Home › California › Practical Nursing (LPN/LVN) schools
122 schools in California offer practical nursing (lpn/lvn)-related programs, compared below on official cost, completion, and earnings data. Prefer to earn while you learn? 8 registered apprenticeship sponsors in California train practical nursing (lpn/lvn) apprentices — see apprenticeships.
California requires a state license from the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians — the title is Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN), California's name for the LPN role. The standard route is a board-approved 1,530-hour program (576 theory, 954 clinical) followed by the NCLEX-PN, and California is one of the only states with a work-experience alternative: 51 months of paid bedside nursing plus a 54-hour pharmacology course. California is not a Nurse Licensure Compact state, so out-of-state nurses need a separate California license.
Official source: California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians (BVNPT) · Exam: NCLEX-PN (administered through NCSBN/Pearson VUE) · Typical requirement: Board-approved vocational nursing program of 1,530 total hours (576 theory hours including 54 hours of pharmacology, plus 954 clinical hours), typically 12-20 months; alternative Method 3 pathway: 51 months of paid general-duty inpatient bedside nursing experience plus a 54-theory-hour pharmacology course
| School | City | Type | Net price / yr | Completion | Earnings (10 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College of the Sequoias | Visalia | public | $480 | 33.7% | $39,092 |
| Imperial Valley College | Imperial | public | $1,115 | 40.2% | $34,487 |
| Hartnell College | Salinas | public | $2,039 | 16.2% | $44,316 |
| San Joaquin Delta College | Stockton | public | $2,407 | 29.7% | $43,212 |
| West Valley College | Saratoga | public | $3,423 | 24.2% | $51,688 |
| Modesto Junior College | Modesto | public | $2,818 | 27.8% | $42,368 |
| Shasta College | Redding | public | $2,878 | 24.5% | $39,269 |
| College of the Canyons | Santa Clarita | public | $3,702 | 29.9% | $49,022 |
| Saddleback College | Mission Viejo | public | $4,152 | 28.5% | $50,874 |
| Pasadena City College | Pasadena | public | $3,864 | 32.7% | $43,937 |
| Hacienda La Puente Adult Education | La Puente | public | $3,536 | 82.7% | $39,271 |
| Citrus College | Glendora | public | $4,135 | 35.4% | $42,065 |
| Mission College | Santa Clara | public | $5,080 | 19.1% | $50,936 |
| Norco College | Norco | public | $5,169 | 26.2% | $51,206 |
| Antelope Valley Community College District | Lancaster | public | $3,860 | 29.1% | $36,526 |
| Solano Community College | Fairfield | public | $4,669 | 26.3% | $44,170 |
| Moreno Valley College | Moreno Valley | public | $6,483 | 24.6% | $52,133 |
| Allan Hancock College | Santa Maria | public | $5,383 | 25.7% | $42,786 |
| Chaffey College | Rancho Cucamonga | public | $5,672 | 27.3% | $42,975 |
| Butte College | Oroville | public | $5,520 | 36.3% | $41,810 |
| Merced College | Merced | public | $5,040 | 30.4% | $37,815 |
| Santa Rosa Junior College | Santa Rosa | public | $6,331 | 35% | $47,224 |
| Gavilan College | Gilroy | public | $6,542 | 17.1% | $47,169 |
| City College of San Francisco | San Francisco | public | $6,906 | 22.5% | $45,805 |
| Sacramento City College | Sacramento | public | $6,614 | 18.9% | $42,214 |
| Long Beach City College | Long Beach | public | $6,202 | 24.3% | $38,870 |
| MiraCosta College | Oceanside | public | $7,339 | 28.4% | $43,845 |
| Los Medanos College | Pittsburg | public | $7,443 | 31.3% | $42,454 |
| Reedley College | Reedley | public | $6,814 | 30.4% | $38,493 |
| Mt San Jacinto Community College District | San Jacinto | public | $6,806 | 27.1% | $38,319 |
| College of the Redwoods | Eureka | public | $6,904 | 25.3% | $36,243 |
| Mt. Diablo Adult Education-Mt. Diablo USD | Concord | public | $7,760 | 75% | $40,175 |
| American River College | Sacramento | public | $7,999 | 24.6% | $40,162 |
| Riverside City College | Riverside | public | $8,377 | 28.2% | $41,091 |
| Fresno City College | Fresno | public | $8,069 | 24.7% | $37,361 |
