Compare tuition, NCLEX pass rates, program length, and outcomes for every approved LPN school in PA.
Pennsylvania faces an estimated LPN deficit of 18,700 by 2030, fueling demand across hospitals, nursing homes, and outpatient clinics. Some aspiring nurses choose a 12-month accelerated program at a community college like Bucks County or Lehigh Carbon, where in-state tuition runs roughly $5,300 to $9,300. Others enroll in 16- to 18-month programs at private institutions, with sticker prices reaching $35,000 and beyond.
Net costs after aid can drop significantly: many affordable LPN programs exist at public two-year colleges, where students often net under $10,000, while some private career schools still exceed $20,000. Program formats vary, too: most require on-campus attendance for clinical labs, but a handful, such as Harrisburg Area Community College, now offer hybrid coursework.
In a state where an LPN license opens doors in hospitals, long-term care, and clinics, choosing the right program means weighing location, cost, and NCLEX pass rates against expected wages and bridge-path flexibility.
This ranking of Pennsylvania's top LPN programs for 2026 balances affordability with student success indicators, drawing from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data. Each entry highlights a school's practical nursing offering, including program length, format, and institutional graduation rates. Individual program earnings data are not yet available, but we include each school's median graduate earnings ten years out as a guide to long-term value.
| Rank | School | Location | Net price | Best for | |
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| #1 | Butler County Community College | Butler, PA | $5,000 – $10,000/yr | County residents on LPN-to-RN path | |
Butler County Community College is the only practical nursing provider in Butler County, re-established recently to meet western Pennsylvania's LPN shortage. Its 3-semester certificate includes an Anatomy and Physiology Track and a direct LPN-to-RN bridge into BC3's associate degree program, with lower tuition for county residents and clinical partnerships at major regional systems like Independence Health and UPMC.
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| #2 | Reading Area Community College | Reading, PA | $5,000 – $10,000/yr | Students needing proven licensure success | |
Reading Area Community College offers a one-year, full-time PN certificate with a proven track record. The program reports a 100% NCLEX-PN pass rate and 100% job placement, giving graduates a fast, reliable entry into Berks County healthcare. Advanced placement into RACC's ADN program creates a clear pathway to registered nursing.
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| #3 | Bucks County Community College | Newtown, PA | $6,000/yr (net price) | Full-time learners needing 12-month LPN | |
Bucks County Community College runs a 12-month, full-time PN program starting each July with NCLEX pass rates consistently above the national average. The Monday-through-Friday schedule and lack of prerequisite coursework make it an accessible, fast-track option for students in the Newtown area, with an efficient bridge to RN at the same college.
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| #4 | Laurel Business Institute | Uniontown, PA | $8,000/yr (net price) | ||
Laurel Business Institute in Uniontown provides a 12-month PN diploma with a strong hands-on focus. Students log 300 hours in the skills lab and 670 clinical hours, covering pharmacology, nutrition therapy, and medical-surgical nursing. Small class sizes and admission thresholds based on Wonderlic SLE or ATI TEAS support a structured, intensive learning environment.
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| #5 | Lehigh Carbon Community College | Schnecksville, PA | $9,000/yr (net price) | ||
Lehigh Carbon Community College's three-semester PN certificate leverages a state-of-the-art Patient Simulation Center with high-fidelity manikins to build clinical confidence. Multiple campus locations serve the Lehigh Valley, and ACEN accreditation plus an LPN-to-RN pathway provide both quality assurance and a clear route to an associate or bachelor's degree.
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| #6 | Northampton County Area Community College | Bethlehem, PA | $12,000/yr (net price) | ||
Northampton Community College positions itself as one of Pennsylvania's most affordable nursing schools, offering a one-year calendar completion with evening and weekend classes. The 44-credit PN certificate includes clinical practicums in geriatric, maternal, and mental health settings, and transfer agreements ease the transition to a BSN.
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| #7 | Harrisburg Area Community College | Harrisburg, PA | $14,000/yr | ||
Harrisburg Area Community College's PN program stands out with a hybrid format and a 97.6% job placement rate. It operates in a stackable LPN-RN model, allowing graduates to transition seamlessly into HACC's RN program. Clinical placements span central Pennsylvania sites in Harrisburg, Lancaster, and York.
