Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants at North-West College-Long Beach

North-West College-Long Beach charges above-average tuition for below-average California outcomes. While this program ranks impressively at the 84th percentile nationally, it falls to the 40th percentile among California nursing programs—meaning six out of ten comparable in-state programs deliver better earnings. That's a significant distinction, especially when peer California programs like Unitek College and Medical Allied Career Center are placing graduates $13,000-$19,000 higher annually. The $18,845 debt load is manageable but not exceptional given the earnings trajectory.

The bigger concern is the 11% earnings decline from year one to year four, dropping from $52,487 to $46,701. This backward slide suggests graduates may be hitting a ceiling quickly or struggling to advance beyond entry-level positions. With 60% of students receiving Pell grants, these are exactly the students who can least afford a program that underperforms its state competition.

For California families, this is a case where location matters enormously. If your child can access one of the state's median-performing programs (which earn $53,040 initially), they'd likely graduate with similar debt but better prospects. This program isn't a disaster—the debt ratio of 0.36 keeps it viable—but California offers stronger options that your tuition dollars could access instead.