ProgramsCommunity college · California
College of the Desert
Five years of first-time exam results
| Year | Candidates | First-time pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 9 | 89% |
| 2022 | 1 | 100% |
| 2023 | 23 | 96% |
| 2024 | 22 | 95% |
| 2025 | 25 | 92% |
| All five | 80 | 93.8% |
In 2025 this program put 25 candidates through the NCLEX-PN for the first time and 92% passed, against 91.8% across California’s public programs that year.
Getting in
The school told the board: “0” It approves 30 places a year across 1 intakes of 30 students.
What the licence pays here
In California, vocational nurses earn a median of $79,750. The bottom tenth earn $64,390 and the top tenth $100,450. 82,850 work in the area.
College of the Desert: common questions
- What is the NCLEX-PN pass rate at College of the Desert?
- College of the Desert had a first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate of 92.0% in 2025, from 25 candidates tested. Cohort size matters: a high rate from a handful of candidates is not evidence of quality. Over five years the program tested 80 candidates at 93.8%. Source: BVNPT vocational nursing program pass rates.
- How much does College of the Desert cost?
- Board-reported tuition at College of the Desert is approximately $2,702. That figure comes from BVNPT tuition costs for approved schools and does not include books, uniform, the NCLEX-PN exam fee or licensing costs, which add materially to the total.
- Is College of the Desert an approved vocational nursing program?
- Yes. College of the Desert appears on the California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians list of approved programs. Approval means graduates are eligible to sit the NCLEX-PN; it is not a ranking or an endorsement of quality.
- Is an LVN the same as an LPN?
- Yes. California and Texas call the licence Licensed Vocational Nurse; the other 48 states call it Licensed Practical Nurse. Both sit the same national exam, the NCLEX-PN. There is no separate LVN exam and the qualification is the same.