Looking for a job in Minnesota that offers a good salary, job security, and the chance to help when people are feeling frightened and overwhelmed? Look into LPN programs in Minnesota. As a licensed practical nurse, you’ll find employment opportunities at hospitals, home healthcare agencies, physician practices, and long-term care facilities in cities and rural communities throughout the Land of Lakes. You’ll earn $54,870 a year, and your employment opportunities will rise by 7 percent throughout the next decade. Becoming an LPN takes a year or less of schooling, so it’s an excellent way to try out the nursing profession before committing to a four-year program. This guide to the 12 best LPN programs in Minnesota is a great resource.
Based on our Ranking Methodology, the following are the 12 best nursing schools for LPN programs in Minnesota.
Program Details: Minnesota West Community & Technical College offers an LPN pathway online as well as at its campuses in Granite Falls, Pipestone, and Worthington. (Of course, as with all licensed practical nursing programs in Minnesota, you must participate in real-time nursing skills labs and clinical rotations if you choose this distance learning option.) The pathway can be undertaken either as stand-alone LPN training or as the first year of a two-year associate nursing degree program.
MWCTC’s licensed practical nursing program admits a new student cohort each fall. You must take the standardized National ACT test and pass the ATI TEAS exam with a score of 58.7 percent or higher before you can be admitted into this program. You must also complete all prerequisites, including a federally approved nursing aide course.
Courses include “Nursing of the Adult I & II,” “Pharmacology I & II,” and “Family Nursing” as well as two classes entirely devoted to clinical experiences and practicums. You’ll learn basic bedside skills such as obtaining vital signs, drawing blood, and administering medications by practicing on programmable manikins in MWCTC’s state-of-the-art simulation center. You’ll perfect these skills in clinical rotations at Avera Marshall Regional Medical Center, Carris Health’s Redwood Area Hospital, Minnesota Veterans Home, Cross Roads Care Center, and other long-term care and acute care settings in communities throughout the southwest Minnesota River Valley.
Why Choose This Program
• Want to continue your professional education? Minnesota West Community & Technical College also offers an LPN-to-RN Bridge program.Program Details: Want to attend one of the best licensed practical nursing programs in Minnesota? Rochester Community and Technical College’s 39-credit LPN pathway is highly regarded for its capable instructors, outstanding clinical opportunities, affordability, and high NCLEX-PN pass rates. All applicants to this LPN program in Minnesota must score 58.7 percent or higher on the ATI TEAS exam and either have active status on the Minnesota certified nursing assistant registry or have taken a nursing aide course at RCTC. The program accepts new students each fall.
Your coursework will include 12 credits of prerequisites and 27 credits of foundational nursing classes, such as “Pharmacology for Practical Nursing,” “Adult Nursing,” and “Nursing Fundamentals in the Care of the Older Adult.” You’ll participate in supervised patient care experiences at Rochester Methodist Hospital, the Saint Marys campus of the Mayo Clinic, and other healthcare facilities throughout Rochester and surrounding communities. Additionally, Rochester Community and Technical College belongs to the Rochester Community Simulation Collaborative, which provides students with hands-on skill training through exercises in cutting-edge environments that replicate hospital practice settings.
Why Choose This Program
• Rochester Community and Technical College also offers an ADN program, and LPNs qualify for advanced placement.Program Details: Minnesota North College only accepts applicants into its licensed practical nursing program in Minnesota who are registered as certified nursing assistants. You’ll also have to score 50 percent or higher on the TEAS entrance exam. The program is offered at the college’s Itasca, Rainy River, and Mesabi Range campuses. The program starts in the fall semester.
This 45-credit LPN curriculum combines lectures, skills labs, and clinical experiences. You’ll have the option of attending classroom lectures or accessing them online, but you must show up at labs and practicums in person. “Health Needs for All Ages I & II,” “Maternal/Child Nursing,” and “Psychosocial Aspects of Nursing” are just some of the courses you’ll take when you enroll in this LPN program in Minnesota. Skills labs and clinical practicums are administered separately from lecture courses.
