ProgramsDataset
California LVN tuition against NCLEX-PN pass rates
California’s board publishes what each vocational nursing program charges in one document and how its graduates did on the licensing exam in another. This page joins the two for the 110 programs that have a figure in both, and gives the join away as a spreadsheet.
110
Programs in the join
45 public, 65 private
minus 0.42
Correlation, 2025
all 110 programs
minus 0.50
20+ candidates only
84 programs
minus 0.51
Against five-year rate
110 programs
Method
How the join was made
A program is included when the board’s tuition table gives it a dollar figure and its pass-rate table gives it first-time candidates in 2025. Names differ between the two documents, so they were matched on the institution’s name with generic words removed, plus a short written list of known aliases; a tuition row that could belong to more than one campus was left unmatched rather than guessed.
Tuition is the approximate total the school reported to the board, excluding books, uniform, exam and licensing fees unless the school’s own note says otherwise (that note is kept in the CSV). Pass rates are as the board printed them. The correlation is Pearson’s r across programs, each program counted once whatever its size. It is repeated for programs with at least 20 first-time candidates, because a class of four can swing from 50% to 100% on two results, and against the five-year rate, which is steadier than any single year.
Limits
What this does not show
A correlation describes how two columns move together across these 110 programs. It does not show that tuition affects exam results, it says nothing about the programs left out for want of a figure, and a program’s rate does not predict any one student’s result. The exam measures first-time candidates only, and programs differ in admissions, class size and the students they enrol.
The rows
All 110 programs, cheapest first
The same rows as the CSV. Program names link to each program’s five-year record.
| Program | Sector | Tuition | Candidates 2025 | Pass rate 2025 | Five-year rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| College of the Desert | Community college | $2,702 | 25 | 92% | 93.8% of 80 |
| City College of San Francisco | Community college | $2,787 | 18 | 94% | 87.7% of 130 |
| Rio Hondo College | Community college | $3,337 | 16 | 100% | 95.3% of 86 |
| State Center Community College District, Madera Center (SCCCD) | Community college | $3,385 | 23 | 70% | 75.6% of 127 |
| Chaffey College | Community college | $3,460 | 40 | 93% | 89.6% of 144 |
| Fresno Adult School | Adult school | $3,700 | 25 | 96% | 89.6% of 154 |
| Lassen Community College | Community college | $3,934 | 5 | 100% | 98.0% of 50 |
| Sacramento City College | Community college | $4,000 | 34 | 94% | 82.9% of 129 |
| Santa Barbara City College | Community college | $4,100 | 27 | 100% | 98.8% of 86 |
| Gavilan College | Community college | $4,152 | 1 | 100% | 93.2% of 44 |
| MiraCosta College | Community college | $4,200 | 21 | 95% | 93.2% of 73 |
| Shasta College | Community college | $4,212 | 10 | 90% | 85.2% of 54 |
| Imperial Valley College | Community college | $4,400 | 27 | 96% | 98.8% of 80 |
| Pasadena City College, Health Sciences Division | Community college | $4,463 | 16 | 100% | 90.9% of 88 |
| College of the Siskiyous | Community college | $4,550 | 11 | 91% | 95.7% of 23 |
| Butte College | Community college | $4,600 | 27 | 85% | 91.3% of 80 |
| Los Medanos College | Community college | $4,643 | 26 | 88% | 84.4% of 96 |
| Antelope Valley College | Community college | $4,681 | 16 | 100% | 94.8% of 97 |
| Riverside City College, School of Nursing | Community college | $4,708 | 64 | 98% | 98.1% of 265 |
| College of the Redwoods, Del Norte | Community college | $5,000 | 11 | 73% | 85.7% of 42 |
| College of the Redwoods, Eureka | Community college | $5,000 | 21 | 100% | 93.8% of 48 |
| Long Beach City College | Community college | $5,000 | 31 | 100% | 98.0% of 201 |
