Feel like you’ve reached a career impasse in your LPN job in Ohio? Enroll in one of the LPN-to-RN programs in Ohio, and you’ll remember why the nursing profession first appealed to you! These one to two-year programs leverage the knowledge and experience you already have as a licensed practical nurse to prepare you for an expanded scope of practice. Your associate degree in nursing will qualify you for jobs in specialty units. You’ll also make 50 percent more than you’re making now ($89,450 instead of $52,330.) Demand for RNs in the Buckeye State will rise by more than 7 percent in the next decade. Read this guide to the 13 best LPN-to-RN programs in Ohio for more info.
Based on our Ranking Methodology, the following are the 13 best campus-based and online LPN-to-RN programs in Ohio.
Program Details: If you are looking for an LPN-to-RN program in Ohio where you can earn your degree on an accelerated schedule, Owens Community College is an excellent option. The college offers the program at both its Perrysburg and Findlay campuses. Lectures and laboratory learning occur on the Owens Community College campus. You will also have guided clinical experience providing patient care at the school’s partner healthcare facilities and community agencies.
The LPN-to-RN program is a three-semester pathway. You will complete between 52 and 54 credits. The first semester includes some prerequisite classes and the LPN-RN Transitional Concepts course. After completing that semester, you will begin the second semester and take core nursing courses and continue clinicals. Some of the coursework includes classes like Microbiology and Immunology, Introductory Statistics Plus, and Applied Concepts for Nursing Practice.
Owens Community College’s LPN-to-RN program utilizes state-of-the-art simulation technology in its high-fidelity lab. Here, you will prepare for clinicals by practicing simulated healthcare experiences in a safe, controlled environment. Additionally, the program includes diverse clinical experiences where you will apply the theory learned in the classroom and lab to real-world patient care. Clinical practicums are arranged by program faculty and take place under the supervision of clinical faculty or approved preceptors.
Why Choose This Program
• Owens Community College LPN-to-RN graduates have consistently scored higher than the national average on the NCLEX-RN for more than five years in a row! This record of NCLEX success is a testament to the quality of education the program provides and how well you will be prepared to transition to your new role as a registered nurse.Program Details: The LPN-to-RN program in Ohio offered at Clark State College is an exceptional option for LPNs to pursue an ADN degree and become a registered nurse. The program is available in full-time day and evening schedules. Licensed practical nurses who have completed the necessary prerequisites must take the LPN-to-RN Transition course, which is offered in the fall semester. After successfully completing that course, you will join the traditional associate degree nursing class in the fourth semester and graduate in the following fall semester.
The associate degree in nursing program requires you to achieve a total of 65 credits. After completing the LPN to RN Transition course, you will be awarded eight semester hours of articulated credit for advanced placement. The rich curriculum features classes, including Behavioral Health Nursing, Advanced Pharmacology, and Statistics.
Clinical practicums occur in hospitals, nursing homes, physicians’ offices, specialty clinics, and public health facilities. The objective of the program is to provide diverse clinical opportunities where you can learn and develop the skills you learned in the classroom and lab and apply them to direct patient care.
Why Choose This Program
• Graduates of Clark State College’s LPN-to-RN program have excellent job placement rates. Among students responding to a graduate survey, most report being employed in an RN position within six months of graduating.Program Details: At Hondros College of Nursing, licensed practical nurses can take the next step in their career transition by earning an Associate Degree in Nursing and becoming a registered nurse. The traditional ADN program is designed to be completed in five semesters. However, as an LPN with advanced standing, you can anticipate completing the program in just three semesters. The school offers flexible scheduling options with daytime or night and weekend classes available. Teaching and learning occur using various teaching strategies and modalities. Classroom and laboratory learning prepare you with the knowledge and skills you need to successfully complete clinicals and transition to your new role as a registered nurse.
The ADN program requires a total of 109 quarter credits to earn the Associate Degree in Nursing. As an LPN, you will receive 48 advanced standing quarter credits. Therefore, you will need only 61 quarter credits to earn the degree. The program will prepare you with advanced nursing knowledge and skills as you learn in classes, including the Application of Clinical Judgment in RN Practice, Advanced Concepts of Pediatric Nursing, and Concepts of Nursing Care for Diverse Populations.