| Unitek College | Hayward | private for-profit | $19,130 | 67.8% | $87,877 |
| Santa Barbara City College | Santa Barbara | public | $11,315 | 30.7% | $47,647 |
| Cuesta College | San Luis Obispo | public | $12,124 | 34.8% | $46,047 |
| Homestead Schools | Torrance | private nonprofit | $15,962 | 93.4% | $59,398 |
| Unitek College | South San Francisco | private for-profit | $23,676 | 78.3% | $87,877 |
| Copper Mountain Community College | Joshua Tree | public | $9,105 | 24.2% | $33,281 |
| Feather River Community College District | Quincy | public | $10,800 | 20.5% | $38,142 |
| College of the Siskiyous | Weed | public | $11,120 | 17.1% | $39,098 |
| Columbia College | Sonora | public | $11,316 | 23.9% | $39,035 |
| Downey Adult School | Downey | public | $13,695 | 45.6% | $46,851 |
| Napa Valley College | Napa | public | $14,644 | 27.7% | $49,517 |
| Merritt College | Oakland | public | $14,021 | 21.4% | $44,392 |
| Southwestern College | Chula Vista | public | $12,671 | 29.5% | $40,060 |
| Unitek College | Fremont | private for-profit | $25,179 | 76.7% | $79,550 |
| Rio Hondo College | Whittier | public | $14,379 | 18.8% | $44,950 |
| Los Angeles Harbor College | Wilmington | public | $13,250 | 21.9% | $41,133 |
| Los Angeles Mission College | Sylmar | public | $13,380 | 23% | $39,834 |
| Porterville College | Porterville | public | $12,301 | 33.2% | $36,328 |
| Lassen Community College | Susanville | public | $12,517 | 9.3% | $35,994 |
| Angeles Institute | ARTESIA | private for-profit | $23,817 | 47.2% | $61,195 |
| Bakersfield College | Bakersfield | public | $14,621 | 25.9% | $37,291 |
| College of the Desert | Palm Desert | public | $15,728 | 30.5% | $39,020 |
| Charles A Jones Career and Education Center | Sacramento | public | $16,605 | 66.7% | $41,047 |
| Career Development Institute Inc | Los Angeles | private for-profit | $25,919 | 78.3% | $62,209 |
| Pacific College | Costa Mesa | private for-profit | $29,363 | 77.5% | $70,064 |
| Healthcare Career College | Paramount | private for-profit | $13,756 | 88.9% | $32,613 |
| Marian Health Careers Center-Van Nuys Campus | Van Nuys | private for-profit | $28,791 | 73.2% | $63,612 |
| Concorde Career College-North Hollywood | North Hollywood | private for-profit | $23,984 | 78.2% | $50,552 |
| Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts | San Jose | private for-profit | $32,427 | 71.8% | $66,844 |
| Marian Health Careers Center-Los Angeles Campus | Los Angeles | private for-profit | $31,374 | 70% | $63,612 |
| California Nurses Educational Institute | Rancho Mirage | private for-profit | $23,231 | 82% | $46,895 |
| Palo Verde College | Blythe | public | $18,993 | 14.8% | $36,389 |
| Cerro Coso Community College | Ridgecrest | public | $18,306 | 14.7% | $34,963 |
| Platt College-Riverside | Riverside | private for-profit | $21,889 | 61.3% | $40,669 |
| Concorde Career College-Garden Grove | Garden Grove | private for-profit | $24,698 | 84.4% | $45,711 |
| Casa Loma College-Los Angeles | Sherman Oaks | private nonprofit | $27,596 | 66.5% | $49,854 |
| Platt College-Anaheim | Anaheim | private for-profit | $22,678 | 60.1% | $40,669 |
| Angeles College | Los Angeles | private for-profit | $28,639 | 84.6% | $49,108 |
| Smith Chason College | Los Angeles | private for-profit | $34,367 | 65.3% | $58,004 |
| San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield | Bakersfield | private for-profit | $23,351 | 58.1% | $38,317 |
| Beaumont Adult School | Beaumont | public | $31,099 | 93.8% | $50,801 |
| Premiere Career College | Irwindale | private for-profit | $25,393 | 76.2% | $41,270 |
| Concorde Career College-San Diego | San Diego | private for-profit | $25,394 | 76.8% | $39,169 |
| Concorde Career College-San Bernardino | San Bernardino | private for-profit | $26,029 | 80% | $39,993 |
| Central Coast College | Salinas | private for-profit | $26,667 | 77.9% | $40,823 |
| Institute of Technology | Clovis | private for-profit | $23,159 | 66.7% | $35,095 |
| Platt College-Los Angeles | Alhambra | private for-profit | $27,551 | 64.9% | $40,669 |