| Lynwood Community Adult School | Adult school | $5,000 | 12 | 83% | 86.2% of 65 |
| Cerro Coso Community College | Community college | $5,035 | 11 | 73% | 90.0% of 60 |
| Allan Hancock College | Community college | $5,200 | 33 | 100% | 97.5% of 161 |
| Grossmont Health Occupations Center | Adult school | $5,500 | 41 | 98% | 97.8% of 184 |
| Copper Mountain College | Community college | $5,530 | 11 | 64% | 72.7% of 55 |
| Cuesta College, North County | Community college | $5,575 | 25 | 96% | 84.2% of 101 |
| Tulare Adult School | Adult school | $5,660 | 8 | 75% | 91.4% of 58 |
| Hartnell College | Community college | $5,666 | 26 | 88% | 90.6% of 128 |
| Citrus College | Community college | $5,920 | 44 | 100% | 95.1% of 203 |
| Merced College | Community college | $6,000 | 38 | 92% | 87.6% of 97 |
| Palo Verde College, Nursing and Allied Health | Community college | $6,106 | 9 | 89% | 86.5% of 37 |
| Hacienda La Puente Adult Education, Willow Center | Adult school | $6,319 | 5 | 100% | 91.2% of 57 |
| Inland Career Education Center | Adult school | $6,900 | 33 | 100% | 97.8% of 89 |
| Mission College VN | Community college | $6,975 | 46 | 89% | 86.3% of 183 |
| Bakersfield College | Community college | $7,286 | 51 | 96% | 94.5% of 128 |
| Visalia Adult School | Adult school | $10,600 | 24 | 92% | 83.6% of 152 |
| LAUSD - Maxine Waters Employment Preparation Center | Adult school | $11,000 | 7 | 100% | 86.8% of 38 |
| Clovis Adult Education | Adult school | $15,000 | 36 | 100% | 89.5% of 229 |
| Downey Adult School | Adult school | $16,000 | 50 | 82% | 78.8% of 240 |
| North Orange County Regional Occupational Program | Regional occupational program | $17,000 | 23 | 96% | 92.0% of 113 |
| Tri-County Regional Occupational Program | Regional occupational program | $17,235 | 1 | 100% | 75.4% of 57 |
| Allied Medical & Health Services, Inc | Private school | $18,197 | 3 | 100% | 92.9% of 28 |
| Southeast California College | Private school | $19,995 | 14 | 71% | 66.7% of 42 |
| College of Nursing & Technology | Private school | $20,900 | 22 | 91% | 94.9% of 78 |
| Charles A. Jones Career and Education Center | Adult school | $22,260 | 16 | 56% | 86.3% of 102 |
| Marian College, Los Angeles | Private school | $26,250 | 50 | 80% | 75.0% of 320 |
| Marian College, Van Nuys | Private school | $26,250 | 48 | 81% | 83.0% of 218 |
| Beaumont Adult School | Adult school | $26,500 | 50 | 76% | 82.7% of 208 |
| Xavier College | Private school | $27,000 | 36 | 97% | 96.3% of 242 |
| Contra Costa Medical Career College | Private school | $27,563 | 30 | 80% | 79.5% of 73 |
| CES (Community Enhancement Services) College | Private school | $27,893 | 64 | 69% | 81.7% of 230 |
| Nurses' Development Center, Inc. | Private school | $28,000 | 19 | 74% | 82.5% of 40 |
| Moriah Medical College | Private school | $28,550 | 24 | 96% | 97.3% of 74 |
| Angeles College, City of Industry | Private school | $29,300 | 126 | 83% | 83.9% of 342 |
| California Nurses Educational Institute | Private school | $29,965 | 94 | 85% | 80.8% of 370 |
| Quest Nursing Education Center | Private school | $30,000 | 44 | 73% | 78.4% of 204 |
| Angeles College, Los Angeles | Private school | $30,500 | 39 | 90% | 89.9% of 169 |
| Integrity College of Health | Private school | $31,260 | 13 | 54% | 66.7% of 54 |
| University of Antelope Valley | Private school | $31,657 | 16 | 100% | 94.8% of 97 |
| Concorde Career College, San Bernardino | Private school | $31,787 | 68 | 75% | 74.4% of 450 |
| Career Development Institute, Inc. | Private school | $31,801 | 67 | 90% | 87.6% of 338 |
| High Desert Medical College, Bakersfield | Private school | $32,175 | 26 | 54% | 66.4% of 137 |
| High Desert Medical College, Lancaster | Private school | $32,175 | 40 | 85% | 81.3% of 219 |
| Concorde Career College, Garden Grove | Private school | $32,452 | 110 | 88% | 87.9% of 512 |
| Career Care Institute, Lancaster | Private school | $32,499 | 66 | 91% | 84.7% of 294 |
