Best Online Nursing Programs in San Luis Obispo, CA (2026)

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

San Luis Obispo, California has 5 accredited schools offering nursing programs. San Luis Obispo has a population of about 48,039. Median household income is $66,711 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 54.4% 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 San Luis Obispo

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer nursing programs near San Luis Obispo. Distances are calculated from San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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

Nursing Wages Near San Luis Obispo

San Luis Obispo is part of the San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA metro area (BLS area code 42020). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Registered Nurse	$138,820	San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	$127,827
Licensed Practical Nurse	$79,940	San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	$73,610
Nurse Anesthetist	$292,410	CA statewide	$269,254
Nurse Midwife	$203,840	CA statewide	$187,698
Nurse Practitioner	$162,950	San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	$150,046
Nursing Assistant	$46,840	San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	$43,131

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.

San Luis Obispo at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	48,039	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$66,711	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	54.4%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	108.6 (above U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024
Nursing-related employment in San Luis Obispo County	4,595 workers, 107 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other San Luis Obispo-Area Cities With Nursing Programs

Arroyo Grande, CA – 10.9 mi away (54,542 pop)
Atascadero, CA – 14.9 mi away (30,330 pop)
Santa Maria, CA – 26.3 mi away (139,270 pop)
Lompoc, CA – 43.3 mi away (53,062 pop)
Goleta, CA – 73.5 mi away (30,850 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited nursing schools are near San Luis Obispo, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering nursing programs near San Luis Obispo. The closest is Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, CA (23.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield (90.8 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying nursing roles near San Luis Obispo?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying nursing-related roles near San Luis Obispo are: Nurse Anesthetist ($292,410), Nurse Midwife ($203,840), Nurse Practitioner ($162,950). 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 Arroyo Grande instead of San Luis Obispo?

Arroyo Grande, CA is 10.9 miles from San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo an affordable place to study nursing?

San Luis Obispo’s median household income of $66,711 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for San Luis Obispo:

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.

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