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| #8 | Carlow University | Pittsburgh, PA | $20,000 – $25,000/yr | ||
Carlow University's 16-month Practical Nurse Certificate draws on 75 years of nursing education in Pittsburgh, a top LPN employment market with a projected shortfall of 18,700 LPNs across Pennsylvania by 2030. Private-university tuition is offset by a free application and rolling admissions, and the curriculum emphasizes community engagement and cultural competency.
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| #9 | Laurel Technical Institute | Hermitage, PA | ~$7,000/yr (est.) | ||
Laurel Technical Institute in Hermitage delivers a 12-month PN diploma with an emphasis on medication administration, IV therapy, and patient care essentials. Admission thresholds mirror those of its Uniontown sister campus, and small cohorts ensure personalized attention throughout the program.
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| #10 | Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology | Pleasant Gap, PA | $5,000 – $10,000/yr | ||
Central Pennsylvania Institute of Science and Technology's 1,500-hour PN diploma features tightly controlled cohorts with a 1:12 teacher-student ratio. Approved by both the Pennsylvania Department of Education and Board of Nursing, the program runs two annual start dates and emphasizes an integrated theory-to-practice model for central Pennsylvania learners.
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NCLEX-PN pass rates fluctuate year to year, but they remain the clearest public measure of a program's ability to prepare students for licensure. The Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing publishes five-year NCLEX-PN spreadsheets that let you see how a school performed during the 2023 through 2025 testing cycles. (Program-level data for 2026 is not yet available, so these are the most recent complete figures.) As of the latest national report, the overall pass rate for the NCLEX-PN was 77.3% in 2025, while first-time, U.S.-educated candidates earned an 86.0% pass rate in early 2026. Those benchmarks help you spot programs that consistently outperform or fall below the average.
Pennsylvania programs show a wide range. For example, Franklin County Career and Technology Center's Practical Nursing Program recorded a 100% pass rate in 2024, while others, like Penn Commercial's Practical Nursing Program, logged a 71.22% rate for the 2021-2022 period. A single weak year is not always a red flag, but a multi-year downward trend deserves attention. Access the raw numbers directly through the State Board of Nursing's website, and don't hesitate to call a program's admissions office to ask for their most recent cohort outcomes.
Sticker-price tuition is just the starting point. You will also need to cover fees, textbooks, scrubs or uniforms, clinical supplies, a physical exam and immunizations, and the NCLEX-PN exam fee itself. Some schools bundle many of these into the published total, while others list them separately. Request a full cost worksheet from every program you consider, and ask whether financial aid, payment plans, or employer tuition reimbursement can offset the true total.
In Pennsylvania, every LPN program must hold approval from the Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing for graduates to sit for the NCLEX-PN and become licensed. However, fewer than 20% of practical nursing programs nationwide also carry programmatic accreditation from a national nursing accreditor such as ACEN or ABHES. National accreditation signals that a program meets a higher, peer-reviewed standard, and it often makes it easier to transfer credits later into an LPN-to-RN bridge program. If seamless academic advancement matters to you, prioritize schools that list continuing ACEN or ABHES accreditation alongside state approval.
Your clinical rotations shape hands-on skills and often lead to job offers. Call admissions and ask where current students complete clinicals, how many hours of direct patient care are included, and whether the program has established relationships with hospitals, long-term care facilities, or home health agencies. Some programs also maintain formal employer partnerships that can fast-track graduates into open positions. A few direct questions early on will reveal how well a program is connected to the healthcare employers you hope to work for after licensure.
The total cost of an LPN program in Pennsylvania goes beyond tuition. After financial aid, a typical student at a public community college may pay around $9,500 in net tuition, with additional expenses for books, supplies, uniforms, equipment, background checks, and licensure exams adding another $1,700 to $3,400. Here's how those costs break down.
The net price you pay depends heavily on whether you choose a public community college, a private career school, or a vo-tech center. Among the state’s most affordable LPN programs, net prices range from roughly $6,200 to $9,300 per year. Community colleges like Butler County Community College and Bucks County Community College sit at the lower end, around $6,200–$6,400, while private institutions such as Laurel Technical Institute fall near $6,800. Even the higher-cost options in this group, including Lehigh Carbon Community College, stay under $9,300. These figures already account for typical grants and scholarships, so they represent what students actually pay after aid. Keep in mind that programs at for-profit schools or those in higher-cost areas can push total expenses well above that range, making it essential to compare each school’s net price calculator before enrolling.
