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Home › Trades Data › Practical Nursing (LPN)

Federal Data — September 2026

LPN Programs: What They Cost And What Graduates Earn

Practical nursing is taught at more than six hundred US institutions. Here is what the federal data says about debt, earnings and which schools deliver the best return.

See The Schools

U.S. Department of Education data. No school paid to be listed.

Across the 650 US institutions that report both figures, a practical nursing program leaves $15,520 of median federal debt and produces $44,824 of median earnings one year after completion. That works out at 4.3 months of gross pay to cover the debt, against a national median of 4.7 months across all vocational programs.

Licensed practical nursing carries higher debt than most trade credentials, and higher earnings to match.

Both routes exist in this field, and they are not equivalent. The certificate leaves $15,287 of median debt against $20,594 for the associate degree, with first-year earnings of $44,594 and $51,744 respectively. On payback the certificate comes out ahead: 4.2 months against 4.7.

The table below ranks the individual schools. Every number is reproduced from the federal files, and the method is the same one behind our payback ranking of 58 programs and our ranking of 153 institutions.

The Numbers

Practical Nursing (LPN) at a glance

4.3 mo
of gross pay to cover the median debt
$15,520
median federal debt at completion
$44,824
median earnings one year after completion
0.4 mo
faster than the national median across all vocational programs

School By School

The 60 practical nursing programs with the strongest reported outcomes

Filter by state. Click any column heading to sort. Lower is better.

