What’s The Cost of an
LPN Certificate Or Degree?

Picking the right program to qualify you to be a licensed practical nurse or “vocational” nurse can be complicated. Key things you need to be aware of are

• Degree requirements and job rules for LPNs vary from state to state.


• LPN certificate (sometimes called “diploma”) programs are offered by large state universities, individual hospitals, community colleges, private education companies and even very small local technical schools.


• LPN programs are accredited by a variety of groups. You can double check on the accreditation status of a school by searching the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission’s (NLAC) search engine. If a school does not appear there, you might simply want to contact the hiring office at an area hospital and ask if the program you want to take is considered valid by that employer. As with other types of certificate programs, accreditation is less clear with LPN education than it is with associates and bachelors degree programs in nursing.

---

Click here for LPN programs across the country

---

• There will be costs beyond your tuition. LPN students are generally required to buy their own medical “scrubs” or a uniform, a stethoscope, a blood pressure cuff and often more than $500. per year in books. You may also have to pay small fees for liability insurance and even cover the fee for a background check on yourself (most LPN programs will not accept anyone with a criminal record).


• If you're currently working and have a family, you’ll need to factor in the cost of child care while you attend school and any travel expenses for a classroom program (an online licensed practical nursing program can obviously help cut down on these expenses).

You’ll want to evaluate whether the cost and the length of time involved in an LPN program makes sense when compared with a two-year associates degree in nursing. Many LPN programs take about one year. A program that takes two full years may not be a great option for getting you working and earning money quickly. On the other hand, you should probably be suspicious of any LPN certificate program that takes only six months, as it may simply be a diploma mill.

There are many LPN programs in large, affluent states like California, New York and New Jersey that cost over $20,000 in fees and tuition. In many states, however, you can reasonably expect to find a program with a total price tag running from $7,000 to $12,000, including your supplies.

Going Local
Be aware that you may get a bargain from a community college near your home. Community colleges often give the same low tuition rates for local residents that state universities provide for in-state students. Just as an example, Mercer County Technical College in West Virginia has a practical nurse program which, for the 2008 – 2009 school year, will have tuition rates for local county residents of about $3,300, a rate for in-state but out of county residents of $6,600 plus, and over $13,000 for out of state residents. Studying close to home can clearly provide you with savings.

Typical courses you’ll take for an LPM certificate will include nursing fundamentals, medical mathematics, pharmacology, pediatrics, obstetric nursing and anatomy.

Many schools are a bit “cagey” about showing what their tuition rates are online. You can find out more, and get more individualized course information, but getting free information packets from nursing programs.

Indiana State University
ISU is the state university of Indiana, located in Terre Haute. It has received high ratings for many years from Princeton Review and other publications. Right now it's one of the most progressive state schools in terms of online learning, with a variety of degree progams. It's nursing program offers up to 10 hours of credit via a "professional portfolio evaluation," a mechanism through which experienced nurses can demonstrate their knowledge to receive credit in certain areas. Indiana State offers LPN to BSN and RN to BSN programs online.
Get Free Information on Indiana State University Nursing

Kaplan University
Kaplan is a large school specializing in online career training, owned by the Washington Post Company. It offers degrees in many different areas. For licensed nurses, if offers an RN to BS program, or an RN to MS "bridge" degree. Nursing master's degrees are also offered in:
- Gerontology
- Family Nurse Practitioner
- MS Nurse Educator
- Informatics
- Nursing Administration
Get Free Information on Kaplan University Nursing

Georgetown University
Georgetown, located in Washington D.C., is one of the oldest and most famous private universities in the country. In the online world, it specializes in masters of science programs for nurses:
- MS Adult Gerontology
- MS Family Nurse Practitioner
- MS Nurse Educator
- MS Nurse Midwifery
Get Free Information on Georgetown University Nursing

American Sentinel University
ASU is a popular choice among our readers, partly due to the great affordability of it's online RN to BSN program. RNs can enroll with no work experience, and may get credit transfer for any previous courses they have taken. American Sentinal's nursing programs have accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
Get Free Information on American Sentinel University