ProgramsCommunity college · California
Hartnell College
Five years of first-time exam results
| Year | Candidates | First-time pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 22 | 73% |
| 2022 | 32 | 91% |
| 2023 | 25 | 100% |
| 2024 | 23 | 100% |
| 2025 | 26 | 88% |
| All five | 128 | 90.6% |
In 2025 this program put 26 candidates through the NCLEX-PN for the first time and 88% passed, against 91.8% across California’s public programs that year.
Getting in
The school told the board: “Does not keep a waiting list” It approves 35 places a year across 1 intakes of 35 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.
Hartnell College: common questions
- What is the NCLEX-PN pass rate at Hartnell College?
- Hartnell College had a first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate of 88.0% in 2025, from 26 candidates tested. Cohort size matters: a high rate from a handful of candidates is not evidence of quality. Over five years the program tested 128 candidates at 90.6%. Source: BVNPT vocational nursing program pass rates.
- How much does Hartnell College cost?
- Board-reported tuition at Hartnell College is approximately $5,666. 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 Hartnell College an approved vocational nursing program?
- Yes. Hartnell College 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.