Minnesota North College has a nursing simulation lab where you’ll get your initial exposure to the hands-on skills essential to the licensed practical nursing scope of practice. You’ll refine these skills further as you participate in supervised patient care in skilled nursing and ambulatory care settings throughout the rural communities of Minnesota’s Iron Range region.
Why Choose This Program
• Serious about taking your nursing skills to the next level? Qualified LPNs who want to become registered nurses can enter Minnesota North College’s ADN program at the beginning of its second year.Program Details: Pine Technical and Community College's licensed practical nursing program is one of the most affordable in the state! But that’s just one of many reasons why you should consider enrolling. This LPN program in Minnesota has an outstanding NCLEX-PN pass rate and is small enough to offer each student the highly personalized educational experience that leads to academic success.
You’ll learn nursing theory in courses like “Human Development Across the Lifespan,” “Nursing Care of Women, Infants and Children,” and “Nursing Care of the Adult Theory I & II.” The curriculum also contains classes dedicated to skills-building and clinical immersion experiences. You’ll learn hands-on nursing skills in Pine Tech’s well-equipped nursing lab and sharpen your powers of clinical reasoning in realistic simulation scenarios. You’ll also participate in clinical rotations involving supervised patient care in long-term settings and hospitals throughout eastern central Minnesota.
Why Choose This Program
• The Pine Technical and Community College Foundation gives out thousands of dollars in scholarships every year. In addition, PTCC LPN students may be eligible for Frandsen Family Foundation, Kick Start, Bridging the Dream, and North Star Promise scholarships.Program Details: Northland Community & Technical College’s licensed practical nursing program offers an online/hybrid pathway in addition to teaching the course at its campuses in East Grand Forks and Thief River Falls. That makes this LPN program one of the best LPN programs in Minnesota for busy students who are juggling work and personal obligations.
This program is only open to applicants who have completed nursing assistant training, a course in medical terminology and other prerequisites, and who have achieved a minimum ATI TEAS score of 50 percent. The program typically admits new cohorts in the spring and fall.
NCTC’s LPN curriculum draws upon standards of practice developed by the National Association for Practical Nurse Education & Service. Your 27-credit core nursing curriculum will include classes like “Introduction to Practical Nursing,” “Nursing Concepts I & II,” and “Transition to Practice.” You’ll also take three clinical courses, including one that focuses on invasive therapies like IV and NG tube insertion.
Northland Community & Technical College has a cutting-edge simulation lab equipped with programmable manikins and hospital technology, where you’ll start your hands-on clinical training. You’ll develop these skills further while providing supervised patient care at Altru Health System, RiverView Health, and other long-term care and hospital practice settings throughout Minnesota’s portion of the Red River Valley. Students enrolled in the online/hybrid LPN program may be able to do weekend and evening clinical rotations.
Why Choose This Program
• Want to apply to this licensed practical nursing program in Minnesota but not a certified nursing assistant? Northland Community & Technical College offers free nursing assistant courses.Program Details: Lake Superior College’s LPN program can be completed in just two semesters, significantly shorter than the time required for many other healthcare careers. This is one of the LPN programs in Minnesota that’s only open to certified nursing assistants. You must complete all prerequisites, including a course in medical terminology, before you start the program and score 58.6 percent or higher on the TEAS entrance exam.
Among the classes you’ll need to complete in the 40-credit foundational nursing curriculum are “Adult Nursing I & II,” “Gerontology in Nursing,” and “Nursing Trends.” You must complete six practical skills and clinical courses as well. You’ll learn and practice hands-on skills in a sophisticated nursing lab located in the college’s Health and Science Building, which replicates a hospital unit. Lake Superior College LPN students pursue clinical rotations at long-term care centers and other community healthcare partners throughout the Duluth metro.
Why Choose This Program
• The five-year average pass rate for first-time NCLEX-PN test takers who graduated from Lake Superior College’s LPN program is 92 percent.Program Details: Flexibility is one of the great things about Alexandria Technical & Community College’s LPN program in Minnesota. You can get your LPN diploma in just two semesters if you take 19 credits of general education courses the first semester and 17 credits of nursing courses the second; between lecture courses, skills labs, and clinical rotations, this option will take up between 50 and 60 hours a week. If you want a less rigorous schedule, you can get your diploma in three semesters by taking 10 credits of general education the first semester, 12 nursing credits the second semester, and 14 nursing credits the third semester; between lectures, skills labs, and clinicals, this will entail spending between 40 and 50 hours a week on your studies.