Two state programs often reduce LPN tuition dramatically. The PHEAA State Grant is open to Pennsylvania residents enrolled in eligible diploma, associate, or bachelor’s programs. You must file the FAFSA to be considered, and award amounts vary by school, enrollment status, and financial need. However, not every LPN certificate qualifies, your program must meet PHEAA’s approval guidelines. If your LPN program is not eligible for the State Grant, look at the PA Targeted Industry Program (TIP). TIP supports workforce-training programs that last between 10 weeks and less than two academic years and that are not already covered by the State Grant. Many LPN programs fit this description perfectly, and TIP can cover a significant portion of tuition for students who qualify.
Federal aid is another major piece of the puzzle. At the most affordable LPN schools in Pennsylvania, between 74% and 87% of students receive Pell Grants, a strong signal that LPN students at all income levels qualify. If your Pell Grant does not cover the full cost, a Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant (FSEOG) may add a few hundred to a few thousand dollars more. For any remaining gap, federal student loans for certificate programs can help. Just remember that borrowing should be a last resort after exhausting all grant and scholarship options.
Many Pennsylvania hospital systems and long-term care facilities offer tuition reimbursement or direct sponsorship for LPN training. If you already work in healthcare, contact your HR department to ask about education benefits, UPMC, Geisinger, and similar networks frequently promote these programs. Even if you are not yet employed in the field, local Workforce Development Boards administer WIOA-funded healthcare training grants. A quick call to your county’s board can reveal no-cost or low-cost pathways into an LPN career. Always check whether your employer or a nearby healthcare employer will pick up the tab before taking on debt.
LPN programs in Pennsylvania offer flexible scheduling to fit the lives of career changers, parents, and working students, but every pathway shares one common requirement: all clinical hours must be completed in person.
The majority of full-time LPN programs in the state run between 10 and 14 months, with intensive daytime schedules that cover both didactic coursework and hands-on clinical rotations. For students who need a lighter load, part-time evening and weekend tracks typically stretch to 18 to 24 months. The extra months allow learners to balance employment or family commitments while progressing through the same curriculum.
Franklin County Career and Technology Center, for example, packs its program into 12 months of full-time day classes, meeting Monday through Thursday from 6:45 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Two cohort starts each year, in March and September, give prospective students multiple entry points. At the other end of the pacing spectrum, Holy Temple Training Institute (HTTI) runs a part-time format designed explicitly for working adults, taking 22 months to complete during evening and weekend hours.
Pennsylvania LPN programs commonly arrange their calendars around these schedule types:
Fully online LPN programs do not exist in Pennsylvania because state licensing requires direct patient care experience. Any school that lists "online" or "hybrid" components is referring only to the lecture portion of the curriculum. At Penn State Berks, limited online coursework supplements the on-campus schedule, but students still come to the physical classroom regularly and complete all clinical hours face-to-face in medical facilities.
Most programs, including those at Franklin County CTC and HTTI, keep all instruction on campus, prioritizing hands-on lab practice before students enter the clinical setting. When researching a program, always confirm where and when clinical rotations will take place: your schedule flexibility can drop once you are assigned to a hospital, nursing home, or clinic site, even if lecture attendance is flexible or remote.
Licensed practical nurse salaries depend heavily on where you work. The same LPN license can earn noticeably different wages in Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, or smaller metros like Lancaster. Understanding these regional differences helps you weigh job offers and decide where to apply after graduation.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics tracks wage data for LPNs nationwide under SOC code 29-2061. Nationally, the median annual wage was $59,730 as of May 2023. The bottom tenth of earners made roughly $45,670, while top performers reached about $77,870. But these are countrywide figures; Pennsylvania’s own metro areas paint a more detailed picture.
