Compare tuition, NCLEX pass rates, program length, and outcomes for every Utah LPN program side by side.
Utah requires LPN licensure candidates to graduate from a state-approved practical nursing program and pass the NCLEX-PN. Fast-track programs like the 12-month offerings, including some of the fastest LPN programs, at Eagle Gate College and Utah State University make it possible to enter nursing in just over a year. Yet tuition varies widely: Utah State’s in-state cost sits around $8,560, while private programs can exceed $25,000. Beyond price, factors like clinical placement quality and licensure exam pass rates shape your experience. With Utah’s healthcare sector expanding, the role remains a steady on-ramp for new nurses, offering many benefits of being an LPN.
These rankings highlight licensed practical nursing programs in Utah that balance cost, student outcomes, and clinical access. Each entry includes key details about program structure, debt, and earnings to help you compare your options.
| Rank | School | Location | Net price | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Utah State University | Logan, UT | $9,000 – $25,000/yr | Price-conscious rural Utahns | |
Utah State University delivers its Practical Nursing Certificate through technical education campuses in Blanding, Moab, and Price, creating access for rural and southeastern Utah residents. With ACEN accreditation and the lowest net price among ranked schools, the one-year program emphasizes medical-surgical, mental health, and family health nursing. Graduates are prepared for the NCLEX-PN and can seamlessly transition into USU's Associate of Applied Science in Nursing program within the state university system.
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| #2 | Fortis College-Salt Lake City | Salt Lake City, UT | $28,000/yr | Career changers minimizing debt | |
Fortis College in Salt Lake City provides a campus-based Practical Nursing program approved by the Utah Board of Nursing. The curriculum combines classroom instruction, lab work, and clinical rotations, with an emphasis on preparing graduates for local LPN positions. A standout feature is the low median debt of $13,000, making it a financially accessible entry point into nursing.
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| #3 | Eagle Gate College-Murray | Murray, UT | $27,000/yr (net price) | Accelerated urban learners | |
Eagle Gate College’s Murray campus offers a 12-month hybrid Practical Nursing program that blends online coursework with in-person simulation labs and clinical placements. Located in the Salt Lake Valley, the program has a very high retention rate and places students in major Utah hospital systems. Graduates can continue into the college’s ADN or BSN pathways without leaving the Eagle Gate network.
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| #4 | Eagle Gate College-Layton | Layton, UT | $26,000/yr | ||
Eagle Gate College-Layton’s Practical Nursing program is a 12-month hybrid course of study serving students in Davis County and the northern Wasatch Front. The accelerated curriculum includes nursing fundamentals, pharmacology, and medical-surgical nursing, supported by clinical rotations in local healthcare facilities. The college promotes a seamless transition into its own RN-level programs, and multiple start dates each year allow for flexible enrollment.
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| #5 | Nightingale College | Salt Lake City, UT | $31,000/yr | ||
Nightingale College offers a Practical Nurse Diploma through a hybrid distance-education model, with three annual start dates and online didactic courses paired with local supervised field experiences in Utah. While the college’s overall graduation rate is low, the program holds NLN CNEA accreditation and per-credit tuition provides cost transparency. Graduates can continue into Nightingale’s own LPN-to-ASN bridge program without transferring institutions.
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Costs for LPN programs in Utah vary significantly by school type and residency status. Net price, which is the average amount students pay after grants and scholarships, provides a clearer picture of affordability than sticker tuition. Utah State University stands out as the cheapest option with a net price of $14,936, while most other programs exceed $25,000. The share of Pell Grant recipients (shown below) indicates how many students receive federal need-based aid.
| School | In-State Tuition | Out-of-State Tuition | Net Price | Median Debt | Pell Grant Recipients |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Utah State University | $8,560 | $24,993 | $14,936 | $14,340 | 66.3% |
| Eagle Gate College-Layton | N/A | N/A | $25,873 | $43,021 | 81.7% |
| Eagle Gate College-Murray | $16,548 | $16,548 | $27,345 | $43,021 | 81.7% |
| Fortis College-Salt Lake City | $13,474 | $13,474 | $27,586 | $13,000 | 84.7% |
| Nightingale College | N/A | N/A | $30,852 | $25,250 | 72.3% |
Admission requirements force you to weigh thorough preparation against a quick start. The tighter the prerequisites, the smoother the clinical training later, but no two Utah LPN programs read from the same playbook. Becoming your own detective is the only way to land in a seat.