# School▲▼ Credential▲▼ Months▲▼ Debt▲▼ Earnings▲▼ Completion▲▼
1 Isothermal Community CollegeSpindale, NC Certificate 1.5 $6,625 $51,324 55%
2 Tennessee College of Applied Technology-HartsvilleHartsville, TN Certificate 1.5 $5,846 $46,390 82%
3 Illinois Eastern Community CollegesOlney, IL Certificate 1.6 $7,500 $56,008 63%
4 Tennessee College of Applied Technology CrumpCrump, TN Certificate 1.6 $6,000 $44,134 63%
5 Greater Lowell Technical SchoolTyngsboro, MA Certificate 1.6 $8,859 $67,281 100%
6 Shawsheen Valley School of Practical NursingBillerica, MA Certificate 1.6 $9,397 $72,230 80%
7 Tennessee College of Applied Technology-Upper CumberlandCrossville, TN Certificate 1.7 $6,398 $44,915 84%
8 Tennessee College of Applied Technology-HohenwaldHohenwald, TN Certificate 1.8 $6,500 $42,694 65%
9 Harmony Health Care InstituteMerrimack, NH Certificate 1.8 $12,685 $85,953 87%
10 Chattahoochee Valley Community CollegePhenix City, AL Certificate 1.9 $9,875 $63,335 36%
11 Charles A Jones Career and Education CenterSacramento, CA Certificate 1.9 $9,498 $60,282 65%
12 Alvin Community CollegeAlvin, TX Certificate 1.9 $10,215 $64,976 24%
13 Fayette Institute of TechnologyOak Hill, WV Certificate 1.9 $6,548 $41,617 92%
14 Northeast Alabama Community CollegeRainsville, AL Certificate 2.0 $8,950 $53,855 56%
15 MCVSDFreehold, NJ Certificate 2.0 $10,168 $62,124 53%
16 Tennessee College of Applied Technology-JacksboroJacksboro, TN Certificate 2.1 $7,439 $42,300 84%
17 Lakeshore Technical CollegeCleveland, WI Certificate 2.1 $7,000 $39,553 50%
18 Eastern Suffolk BOCESSayville, NY Certificate 2.1 $9,500 $53,547 77%
19 Transitions Career Institute School of NursingCollege Point, NY Certificate 2.1 $11,750 $65,992 79%
20 Morgan Community CollegeFort Morgan, CO Certificate 2.2 $11,750 $64,066 45%
21 Lake Land CollegeMattoon, IL Certificate 2.2 $7,750 $41,756 58%
22 SOWELA Technical Community CollegeLake Charles, LA Certificate 2.2 $8,000 $43,365 43%
23 Diman Regional Technical InstituteFall River, MA Certificate 2.2 $10,182 $55,341 75%
24 Emerald Coast Technical CollegeDeFuniak Springs, FL Certificate 2.2 $6,500 $34,922 87%
25 Ambria College of NursingHoffman Estates, IL Certificate 2.2 $11,878 $64,712 n/a
26 Coastal Pines Technical CollegeWaycross, GA Certificate 2.2 $7,500 $40,728 48%
27 North Florida Technical CollegeStarke, FL Certificate 2.3 $8,523 $44,940 68%
28 Hennepin Technical CollegeBrooklyn Park, MN Certificate 2.3 $8,250 $43,470 42%
29 Mineral Area CollegePark Hills, MO Certificate 2.3 $10,500 $55,389 49%
30 Vernon CollegeVernon, TX Certificate 2.3 $9,147 $47,677 21%
31 Wood County Technical Center-Practical NursingParkersburg, WV Certificate 2.3 $7,091 $37,542 100%
32 Kiamichi Technology Center-McAlesterMcAlester, OK Certificate 2.3 $7,992 $41,025 45%
33 Rockland County BOCES-Practical Nursing ProgramWest Nyack, NY Certificate 2.3 $11,600 $60,114 100%
34 Pima Community CollegeTucson, AZ Certificate 2.4 $9,562 $47,205 28%
35 Merced CollegeMerced, CA Certificate 2.4 $6,250 $31,349 36%
36 Atlantic Technical CollegeCoconut Creek, FL Certificate 2.4 $9,222 $46,267 65%
37 Orange Technical CollegeOrlando, FL Certificate 2.4 $8,611 $43,002 79%
38 Tennessee College of Applied Technology-MorristownMorristown, TN Certificate 2.4 $8,000 $39,477 80%
39 Tennessee College of Applied Technology NorthwestNewbern, TN Certificate 2.4 $7,500 $37,350 69%
40 Central Texas CollegeKilleen, TX Certificate 2.4 $9,609 $48,689 11%
41 South Texas CollegeMcAllen, TX Certificate 2.4 $6,507 $33,171 27%
42 Green Country Technology CenterOkmulgee, OK Certificate 2.4 $10,125 $51,601 67%
43 Dutchess BOCES-Practical Nursing ProgramPoughkeepsie, NY Certificate 2.4 $9,859 $49,012 97%
44 Monty TechFitchburg, MA Certificate 2.4 $10,711 $53,902 67%
45 Felbry CollegeColumbus, OH Certificate 2.4 $9,500 $48,323 91%
46 Butte CollegeOroville, CA Associate 2.5 $13,382 $65,467 45%
47 Pickens Technical CollegeAurora, CO Certificate 2.5 $11,000 $53,360 76%
48 Georgia Northwestern Technical CollegeRome, GA Certificate 2.5 $9,500 $44,957 43%
49 Shawnee Community CollegeUllin, IL Certificate 2.5 $11,162 $54,323 60%
50 Wor-Wic Community CollegeSalisbury, MD Certificate 2.5 $12,725 $61,298 27%
51 TCAT AthensAthens, TN Certificate 2.5 $9,925 $46,871 95%
52 Wharton County Junior CollegeWharton, TX Certificate 2.5 $9,985 $48,326 27%
53 H W Brewster Technical CollegeTampa, FL Certificate 2.5 $8,228 $39,485 72%
54 Marian Health Careers Center-Los Angeles CampusLos Angeles, CA Certificate 2.5 $12,333 $58,726 67%
55 Marion Technical CollegeOcala, FL Certificate 2.5 $8,750 $42,436 80%
56 Marian Health Careers Center-Van Nuys CampusVan Nuys, CA Certificate 2.5 $12,333 $58,726 71%
57 GateWay Community CollegePhoenix, AZ Certificate 2.6 $12,898 $60,620 29%
58 Sheridan Technical CollegeHollywood, FL Certificate 2.6 $8,614 $39,156 69%
59 Dalton State CollegeDalton, GA Certificate 2.6 $9,007 $41,595 25%
60 Greenfield Community CollegeGreenfield, MA Certificate 2.6 $12,123 $56,658 31%

Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, Most Recent Cohorts by Field of Study and by Institution (published 9 June 2026), CIP 5139. 650 institutions report this program with both debt and earnings; the 60 with the fastest payback are shown. Debt is median federal Stafford and Grad PLUS loan debt of completers; earnings are median earnings one year after completion; completion is the institution’s published rate.

Read It Carefully

What these figures do not tell you

01

It is a ratio, not a repayment plan

Months of gross pay to cover the debt is a way of comparing programs on one consistent basis. Nobody repays a loan with their entire gross salary.

02

Local wages move the numbers

The same program pays differently in different labour markets. Use the state filter and compare within a state before comparing across the country.

03

Only federal loan debt is counted

Cash payments, private loans and employer sponsorship are invisible here. A school whose students pay out of pocket shows low debt without being cheap.

04

One year out is an early snapshot

Trades where pay climbs steeply with experience are penalised by a first-year measure. Absence from the table usually means suppressed data, not a poor school.

Go Deeper

The wider picture

Original Data All 58 trade programs, ranked by payback Where this field sits against every other vocational program. Original Data The best trade schools in America 153 institutions ranked on the same measure. Insight Eligible training provider list Why outcome evidence decides eligibility.

Related Reading

Before you choose a program

GuideCan you get financial aid for trade school?How LPN students actually fund it. GuideHow much does trade school cost?The wider cost picture behind these figures. GuideHow to get into a trade schoolWhat admission actually requires.

For School Operators

If you run one of these programs

→Where your enrollment funnel leaksCost and outcome questions stall more applications than anything else. →SEO for trade schoolsBe the source that answers these questions for your program. →Declining enrollment: what to fix firstWhen a strong record still fails to fill seats. →Enrollment management for vocational programsWhich programs deserve the next dollar of budget.

By State

The same ranking, one state at a time

Local wages shape earnings as much as the school does, so comparing programs inside a single state is more informative than comparing across the country. These 30 states have at least three ranked institutions each, covering 560 of the 650 in the national table.

Alabama7 schools · median 4.6 moArizona10 schools · median 3.3 moArkansas10 schools · median 4.7 moCalifornia53 schools · median 4.1 moColorado12 schools · median 4.0 moConnecticut4 schools · median 4.6 moFlorida40 schools · median 4.3 moGeorgia16 schools · median 4.3 moIllinois24 schools · median 3.5 moKentucky18 schools · median 4.2 moLouisiana15 schools · median 5.9 moMaryland6 schools · median 5.3 moMassachusetts11 schools · median 2.7 moMichigan18 schools · median 5.6 moMinnesota16 schools · median 5.4 moMississippi11 schools · median 4.3 moMissouri21 schools · median 4.1 moNew Jersey14 schools · median 3.9 moNew York32 schools · median 3.8 moNorth Carolina7 schools · median 3.7 moOhio47 schools · median 4.7 moOklahoma7 schools · median 2.9 moOregon3 schools · median 3.8 moPennsylvania41 schools · median 4.4 moSouth Carolina6 schools · median 5.4 moTennessee26 schools · median 3.2 moTexas43 schools · median 4.1 moVirginia14 schools · median 4.3 moWest Virginia10 schools · median 3.7 moWisconsin18 schools · median 4.2 mo

Use This Data

Want your own program’s numbers against this benchmark?

We run this analysis for individual schools, program by program, against their own federal data. Where the answer is good, it is the strongest recruitment argument a school owns, and almost nobody publishes it.

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