Best LPN Programs in The Southeast Region


Written By: Editorial Staff @ NursingProcess.org

How Many Schools from the Southeast Region were Evaluated for our Rankings?

We evaluated a total of 731 schools offering nursing programs in the Southeast.


Ranking Methodology: How were the Best LPN Programs in the Southeast Region Ranked?

To come up with the list of best LPN programs in the Southeast, we looked into more than 731 nursing schools in the region and ranked them based on four important factors - NCLEX-PN pass rates, academic quality, the nursing school’s reputation, and affordability. Following is the weightage we assigned to each of these factors.

1. NCLEX-PN Pass Rates (2019-2022): 60%

• 2019 Pass Rates: 10%
• 2020 Pass Rates: 20%
• 2021 Pass Rates: 30%
• 2022 Pass Rates: 40%

2. Academic Quality: 20%
3. The Nursing School's Reputation: 10%
4. Affordability: 10%


15 Best LPN Programs in The Southeast Region for 2024


1. Calhoun Community College - North Tanner, Alabama


Calhoun Community College is Alabama’s largest 2-year community college and is well-recognized in the community for providing robust academic programs for more than 70 years. The school is a member of “Achieving the Dream Network”, which is a non-profit organization that works towards improving student success by supporting low-income students and students of color to complete certificate or degree training. This helps students from these backgrounds to seek support and achieve a positive academic outcome. It's LPN curriculum is of 45 credit hours out of which 20 hours are dedicated to general education and 25 hours to core nursing courses.


2. Danville Community College - Danville, Virginia


The rising demand for medical practices that can be delivered outside of a hospital will allow practical nurses to showcase their skills in varied healthcare settings such as residential care, outpatient care, and assisted living centers. Located just a drive away from downtown Danville, Danville Community College is a 2-year community college that is one of the 23 members of the Virginia Community College System. Its LPN program is delivered on a full-time basis and requires you to complete 65 credits. Its dynamic coursework will leave you with a thorough understanding of anatomy & physiology, positive practices, and medical math.


3. Somerset Community College - Somerset, Kentucky


The 11-month long practical nurse training at Somerset Community College prepares you to take up entry-level positions in the healthcare industry. To be eligible for admissions, you are required to have an ACT score of at least 20 and a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.0 in your high school diploma. After joining, you can conveniently choose to complete the required coursework through its daytime or evening schedule. Some of the courses that you will study include mental health, nursing care, child-bearing family, nursing trends, issues, general psychology, and medical terminology.


4. Coastal Alabama Community College - Bay Minette, Alabama


One of the greatest advantages of becoming a licensed practical nurse is that with minimal educational requirements you can gain certification and start working immediately. Coastal Alabama Community College has the lowest tuition fees in the state. The college offers full-time practical nurse training that takes three semesters to complete. Here you will study 45 credits worth of courses in nursing concepts, evidence-based clinical reasoning, human growth & development, English composition, and intermediate algebra. To be eligible for this program you are required to have a composite ACT score of at least 18.


5. Southcentral Kentucky Community & Technical College - Bowling Green, Kentucky


Being one of the best LPN programs in the Southeast region, the Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College’s nursing program provides you with the required theoretical knowledge through several one-on-one classes and clinical experiences in nursing care across the lifespan in diverse medical settings. The curriculum is of 52 credits and trains you in core nursing and general education courses. To be eligible for this program, you are required to have a GPA of at least 3.0 in your high school diploma.


6. Chattahoochee Technical College - Marietta, Georgia


As an LPN you will have the flexibility of choosing shifts that fit in your schedule, allowing you to work at any time in the day, evening, or night. Upon joining Chattahoochee Technical College’s LPN program, you will study in its main Marietta Campus that is strategically located on South Cobb Drive, making it easily accessible to students from several areas of Cobb County. The school is also the largest technical college in the state offering you state-of-the-art facilities at its enormous campus. Through its LPN curriculum, you will develop critical thinking skills, therapeutic communication techniques, and nursing judgment abilities allowing you to become an efficient healthcare worker.


7. Cape Coral Technical College - Cape Coral, Florida


Cape Coral Technical College’s LPN program allows you to commence your career as an entry-level nurse in just 13 months of full-time study. If you are a working nurse, you can enroll in its flexible part-time schedule that allows you to graduate in 24 months. Here you will study courses in nursing foundations, bio-psycho-social nursing, nutrition, geriatric nursing, employability maternity nursing, and pediatric nursing. You will also gain the required practical experiences by completing a clinical practicum. After completing the necessary credits, you will receive the required placement assistance to fulfill your career aspirations.