Practical nursing admission pages live in the nooks of a college’s nursing or health sciences department. Bookmark each one. These pages spell out everything: intake semesters, prerequisite course names, entrance exam score floors, background check timelines, and whether a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) credential must already be in hand. Some schools update these pages only twice a year, so note the publish date and cross-check with a quick phone call if it looks stale.
While every institution sets its own bar, Utah LPN candidates typically encounter a few repeat players: - High school completion or equivalent: A diploma or GED is the floor. - Prerequisite coursework: Anatomy, physiology, medical terminology, and math at the high school or college level often appear. Some programs ask for a minimum grade in each, not just a passing mark. - Entrance exam: The ATI TEAS (Test of Essential Academic Skills) is the most common; a few accept HESI. Public score thresholds are often modest, but competitive cohorts may silently sort by higher results. - CNA certification: Utah technical colleges frequently list an active Utah CNA as an admission prerequisite, or require it by a certain point early in the program. If you lack it, look for concurrent CNA coursework the school itself offers.
A program that admits once per year turns a missed deadline into a twelve-month delay. Some schools run a single fall start; others offer rolling admission until seats fill. Application windows may open as early as January for a fall cohort. When a website’s deadline language is fuzzy, "apply early" or "first-come, first-served", reach out to the admissions office directly. A five-minute email can save a year of waiting.
School websites are the authoritative source for program admission rules. The Utah Board of Nursing maintains a list of approved practical nursing programs, which is a reliable starting point for knowing which doors are open. National organizations like the National Association for Practical Nurse Education and Service (NAPNES) publish broad guidance, but their checklists cannot replace a program’s own catalog. For career outlook data once you are licensed, BLS.gov offers state and national figures, but it will not help you navigate a TEAS score.
If a school’s page shows nothing but a contact form, do not guess. Attend an information session, many Utah technical colleges host them monthly. Email the program coordinator with specific questions: “Do you accept CNA equivalency from on-the-job training?” A proactive approach often uncovers unwritten flexibility, and it demonstrates the exact professionalism nursing programs want to see.
An LPN program's duration and scheduling can make the difference between finishing quickly and juggling work, family, and school for nearly two years. In Utah, most full-time practical nursing programs wrap up in 10 to 12 months, but accelerated and part-time tracks change that timeline significantly.
Full-time students at technical colleges like Davis Technical College, Southwest Technical College, and Mountainland Technical College (MTECH) can complete the curriculum in just 10 months of continuous study. Uintah Basin Technical College (UBTech) structures its program to finish in 10 to 11 months, while university-based options such as Utah State University's certificate run about one year. These compact schedules assume daytime, weekday attendance and often run in consecutive terms without a summer break.
Part-time pathways are less common but do exist. When a program offers an evening or extended track, the total timeline can stretch to 18 to 20 months. This option appeals to students who must maintain employment or caregiving responsibilities during the day.
Most LPN programs in Utah are housed in technical colleges, which frequently use competency-based, open-entry models. UBTech, Davis Tech, Southwest Tech, Dixie Tech, MTECH, and Ogden-Weber Technical College all deliver their practical nursing curricula on campus with structured clinical rotations. These schools may offer rolling starts or multiple cohorts per year, giving students flexibility on when to begin.
In contrast, a four-year institution like Utah State University follows a traditional semester calendar with fixed application windows and a cohort that progresses together. Its ACEN-accredited certificate spans three semesters across multiple campus locations (Blanding, Moab, Price) but sticks to a set academic year.
