How many approved LVN programs are there in California?

167, of which 53 are public and 87 private. Approval is what makes a graduate eligible to sit the NCLEX-PN, so a program that loses it is a problem for the students already in it. The list here comes from the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians.

How much does LVN school cost in California?

The board-reported median is $5,000 at community colleges, adult schools and regional occupational programs, and $34,532 at private schools: 6.9 times the price for the same licence and the same exam. Ask the school what else sits on top of tuition before you enrol.

Do the more expensive California programs get better results?

No. The cheaper public group passed 91.8% of its 1,095 first-time candidates against 82.8% from 6,483 private-school candidates in 2025. Across the 110 programs publishing both, the correlation between tuition and pass rate is -0.42.

What does an LVN earn in California?

A median of $79,750 a year across the 82,850 vocational nurses working in the state, from $64,390 at the tenth percentile to $100,450 at the ninetieth. That is BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, and the metro table above shows how widely it varies inside the state.

Is a California LVN licence the same as an LPN licence elsewhere?

Yes. California and Texas call the licence vocational; the other 48 states call it practical. It is the same NCLEX-PN exam and the same scope of practice, which is why a California LVN applies for endorsement rather than re-sitting the exam when moving state.

California

Becoming a licensed vocational nurse in California

California is one of two states that call the licence “vocational” rather than “practical”. It is also the larger of the two by some distance: 82,850 vocational nurses work here, earning a median of $79,750, and 7,578 people sat the licensing exam for the first time last year.

167

Approved programs

$79,750

Median pay

10th to 90th: $64,390 to $100,450

82,850

Working in the state

84.1%

Pass rate, 2025

First-time candidates

The decision that costs the most

Public or private

California’s board publishes what every approved school charges, which almost no other state does. Community colleges, adult schools and regional occupational programs report a median of $5,000. Private schools report $34,532. Same licence, same exam, 6.9 times the price - and the cheaper group passes a higher share of its candidates.

The full analysis, with the break-even calculator, works out when the premium is worth paying anyway.

Programs sitting 20 or more candidates in 2025

The strongest records in the state

Ranked by first-time pass rate, with a floor of 20 candidates. Small programs are excluded from this table rather than allowed to top it on three results, but they all have their own page.

Program	Type	Tuition	Candidates	Pass rate
Allan Hancock College	Community college	$5,200	33	100%
Carrington College, Visalia	Not in the fee table	-	30	100%
Citrus College	Community college	$5,920	44	100%
Clovis Adult Education	Adult school	$15,000	36	100%
College of the Redwoods, Eureka	Community college	$5,000	21	100%
Inland Career Education Center	Adult school	$6,900	33	100%
Long Beach City College	Community college	$5,000	31	100%
Santa Barbara City College	Community college	$4,100	27	100%
Grossmont Health Occupations Center	Adult school	$5,500	41	98%
Riverside City College, School of Nursing	Community college	$4,708	64	98%
Unitek College, South San Francisco	Private school	$36,352	119	97%
Xavier College	Private school	$27,000	36	97%
Bakersfield College	Community college	$7,286	51	96%
Concorde Career College, San Diego	Private school	$36,422	96	96%
Cuesta College, North County	Community college	$5,575	25	96%

Search all 167 California programs

Pay by metro

Where the licence is worth most

The spread inside California is wider than the gap between California and Texas. The Bay Area pays around $79,310, and inland metros considerably less, though the cost of living moves the same way.

Metro area	Employed	Median	90th percentile
San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	3,290	$95,320	$113,220
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	8,800	$94,310	$109,120
Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	870	$92,580	$110,300
Vallejo, CA	870	$85,430	$106,490
Napa, CA	280	$83,690	$117,680
Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	4,760	$81,570	$104,880
Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	340	$81,000	$101,820
Salinas, CA	710	$80,910	$96,370
San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	440	$79,940	$107,280
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	6,610	$79,720	$96,390
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	33,590	$79,310	$96,630
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	1,230	$79,020	$95,270
Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	650	$79,010	$95,650
Chico, CA	380	$78,750	$92,660
Yuba City, CA	330	$78,260	$90,770
Modesto, CA	1,120	$78,200	$102,830
Stockton-Lodi, CA	1,430	$77,830	$96,150
Hanford-Corcoran, CA	310	$77,650	$77,960
Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	8,200	$76,970	$93,180
Bakersfield-Delano, CA	1,480	$76,130	$91,460
Merced, CA	300	$75,890	$83,200
Fresno, CA	2,360	$75,580	$94,420
El Centro, CA	300	$74,710	$91,180
Redding, CA	510	$74,140	$91,900
Visalia, CA	830	$73,540	$89,270

Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025

Licensing

California licenses vocational nurses through the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians, a separate body from the Board of Registered Nursing. Only graduates of a board-approved program are eligible, which is why the approval status on each program page matters: a program that loses approval is a problem for the students in it.

For the application itself, fees and current requirements, go to the board directly at bvnpt.ca.gov. This site is not affiliated with it and cannot process anything for you.

California LVN questions

How many approved LVN programs are there in California?: 167, of which 53 are public and 87 private. Approval is what makes a graduate eligible to sit the NCLEX-PN, so a program that loses it is a problem for the students already in it. The list here comes from the Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians.
How much does LVN school cost in California?: The board-reported median is $5,000 at community colleges, adult schools and regional occupational programs, and $34,532 at private schools: 6.9 times the price for the same licence and the same exam. Ask the school what else sits on top of tuition before you enrol.
Do the more expensive California programs get better results?: No. The cheaper public group passed 91.8% of its 1,095 first-time candidates against 82.8% from 6,483 private-school candidates in 2025. Across the 110 programs publishing both, the correlation between tuition and pass rate is -0.42.
What does an LVN earn in California?: A median of $79,750 a year across the 82,850 vocational nurses working in the state, from $64,390 at the tenth percentile to $100,450 at the ninetieth. That is BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025, and the metro table above shows how widely it varies inside the state.
Is a California LVN licence the same as an LPN licence elsewhere?: Yes. California and Texas call the licence vocational; the other 48 states call it practical. It is the same NCLEX-PN exam and the same scope of practice, which is why a California LVN applies for endorsement rather than re-sitting the exam when moving state.