Home › Illinois › Practical Nursing (LPN/LVN) schools
52 schools in Illinois offer practical nursing (lpn/lvn)-related programs, compared below on official cost, completion, and earnings data. Prefer to earn while you learn? 23 registered apprenticeship sponsors in Illinois train practical nursing (lpn/lvn) apprentices — see apprenticeships.
Illinois requires an LPN license issued by IDFPR (the state's professional-licensing department) to work as a practical nurse. The route is an approved practical nursing program of roughly 12 months, a fingerprint background check, and the NCLEX-PN, with exam applications routed through Continental Testing Services and licensure applications filed on IDFPR's online portal. A temporary permit can let new graduates work while their full license processes.
Official source: Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR), Board of Nursing · Exam: NCLEX-PN · Typical requirement: Graduation from an approved practical nursing education program (typically about 12 months); fingerprint background check; exam application processed through Continental Testing Services; online application via the IDFPR portal
| School | City | Type | Net price / yr | Completion | Earnings (10 yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joliet Junior College | Joliet | public | $1,672 | 20.4% | $42,889 |
| Illinois Valley Community College | Oglesby | public | $2,232 | 37.2% | $40,810 |
| Lake Land College | Mattoon | public | $2,254 | 55% | $38,877 |
| Moraine Valley Community College | Palos Hills | public | $2,829 | 29.6% | $43,892 |
| Lewis and Clark Community College | Godfrey | public | $3,349 | 50% | $37,724 |
| Spoon River College | Canton | public | $3,415 | 42.1% | $38,386 |
| South Suburban College | South Holland | public | $3,242 | 19.3% | $33,680 |
| Richland Community College | Decatur | public | $3,741 | 31.3% | $38,793 |
| Triton College | River Grove | public | $4,138 | 18.5% | $41,728 |
| Carl Sandburg College | Galesburg | public | $3,662 | 51.5% | $35,274 |
| Oakton College | Des Plaines | public | $5,183 | 16% | $47,852 |
| Lincoln Land Community College | Springfield | public | $4,299 | 39.4% | $38,479 |
| Kishwaukee College | Malta | public | $4,574 | 36.6% | $39,657 |
| Kankakee Community College | Kankakee | public | $4,665 | 33.6% | $38,767 |
| Morton College | Cicero | public | $5,191 | 26.2% | $42,406 |
| Shawnee Community College | Ullin | public | $4,162 | 42.1% | $32,999 |
| Prairie State College | Chicago Heights | public | $4,738 | 20.4% | $36,696 |
| Elgin Community College | Elgin | public | $6,026 | 32.5% | $45,516 |
| Rock Valley College | Rockford | public | $5,242 | 32.4% | $39,158 |
| Danville Area Community College | Danville | public | $4,777 | 35.2% | $34,867 |
| Highland Community College | Freeport | public | $5,713 | 36.6% | $37,928 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Wilbur Wright College | Chicago | public | $6,375 | 28% | $41,625 |
| McHenry County College | Crystal Lake | public | $7,042 | 36.4% | $45,143 |
| College of DuPage | Glen Ellyn | public | $7,401 | 24.7% | $46,909 |
| John A Logan College | Carterville | public | $5,541 | 31.7% | $34,096 |
| Kaskaskia College | Centralia | public | $6,477 | 39.1% | $38,801 |
| College of Lake County | Grayslake | public | $7,607 | 34.1% | $43,424 |
| John Wood Community College | Quincy | public | $7,050 | 42.1% | $38,631 |
| Black Hawk College | Moline | public | $6,944 | 31.7% | $37,253 |
| Sauk Valley Community College | Dixon | public | $8,493 | 47.3% | $40,458 |
| Parkland College | Champaign | public | $8,048 | 29.5% | $38,320 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College | Chicago | public | $7,220 | 28.8% | $32,427 |
| William Rainey Harper College | Palatine | public | $11,607 | 38.4% | $48,071 |
| Waubonsee Community College | Sugar Grove | public | $11,442 | 32.2% | $44,788 |
| Rend Lake College | Ina | public | $9,187 | 55.8% | $35,775 |
| Illinois Eastern Community Colleges | Olney | public | $10,092 | 56.1% | $37,533 |
| Southwestern Illinois College | Belleville | public | $10,427 | 33.1% | $36,884 |
| Heartland Community College | Normal | public | $12,013 | 26.5% | $40,768 |
| Capital Area Career Center | Springfield | public | $16,797 | not reported | $55,357 |
| Southeastern Illinois College | Harrisburg | public | $11,437 | 39.3% | $33,763 |
| Illinois Central College | East Peoria | public | $12,961 | 36.3% | $37,366 |
| Rasmussen University-Illinois | Rockford | private for-profit | $19,854 | 42.3% | $39,080 |
| Career Center of Southern Illinois | Red Bud | public | $25,204 | 63.6% | $48,452 |
| Stautzenberger College-Rockford Career College | Rockford | private for-profit | $21,601 | 51.6% | $34,104 |
| MDT College of Health Sciences | Chicago | private for-profit | $30,833 | not reported | $43,946 |
| Midwest Technical Institute-Illinois | Springfield | private for-profit | $27,793 | 71.9% | $33,601 |
| CALC Institute of Technology | Alton | private for-profit | not reported | not reported | $32,088 |
| Ambria College of Nursing | Hoffman Estates | private for-profit | not reported | 60.7% | $67,290 |
| State Career College | Gurnee | private for-profit | $26,376 | 66.2% | not reported |
| Verve College | Oak Brook | private for-profit | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| CAAN Academy of Nursing | Matteson | private nonprofit | not reported | 65% | not reported |
| Americare Technical School | Park Ridge | private for-profit | not reported | not reported | not reported |
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.
Federal and state aid programs have windows and deadlines. Get them for your trade and state, plus program matches.
We may share your info with matched school and program partners so they can contact you about enrollment. Unsubscribe anytime. See our privacy & editorial policy.