Both pathways admit 36 LPN students each spring and fall into classes that meet during the daytime. Alexandria Technical & Community College also offers an evening class LPN track that accepts 24 LPN students each fall. To enter any of these LPN pathways, you must be a Minnesota certified nursing assistant and score 50 or higher on the TEAS entrance exam.
You’ll be responsible for completing nursing courses like “Pharmacology,” “Geriatric Nursing,” and “Psychosocial Nursing.” You’ll learn essential hands-on nursing skills practicing on lifelike manikins in Alexandria Technical & Community College’s cutting-edge nursing lab, which mirrors a busy hospital unit right down to electronic record-keeping procedures. You’ll participate in supervised clinical rotations at Alomere Health, Glacial Ridge, and local nursing homes in Alexandria and other communities in Minnesota’s western prairie region.
Why Choose This Program
• Ready to take your nursing skills up a notch? Alexandria Technical & Community College’s ADN program is customized to meet the needs of entering licensed practical nurses.Program Details: If you want to attend South Central College’s licensed practical nursing program in Minnesota, you must be listed as a certified nursing assistant on the Minnesota CNA registry. LPN candidates must also take the ATI TEAS entrance exam. South Central College accepts 24 LPN students each spring and 24 LPN students each fall. The LPN diploma option is offered at both the Faribault and North Mankato campuses.
To graduate from this program, you must complete 11 credits of prerequisites and 29 credits of core nursing classes like “Nursing Interventions,” “Pharmacology for Practical Nurses,” and “Maternal Child Nursing.” South Central College’s Simulation Center is so outstanding that many local healthcare providers use it to train their own workforces. You’ll participate in supervised clinical rotations at long-term care centers, medical facilities, and other healthcare settings throughout North Mankato and the Greater Mankato Metropolitan Area.
Why Choose This Program
• South Central College LPN graduates are go-getters! One hundred percent of them are working as licensed practical nurses within one year of licensure, and more than a third of them go on to continue their nursing education.Program Details: At Minnesota State College Southeast, program instructors believe in the work ethic and strive to imbue their students with a sense of professionalism. The 34-credit curriculum only contains four foundational nursing courses: “Practical Nurse 1 & 2” and “Practical Nurse 1 & 2 Clinical/Lab.” You’ll get your first experiences in direct patient care through supervised practicums at Winona Community Memorial Hospital and Winona Health affiliates. The college’s Nursing and Health Sciences Center is set up to replicate an actual hospital floor with patient rooms, a medication center, and even a nursing station; you’ll learn basic hands-on skills by practicing on programmable manikins.
Minnesota State College Southwest admits new cohorts into its LPN program in Minnesota twice a year in the spring and fall. Like many other LPN programs in Minnesota, the licensed practical nursing program at MSCS is only open to certified nurse aides. You must apply separately to the college and its LPN program. All applicants must take the ATI TEAS exam. Completing general education requirements before you begin this program is highly recommended.
Why Choose This Program
• Is licensed practical nursing just the first stop on your professional trajectory? Minnesota State College Southeast awards qualified LPNs advanced placement into its ADN program.Program Details: The curriculum for Northwest Technical College’s 41-credit licensed practical nursing program in Minnesota includes “Medical Terminology,” “Adult Nursing 1 & 2,” and “Maternal/Child Nursing,” as well as three courses designed to strengthen your technical clinical skills. This program is designed to teach not just practical skills but also a commitment to advocacy and evidence-based practice. Lecture courses are delivered using distance learning technology, but you must attend skills labs and clinical rotations in person.
Northwest Technical College has a cutting-edge nursing lab where students can learn bedside skills by practicing on high-tech manikins in settings designed to simulate healthcare environments. Clinical experiences are scheduled at Sanford Medical Center Bemidji, CHI St. Joseph’s Health, the Heritage Living Community, and other healthcare sites throughout Bemidji and Beltrami County.