To get precise Pennsylvania numbers, you can use the BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics query tool. Filter by SOC 29-2061 and select individual Pennsylvania metropolitan divisions. For example, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro often posts median wages above the national average, driven by higher living costs and strong healthcare demand. Pittsburgh and Harrisburg-Carlisle tend to land closer to the state median, while Scranton–Wilkes-Barre and Lancaster may report slightly lower figures. Checking each area’s 10th and 90th percentiles reveals the range: some employers in rural counties offer pay near the lower end, while specialty clinics or long‑term care facilities in urban hubs may exceed $70,000. This gap means commuting 30 minutes across county lines can translate to a meaningful pay difference.
Alongside wages, the BLS table shows employment counts per metro. These numbers tell you where the most LPN jobs are concentrated. Philadelphia claims the largest LPN workforce in the state, followed by Pittsburgh. Even in smaller metros like Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, steady hiring reflects the ongoing need for bedside care, home health, and rehabilitation services.
For long‑term outlook, the Pennsylvania Center for Workforce Information & Analysis publishes industry and occupational projections. Their 2024–2034 reports estimate LPN employment change across the state. While national projected growth sits at 3%, Pennsylvania’s aging population and expansion of outpatient settings could push demand slightly higher in certain regions. Check their latest projections to see whether your target metro expects above‑average openings or flat staffing. The BLS also estimates about 54,400 annual job openings nationally, accounting for retirements and turnover, not just new positions. In tight local labor markets, that churn creates reliable opportunities for new graduates. Rural hospitals and correctional facilities also hire LPNs, often with competitive starting wages to attract candidates.
Government data runs a few years behind. To supplement BLS figures, search active LPN job postings on Indeed and Glassdoor. Filter by city and review the salary estimates or posted ranges. Job boards often reveal hiring surges in specific Pennsylvania counties, such as increased home health demand in Lehigh Valley or sign‑on bonuses at Pittsburgh‑area nursing homes. Local LPN program directors and the Pennsylvania Association of Practical Nursing can also share informal salary surveys and employer feedback. Combining these sources gives you a current, grounded sense of what to expect.
Program-level earnings outcomes for Pennsylvania LPN programs are not currently published by the U.S. Department of Education. This section will compare median earnings for graduates of top programs as soon as the data becomes available.
What's the fastest way to go from LPN to RN in Pennsylvania? LPN-to-RN bridge programs let you apply your practical nursing knowledge toward an associate degree (ADN) without repeating fundamentals. In Pennsylvania, several community colleges run dedicated transition tracks. Lehigh Carbon Community College offers an LPN-to-RN pathway leading to an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing. Westmoreland County Community College also has an LPN-to-RN option. Pennsylvania College of Technology's LPN-to-RN program spans 24 months and requires a 2.5 GPA along with prerequisites in biology, composition, and mathematics, plus placement testing. Most LPN-to-ADN sequences add about 12 to 24 months of study beyond your LPN diploma, depending on transfer credits and course load; an active Pennsylvania LPN license is almost always required.
If your goal is a bachelor's degree from the start, a few Pennsylvania universities offer LPN-to-BSN tracks. Penn State Altoona accepts LPNs with at least 1,000 hours of recent work experience (within the last 3 years). Immaculata University's LPN-to-BSN program runs 7 semesters and prepares graduates to sit for the NCLEX-RN. These programs typically take 21 to 24 months and may require you to hold an active, unencumbered Pennsylvania LPN license. They compress nursing theory and clinicals, treating your LPN background as advanced standing.
Not every advancement requires an RN license. LPNs can pursue specialized certifications such as IV therapy, wound care, or long-term care leadership. These credentials can increase your earning potential and open roles like charge nurse or unit coordinator in skilled nursing facilities. Many employers support certification through tuition reimbursement or on-site training.
For those aiming higher, transitioning to an RN is often the first leg of a longer climb. Once you earn an ADN or BSN, you can enter an RN-to-BSN completion program (often fully online) or eventually pursue a nurse practitioner degree. Topnursing.org maintains statewide directories of RN-to-BSN and NP programs in Pennsylvania to help you map out each stage.
If you are considering a practical nursing career in Pennsylvania, these answers address the most common questions about program length, prerequisites, costs, and more. Use them to plan your next steps with confidence.
This directory covers additional LPN programs in Pennsylvania beyond the top-ranked schools. Each entry includes the school, location, format, and a short description to help you compare options. Follow the program links on topnursing.org to request more information.