For working students, schedule format is often the dealbreaker. UBTech runs a full-time day program Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., plus an evening track meeting Monday through Wednesday 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. with separate clinical hours. Ogden-Weber Technical College offers a day schedule Monday through Thursday 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., though clinical times vary. Other technical colleges generally hold daytime sessions, with clinical placements that may fall on weekends or evenings depending on the healthcare facility.
Fully online LPN programs do not exist in Utah, and for good reason. The Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL) requires in-person clinical training for licensure, so no program can move all its instruction online. However, a handful of schools blend online didactic classes with face-to-face labs and clinicals. Fortis College in Salt Lake City offers a hybrid format where less than half of the coursework is online. Eagle Gate College (Layton and Murray) and Nightingale College in Salt Lake City also label their programs hybrid, combining virtual lectures with on-site skills practice. These models can reduce the number of days students need to travel to campus each week.
Regardless of how lectures are delivered, every LPN program in Utah requires at least 600 hours of supervised clinical experience. These hours are spent in hospitals, long-term care facilities, clinics, or other approved healthcare settings, and they are never waived or moved online. Students should expect to commute to clinical sites and to complete rotations during daytime, evening, or weekend shifts as assigned by the program.
Becoming a licensed practical nurse in Utah typically takes about 15 to 18 months from start to finish. Here's a breakdown of each step along the way, including typical timeframes.
A state’s overall NCLEX-PN pass rate can be reassuring, but what truly matters is how well your specific program prepares its graduates.
In the most recent reporting year, 2025, Utah’s practical nursing graduates collectively achieved a 100 percent first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate3. That placed Utah first among all states, but it’s important to remember that only 53 test-takers made up that perfect score. For context, the national first-time pass rate for US-educated PN candidates was 86.6 percent in 20251, down slightly from 88.38 percent in 20242. These figures show that Utah’s nursing education system is performing well, but the small candidate pool means a single struggling cohort could dramatically shift the numbers next year.
The Utah Division of Professional Licensing (DOPL) and the Utah Board of Nursing are the official sources for NCLEX-PN pass rates by school. They publish annual reports that break down pass rates for each approved practical nursing program in the state. Because these reports are not always centralized in a single searchable database, you may need to contact the board directly or check each school’s nursing department website. Many programs proudly display their recent pass rates, and that transparency is a positive signal.
When comparing programs, look beyond a single year’s percentage. A small LPN program might show 100 percent one year and 80 percent the next simply due to a handful of students. A consistent record above 90 percent over three to five years is a stronger indicator of quality. Also consider how the program supports students who don’t pass on the first attempt: remediation plans, tutoring, and retake policies can make a big difference. If a program’s pass rate consistently falls below the national average, ask about recent curriculum changes or faculty turnover before crossing it off your list.
What steps do you need to take to get your Utah LPN license and pass the NCLEX-PN?
Once you complete an approved practical nursing program, you'll submit an application to the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing (DOPL) online, by mail, or in person. You'll need to provide official transcripts and a letter of verification from your program. The application fee is $100, and a separate fingerprint-based background check is required (an additional fee applies).1 DOPL typically takes up to 10 business days to issue your Authorization to Test once all documents are received.2
Register for the NCLEX-PN through Pearson VUE and pay the $200 exam fee.2 The test uses computerized adaptive testing (CAT), which delivers between 85 and 205 questions and adjusts difficulty based on your answers. The exam ends when the computer determines with 95% certainty whether your ability is above or below the passing standard. You'll receive results from DOPL within a few days, and a passing score qualifies you for licensure.
Utah LPN licenses renew every two years.3 Renewal requirements depend on your practice hours: - No practice hours: 30 hours of continuing education (CE), including mandatory suicide prevention training. - 200 practice hours + CE: 15 hours of approved CE plus suicide prevention training. - 400 practice hours only: No CE required, but you must still complete suicide prevention training.
Keep CE documentation for at least four years; DOPL may request it during audits.
