schools for its graduate nursing programs, per U.S. News & World Report, but earns the top spot since it offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in the field. It also awarded the most nursing degrees among these schools during the 2011 school year.
Runner-Up #1: The University of San Diego has the highest-ranked graduate nursing programs among these schools, but it doesn't offer undergraduate nursing programs that prepare students for initial RN licensure, so it's the first runner-up.
Runner-Up #2: Point Loma Nazarene University takes third place on this list. It had a 100% pass rate for students who took the NCLEX-RN, however, it also has the lowest-ranked graduate nursing programs of these universities.

School Comparison Chart

San Diego State University	University of San Diego	Point Loma Nazarene University
Ranking(s)	127th among schools with graduate nursing programs in 2011, nationwide, 14th among up-and-coming schools in 2014, nationwide*	50th among schools with graduate nursing programs in 2011, nationwide, 91st among national universities in 2014*	193rd among schools with graduate nursing programs in 2011, nationwide, 17th among regional universities in the West*
Location	San Diego, CA
School Type	4-year, public	4-year, private not-for-profit
Tuition and Fees (2012-2013)	$6, 578 (undergraduate, in-state), $18, 236 (undergraduate, out-of-state), $7, 844 (graduate, in-state), $17, 390 (graduate, out-of-state)*	$23, 310 (graduate)*	$29, 510 (undergraduate), $10, 000 (graduate)*
Nursing and Nursing Administration Degree Levels Offered	Bachelor's and master's degrees	Master's and doctoral degrees
Nursing and Nursing Administration Degrees Awarded (all levels) in 2011-2012	253**	119**	69**