Best Online Nursing Programs in Foster City, CA (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Foster City, California has 5 accredited schools offering nursing programs. Foster City has a population of about 32,964. Median household income is $193,633 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 74.1% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In California, the top-earning nursing-related role is Nurse Anesthetist at a median $292,410 annually (BLS, May 2025).

Closest Nursing Schools to Foster City

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer nursing programs near Foster City. Distances are calculated from Foster City city center.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Foster City. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Unitek College

Hayward, CA 11.0 miles from Foster City BOC Score53.5
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#2

Unitek College

South San Francisco, CA 12.7 miles from Foster City BOC Score63.9
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#3

City College of San Francisco

San Francisco, CA 15.5 miles from Foster City BOC Score44.5
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#4

Merritt College

Oakland, CA 17.0 miles from Foster City BOC Score36.6
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programs--

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#5

Unitek College

Fremont, CA 17.3 miles from Foster City BOC Score71.6
Published tuitionContact school for pricing
Online programsYes

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California nursing page.

Nursing Wages Near Foster City

Foster City is part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area (BLS area code 41860). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Registered Nurse$186,610San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$161,427
Licensed Practical Nurse$94,310San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$81,583
Nurse Anesthetist$292,410CA statewide$252,950
Nurse Midwife$212,630San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$183,936
Nurse Practitioner$219,080San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$189,516
Nursing Assistant$56,080San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA$48,512

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Foster City at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population32,964Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$193,633Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+74.1%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)115.6 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024
Nursing-related employment in San Mateo County11,266 workers, 292 establishmentsBLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Foster City-Area Cities With Nursing Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited nursing schools are near Foster City, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering nursing programs near Foster City. The closest is Unitek College in Hayward, CA (11.0 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Unitek College (17.3 miles). 1 of the highlighted schools is flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying nursing roles near Foster City?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying nursing-related roles near Foster City are: Nurse Anesthetist ($292,410), Nurse Practitioner ($219,080), Nurse Midwife ($212,630). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in San Mateo instead of Foster City?

San Mateo, CA is 2.5 miles from Foster City and has its own set of local nursing programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Foster City an affordable place to study nursing?

Foster City’s median household income of $193,633 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Foster City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Nursing Programs

Other Programs Available in Foster City

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Foster City:

Data verified: June 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Online Nursing Programs in California (2026)

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