| Career Care Institute, Moreno Valley | Private school | $32,499 | 44 | 89% | 78.1% of 224 |
| Career Care Institute, Oxnard | Private school | $32,499 | 78 | 82% | 75.0% of 392 |
| National Career College | Private school | $32,500 | 91 | 74% | 77.7% of 314 |
| Concorde Career College, North Hollywood | Private school | $32,851 | 106 | 91% | 75.9% of 569 |
| Medical Career College | Private school | $32,857 | 21 | 71% | 66.0% of 103 |
| Medical Allied Career Center, Inc. | Private school | $33,000 | 29 | 69% | 69.5% of 164 |
| Professional Medical Careers Institute | Private school | $33,424 | 56 | 84% | 83.0% of 288 |
| Platt College, Alhambra | Private school | $33,567 | 3 | 33% | 60.4% of 91 |
| Angeles Institute | Private school | $34,000 | 113 | 81% | 83.5% of 333 |
| Institute of Technology, Clovis | Private school | $34,284 | 94 | 87% | 83.1% of 467 |
| Institute of Technology, Modesto | Private school | $34,284 | 73 | 88% | 90.9% of 331 |
| Institute of Technology, Redding | Private school | $34,532 | 97 | 82% | 75.0% of 507 |
| Glendale Career College | Private school | $34,578 | 83 | 49% | 62.1% of 293 |
| North-West College, Anaheim | Private school | $34,578 | 39 | 72% | 80.0% of 105 |
| North-West College, Long Beach | Private school | $34,578 | 53 | 79% | 83.6% of 256 |
| North-West College, Pomona | Private school | $34,578 | 76 | 75% | 74.3% of 323 |
| North-West College, Riverside | Private school | $34,578 | 168 | 69% | 76.6% of 492 |
| North-West College, Van Nuys | Private school | $34,578 | 65 | 69% | 77.9% of 235 |
| North-West College, West Covina | Private school | $34,578 | 92 | 68% | 69.5% of 489 |
| Northern California Nursing Academy | Private school | $34,977 | 16 | 50% | 64.6% of 48 |
| Blake Austin College | Private school | $35,250 | 138 | 76% | 71.9% of 531 |
| Pacific College, Costa Mesa | Private school | $36,000 | 62 | 60% | 70.7% of 389 |
| Unitek College, Bakersfield | Private school | $36,352 | 166 | 83% | 77.7% of 714 |
| Unitek College, Concord | Private school | $36,352 | 235 | 91% | 86.6% of 902 |
| Unitek College, Fremont | Private school | $36,352 | 249 | 76% | 77.7% of 1,141 |
| Unitek College, Hayward | Private school | $36,352 | 155 | 79% | 79.4% of 617 |
| Unitek College, Sacramento | Private school | $36,352 | 301 | 89% | 87.0% of 1,169 |
| Unitek College, San Jose | Private school | $36,352 | 298 | 82% | 76.0% of 1,289 |
| Unitek College, South San Francisco | Private school | $36,352 | 119 | 97% | 85.9% of 562 |
| Concorde Career College, San Diego | Private school | $36,422 | 96 | 96% | 94.2% of 504 |
| Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts, Concord | Private school | $36,644 | 168 | 83% | 77.5% of 880 |
| Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts, Fresno | Private school | $36,644 | 257 | 85% | 81.1% of 747 |
| Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts, Modesto | Private school | $36,644 | 262 | 78% | 80.6% of 1,097 |
| Gurnick Academy of Medical Arts, San Mateo | Private school | $36,644 | 35 | 89% | 85.7% of 217 |
| CNI College | Private school | $36,841 | 16 | 88% | 83.0% of 94 |
| The Nurse Academy | Private school | $38,000 | 24 | 75% | 80.9% of 68 |
| American Career College, Anaheim (Orange County) | Private school | $38,094 | 318 | 89% | 87.6% of 1,326 |
| American Career College, Los Angeles | Private school | $38,094 | 285 | 94% | 90.8% of 1,339 |
| American Career College, Ontario | Private school | $38,094 | 336 | 83% | 85.3% of 1,393 |
| Carrington College, Sacramento | Private school | $38,096 | 74 | 86% | 84.9% of 390 |
| Carrington College, San Jose | Private school | $38,096 | 28 | 86% | 78.8% of 165 |
| Stanbridge University, Irvine | Private school | $39,995 | 198 | 92% | 94.9% of 772 |
| Stanbridge University, Los Angeles | Private school | $39,995 | 164 | 90% | 91.0% of 410 |
The same figures, argued rather than tabulated, are on what an LVN program costs. Every program with exam results, including those without tuition, is on the pass-rate table.