This one-year program starts each fall. You must submit two applications—one to Northwest Technical College and one to the practical nursing program. NTC’s LPN program is only open to certified nursing assistants who have been active in the last five years or to individuals who’ve completed NTC’s own nursing assistant course.
Why Choose This Program
• You can obtain a forgivable loan that will pay your tuition for this program if you agree to work for Sanford Health for at least two years after you attain your LPN license.Program Details: Central Lakes College accepts transfer students into its licensed practical nursing program in Minnesota. However, you must complete at least 25 percent of your LPN coursework at CLC to graduate from CLC. The LPN program is offered at the college’s Staples campus and admits new students in the fall semester. You must score 55 percent or higher to be accepted into the program, and you must submit separate applications to the college and the LPN program.
The 36-credit curriculum includes nine credits of general education credits. You must also complete 27 credits of nursing coursework that will consist of classes like “Medical Surgical Nursing I & II,” “Maternal Child Nursing,” and “Psychosocial Nursing.” Central Lakes College conducts regular simulation exercises in its nursing lab so that LPN students will have the opportunity to use their newly learned hands-on skills and exercise clinical judgment. You’ll also participate in supervised patient care experiences at skilled nursing facilities and acute care settings in metro Brainerd and other communities throughout central Minnesota.
Why Choose This Program
• Graduates of Central Lakes College’s LPN program have a three-year average NCLEX-PN pass rate higher than 90 percent.Program Details: Minnesota State Community and Technical College’s LPN program focuses on the maintenance of wellness as well as the prevention of illness. The 40-credit curriculum, which can be completed in two semesters (nine months), consists of courses like “Foundations of Adult Nursing Care I & II,” “Practical Nursing Mental Health,” and “Transition to Practical Nursing Practice.” Thirty healthcare facilities throughout northwestern Minnesota provide clinical sites where M State’s LPN students become comfortable providing direct patient care. You’ll learn bedside skills in M State’s high-tech nursing lab, which is outfitted with hospital equipment and manikins that can be programmed to replicate a number of health conditions.
This LPN program in Minnesota, headquartered on the Moorhead campus, admits 45 new students each fall and spring. Applicants must provide evidence of nursing assistant experience or have completed a nursing assistant course. Additionally, they must score 58.6 percent or higher on the ATI TEAS exam. You must apply separately to the college and the nursing program.
Why Choose This Program
• Eager to continue your nursing education? M State offers an LPN to Associate Degree Nursing option that can help you attain your RN license.S.No. | Accrediting Body | ||||
1 | Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) | ||||
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) |
Hourly | $23.47 | ||||
Weekly | $939 | ||||
Monthly | $4,070 | ||||
Annual | $48,820 | ||||
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) |
Hourly | $28.30 | ||||
Weekly | $1,132 | ||||
Monthly | $4,910 | ||||
Annual | $58,870 | ||||
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) |
Average Minnesota LPN Annual Salary | Average National LPN Annual Salary | Difference | |||
Number | % | ||||
$58,870 | $60,790 | -$1,920 | -3.16% | ||
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) |
Metro | Hourly | Weekly | Monthly | Annual | |
Duluth | $25.85 | $1,034 | $4,480 | $53,770 | |
Mankato-North Mankato | $27.59 | $1,104 | $4,780 | $57,390 | |
Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington | $29.66 | $1,187 | $5,140 | $61,700 | |
Rochester | $28.43 | $1,137 | $4,930 | $59,130 | |
St. Cloud | $26.54 | $1,062 | $4,600 | $55,200 | |
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) |
Occupation | Employment | New Employment Growth (2020-2030) | |||
2020 | 2030 | Number | % | ||
LPN | 14,410 | 15,360 | +950 | +6.59% | |
(Source: Careeronestop.org) |
Occupation | New | Replacement | Annual Job Openings (New + Replacement) | ||
LPN | 95 | 1,125 | 1,220 | ||
(Source: Careeronestop.org) |