ProgramsCommunity college · California
Santa Barbara City College
Five years of first-time exam results
| Year | Candidates | First-time pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 2 | 100% |
| 2022 | 25 | 96% |
| 2023 | 28 | 100% |
| 2024 | 4 | 100% |
| 2025 | 27 | 100% |
| All five | 86 | 98.8% |
In 2025 this program put 27 candidates through the NCLEX-PN for the first time and 100% 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 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.
Santa Barbara City College: common questions
- What is the NCLEX-PN pass rate at Santa Barbara City College?
- Santa Barbara City College had a first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate of 100.0% in 2025, from 27 candidates tested. Cohort size matters: a high rate from a handful of candidates is not evidence of quality. Over five years the program tested 86 candidates at 98.8%. Source: BVNPT vocational nursing program pass rates.
- How much does Santa Barbara City College cost?
- Board-reported tuition at Santa Barbara City College is approximately $4,100. 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 Santa Barbara City College an approved vocational nursing program?
- Yes. Santa Barbara City 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.