8. Southeastern Technical College - Vidalia, Georgia


If you are browsing through the best LPN programs in the Southeast region, then Southeastern Technical College will not fail to impress you. The program offered at the Vidalia Campus requires you to graduate through a full-time schedule. The primary focus of this program is to deliver fast-paced education with maximum practical exposure and with minimum tuition fees. The program is of 60 credits and entails completing courses in foundations of mathematics, fundamentals of English, basic psychology, medical terminology, clinical calculation, nursing fundamentals, maternity nursing, and medical-surgical nursing. The college offers you the required on-field training through as many as 7 clinicals in medical-surgical nursing, maternity nursing, and nursing leadership.


9. South Florida State College - Avon Park, Florida


Upon becoming a practical nurse your everyday responsibilities will include monitoring vital signs, updating patient charts, administrating medication, helping with hygiene, and other bedside care duties. If you are thinking of joining this popular field, you could consider South Florida State College as an option. The college focuses on maintaining its student to faculty ratio to as little as 11:1, allowing you to have a one-on-one learning experience. Here, more than 45% of students also receive federal financial aid, providing you the opportunity to reduce your tuition fees by as much as 3,000 dollars. The curriculum requires completing 1350 clock hours by taking classes in several core nursing courses.


10. Lawson State Community College - Birmingham, Alabama


Lawson State Community College boasts one of the highest NCLEX-PN exam pass rates in the state of Alabama. Its practical nursing program has been an offering since 1973 and is well-known in the community for its sustainable, high-quality coursework. The curriculum allows you to acquire psychomotor, cognitive, and affective skills through several general education and critical nursing courses. These include adult health nursing, child nursing, anatomy & physiology, and psychosocial nursing. You can graduate from this program in three semesters on completing 49 credits.


11. Aiken Technical College - Aiken, South Carolina


Did you know that jobs for LPNs are estimated to increase by 11% by 2028? This is much higher than the average growth rates for other similar jobs. To become a part of this popular field you can enroll in Aiken Technical College. With its curriculum focused on student success, you will receive complete assistance all-round the year from its highly qualified Student Success and Retention Team. The 47-credit practical nurse curriculum trains you in a combination of fine arts, physical, natural and social sciences, mathematics, and core nursing courses. These include English composition, anatomy & physiology, probability & statistics, psychology, maternal, infant, & child nursing, medical calculations, and nursing of the older adult.


12. Georgia Piedmont Technical College - Clarkston, Georgia


If you are thinking of a career in nursing, an LPN certification could give a perfect start in delivering competent nursing care. Georgia Piedmont Technical College’s practical nurse curriculum is offered at its Newton Campus in Clarkston and is ranked highly in Georgia. What makes it even better is that the college has a job placement rate of almost 100% allowing you to achieve your ideal job seamlessly. Upon enrolling in the fall semester, you will complete several courses totaling up to 57 credits in around one year. These include occupational and basic skills courses such as foundations of mathematics, basic psychology, medical terminology, nursing fundamentals, maternity nursing, medical terminology, and nursing leadership.


13. North Arkansas College - Harrison, Arkansas


The practical nurse program of North Arkansas College is ranked second in the state. Being one of the best LPN programs in the southwest, it is no surprise that its students consistently do exceedingly well on the NCLEX-PN. Apart from just passing the NCLEX exam, through its LPN curriculum, you will also learn safety & infection control, pharmacological therapies, psychologic adaptation, coordinated care, and the reduction of potential health risks. To begin your academic journey here, you can enroll in April or October.


14. Arkansas Northeastern College - Blytheville, Arkansas


One year of education from an accredited program is all that it takes to have a lucrative career as a practical nurse. Arkansas Northeastern College’s LPN curriculum is ranked among the top LPN programs in Arkansas. What’s more? The college also has the lowest tuition costs in the state. Before you begin with your journey here, you are required to complete pre-requisite courses in mathematical applications, body structure & function, and anatomy & physiology. Upon enrolling, you will complete 3 semesters of classes where you will also gain the required practical experience by participating in three practical nursing clinicals of five credits each.


15. Chesapeake Career Center - Chesapeake, Virginia


If you are compassionate, have high physical endurance and excellent people skills then nursing might be the right career choice for you. Being the oldest career college in Commonwealth, Chesapeake Career Center’s main mission is to make its students job-ready to enter the modern workforce with complete theoretical understanding and technical know-how in nursing. Its LPN program is presented through a full-time curriculum of 1000 instructional hours. These hours are systematically split between several classroom lectures, laboratory training, and on-field experiences in regional healthcare centers. Here you will learn courses in healthcare & professional issues, anatomy & physiology, nursing fundamentals, diet therapy, pharmacology, growth & development, and medical-surgical nursing.