Utah is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact, which means Utah LPNs can practice in over 40 other compact states without obtaining additional licenses.4 This is a significant advantage if you anticipate working across state lines. Compact privileges are automatic once you hold an active Utah license, but you must follow the laws of the state where you practice.
New LPNs often start near the 10th percentile of the wage distribution, while experienced nurses move toward the top end of the pay scale. Understanding this progression helps you plan for your financial future after completing an LPN program in Utah.
Licensed practical nurses in Utah earn a median annual wage between $58,000 and $60,000, according to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data1. This sits close to the national median of approximately $59,730. The full earnings range reveals significant room for growth: the bottom 10th percentile earns around $45,000 to $47,000, while the 90th percentile reaches $72,000 to $76,000. The 25th percentile is $50,000 to $52,000, and the 75th percentile is $64,000 to $67,000. Total employment for LPNs in the state is estimated at 2,400 to 2,600 positions.
Location makes a difference. In the Salt Lake City metro area, the median annual wage is higher, at $60,000 to $62,000. Data for other major Utah metros, such as Provo-Orem, Ogden-Clearfield, and St. George, is less readily available, but urban and suburban employers often pay above the state median. Rural facilities may offer lower base pay, though lower living costs can offset the difference.
Employment of LPNs in Utah is projected to grow 15 to 25 percent over the coming decade, a pace faster than many other occupations. This expansion stems from an aging population and increased demand for long-term and home-based care. Projections estimate 150 to 250 annual openings2, combining new positions and replacements for workers who retire or leave the field.
Program-level earnings data for recent LPN graduates is not yet published in federal scorecard datasets, so exact starting salaries are hard to pin down. Newly licensed nurses can generally expect to earn near the lower end of the state's wage distribution, in the 10th to 25th percentile range, until they build experience. Earning potential rises steadily with tenure, additional certifications, and specialization. For an advanced career path, rn to bsn utah programs can unlock significantly higher wages and broader opportunities in Utah's growing healthcare sector.
Licensed practical nurses in Utah earn wages that vary widely by experience and setting. The distribution below shows the range, with the national median included for comparison.
For many LPNs in Utah, the choice to pursue an RN license brings a central tension: staying in a comfortable, well-paying role versus investing time and money into a bridge program that can significantly lift earning potential and career options. On one side, you have near-term financial stability; on the other, the promise of roles with greater clinical responsibility, as reflected in the LPN vs RN scope of practice comparison, and a median RN salary that far exceeds the typical LPN wage in the state.
The Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) for the 2025–2026 academic year is open and available online at StudentAid.gov. There is no fixed state deadline in Utah, but individual colleges may set priority dates. Completing the FAFSA is required for most grants, scholarships, and federal loans. Schools like Utah State University and Utah Valley University urge students to contact their financial aid offices directly to confirm timelines and award amounts. Even private programs such as Eagle Gate College offer financial aid support for nursing students who submit a FAFSA.
The Utah Department of Workforce Services (DWS) lists training programs and funding opportunities tailored to high-demand fields like practical nursing. Current listings for 2025–2026 include state-sponsored grants that can cover a significant portion of tuition. The Utah Nurses Association also maintains a scholarship directory for nursing students, with awards based on merit, need, or commitment to working in underserved areas.
Major Utah hospital systems often invest in the next generation of nurses. Intermountain Health and University of Utah Health both offer tuition reimbursement, loan repayment, or workforce development programs for eligible students who commit to employment after graduation. Contact their human resources or nursing education departments directly to learn about current offerings and application cycles.
When applying for competitive scholarships, include data on LPN salary and job outlook in Utah. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS.gov) provides occupation-specific wage and demand figures that can demonstrate the stability and growth of your chosen career path, highlighting the soundness of the investment.
Find quick answers to common questions about LPN training in Utah, including program length, costs, licensing requirements, and what to expect after graduation. Each response links back to the detailed sections above for deeper dives.