| Blake Austin College | Vacaville | private for-profit | $29,136 | 81.3% | $42,518 |
| San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria | Santa Maria | private for-profit | $26,983 | 55.3% | $38,317 |
| North-West College-Anaheim | Anaheim | private for-profit | $28,922 | 53.5% | $39,876 |
| San Joaquin Valley College-Visalia | Visalia | private for-profit | $27,854 | 52.2% | $38,317 |
| San Joaquin Valley College-Rancho Mirage | Rancho Mirage | private for-profit | $28,158 | 68.9% | $38,317 |
| Milan Institute-Visalia | Visalia | private for-profit | $24,040 | 49.6% | $32,493 |
| Summit College | San Bernardino | private for-profit | $29,926 | 66.6% | $40,187 |
| North-West College-Pomona | Pomona | private for-profit | $30,851 | 67.5% | $39,876 |
| North-West College-West Covina | West Covina | private for-profit | $30,332 | 67.1% | $37,542 |
| American Career College-Anaheim | Anaheim | private for-profit | $31,218 | 68.8% | $38,430 |
| North-West College-Riverside | Riverside | private for-profit | $33,139 | 62.1% | $39,876 |
| North-West College-Long Beach | Long Beach | private for-profit | $33,503 | 49.5% | $39,876 |
| American Career College-Los Angeles | Los Angeles | private for-profit | $32,408 | 70.8% | $38,430 |
| American Career College-Ontario | Ontario | private for-profit | $33,431 | 70.6% | $38,492 |
| California Career College | Canoga Park | private for-profit | $46,880 | 98% | $51,684 |
| Carrington College-San Jose | San Jose | private for-profit | $36,466 | 76.1% | $39,633 |
| North-West College-Van Nuys | Van Nuys | private for-profit | $31,999 | 61.3% | $32,488 |
| Carrington College-Sacramento | Sacramento | private for-profit | $41,338 | 71.3% | $39,633 |
| Career Networks Institute | Santa Ana | private for-profit | $49,677 | 82.4% | $45,256 |
| North-West College-San Diego | San Diego | private for-profit | $46,503 | not reported | $41,472 |
| Glendale Career College | Glendale | private for-profit | $49,195 | 51.5% | $41,472 |
| Career Care Institute | Lancaster | private for-profit | $50,201 | 77.5% | $39,888 |
| National Career College | Panorama City | private for-profit | $27,850 | 68.9% | $19,347 |
| Clovis Adult Education | Clovis | public | not reported | 78.2% | $50,098 |
| Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health | Los Angeles | public | not reported | 84.5% | $115,318 |
| Annenberg School of Nursing | Reseda | private nonprofit | $18,067 | 66.7% | not reported |
| Medical Allied Career Center | Santa Fe Springs | private for-profit | $34,458 | 79.5% | not reported |
| Ukiah Adult School | Ukiah | public | $14,343 | 100% | not reported |
| Riverside County Office of Education-School of Career Education | Riverside | public | $19,842 | 82.8% | not reported |
| Xavier College School of Nursing | Stockton | private for-profit | $14,918 | 94% | not reported |
| California Career Institute | Anaheim | private for-profit | not reported | 85.8% | not reported |
| Integrity College of Health | Pasadena | private for-profit | $14,819 | 71.3% | not reported |
| High Desert Medical College | Lancaster | private for-profit | $29,627 | 73.2% | not reported |
| Clovis Community College | Fresno | public | $4,590 | 30.1% | not reported |
| Contra Costa Medical Career College | Antioch | private for-profit | not reported | 100% | not reported |
| Agape College of Business and Science | Fresno | private nonprofit | $17,755 | 67.4% | not reported |
| Sri Sai Krish Institute | ORANGE | private for-profit | not reported | 83.1% | not reported |
| Madera Community College | Madera | public | $4,179 | 33.8% | not reported |
| The Nurse Academy | National City | private for-profit | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Homestead Schools-Costa Mesa | Costa Mesa | private nonprofit | not reported | not reported | $59,398 |
Ranking = median earnings 10 years after entry per $1,000 of average yearly net price (methodology). Schools without both figures sort last — "not reported" means the federal dataset lacks the value, not that the school is bad.
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