CSU nursing schools are in my opinion a better value than UCI and UCLA nursing. In terms of clinical nursing (think nursing in the hospital) a BSN degree is valued the same, no matter where you work. No one cares where you graduated (unless it’s a Ivy League nursing or Johns Hopkins). As long as you have a BSN and an RN license, you’re good (competitive new-grad applicant) in CA.
Also, check out the NCLEX passrates for UCI and UCLA, compared to the CSU’s. You’d expect for the schools where tuition is 3x as expensive, the UC’s would have a consistent 95%+ passrate trend.
http://www.rn.ca.gov/education/passrates.shtml
Don’t worry about where you go to school. Worry about performing the best you can in your courses and at clinicals. Learn as much as you can, and constantly ask questions. Always be curious. Because the CA nursing market in NorCal AND SoCal are incredibly competitive. You need to stand out. Whether that be grades, brain, interview, personality, of a amalgam of all these factors. If you thought getting into nursing school in CA is hard, try getting a job right now lol!
Disclaimer: I’m a CSU nursing student!