High-tech simulation labs allow you to practice complex clinical scenarios in a controlled environment as you prepare for clinical practicums. Clinical practicums usually consist of 6- to 12-hour shifts and may occur during the day, evening, or on weekends. Hondros College of Nursing has clinical contracts with a broad range of healthcare facilities, including hospitals, hospices, government agencies, intermediate care facilities for clients with intellectual disabilities, and long-term care facilities.
Why Choose This Program
• Hondros College of Nursing is dedicated to nursing success, offering not only an LPN-to-RN program in Ohio but also opportunities for continued education through articulation agreements with various BSN programs.Program Details: Rio Grande Community College offers a three-semester, advanced placement LPN-to-RN program in Ohio. In this program, as a licensed practical nurse, you will transfer credit from your LPN program, complete a transition semester, and then join the existing associate degree nursing class in the second year of the program. The program is designed to be completed on a full-time basis. If you need prerequisites, you have the option to take those classes on campus or online. Nursing courses, library work, and laboratory simulations are campus-based.
The LPN-to-RN pathway is a 68-credit program, which includes prerequisite credits, LPN transfer credits, and core nursing credits. You will learn and practice technical nursing skills and procedures in the Nursing Skills Laboratory on campus. Additionally, this LPN-to-RN program requires Advanced Placement LPN-RN students to complete 45 total weeks of clinicals while in the nursing program. You will have opportunities to provide care to new mothers, newborns, pediatric, adult, and geriatric patients in settings, including hospitals, clinics, and community health agencies. Nursing faculty supervise all clinical practicums.
Why Choose This Program
• Rio Grande Community College believes every person should have the option to earn a degree. The school awards more than $5 million in scholarships every year!Program Details: In as little as 18 months, you can take your LPN role to a new level by earning an Associate Degree in Nursing at Galen College of Nursing. This streamlined LPN-to-RN program in Ohio offers immersive learning experiences taught by dedicated faculty and preceptors. The program offers four start dates each year, which means you can begin your journey to becoming a registered nurse without a long waiting period!
While some courses may be offered online, this varies from one quarter to the next. The LPN-to-RN program primarily utilizes an on-campus learning format, which means you have close interaction with faculty and members of your cohort for more personalized learning experiences.
The LPN-to-RN program is a 99-quarter credit pathway. As an LPN, you will receive 20 transfer credits toward the total required. The curriculum includes classes such as Microbiology for Healthcare Professions, Concepts of Nursing: The Childbearing and Child Caring Families, and Advanced Concepts of Medical-Surgical Nursing.
The School of Nursing also offers a high-fidelity simulation lab where you will work with patient simulators and practice hands-on skills. Your experiences in the lab will prepare you to transition to clinical practicums where you can combine theoretical learning and clinical labs skills to provide patient care in clinical settings. The curriculum includes 216 lab hours and 360 clinical hours.
Why Choose This Program
• At Galen College of Nursing, you will have an assigned academic advisor who will guide you through your time at the college. The school offers additional support services, including On-Demand Tutoring and Live Chat.Program Details: Columbus State Community College is home to another featured LPN-to-RN program in Ohio. The program is designed as an advanced standing pathway, allowing licensed practical nurses to receive some prior learning credit for previous coursework in their LPN program.
The LPN-to-RN program is available in two tracks: a blended (partially online) track and a traditional on-campus track. The blended track features lectures and most seminars in an online format. The traditional track includes all lectures and seminars on campus. Both tracks require in-person laboratory practices and clinical experiences. After prerequisites are complete and LPN credit transfers are applied, you can complete the program in three semesters.
The LPN-to-RN program is a 64-credit pathway, including 30 prerequisite and general education credits and 34 nursing course credits. With advanced standing, you may receive credit for some of the required courses, reducing the total credits you must achieve. The program includes 4 to 16 hours of clinical experience weekly. Clinicals are held at various healthcare settings, as determined by the program director, and are completed under the direction of program faculty or a registered nurse preceptor.
Why Choose This Program
• Columbus State Community College boasts a diverse group of faculty with expertise in clinical nursing and nursing education. As a student in this LPN-to-RN program, you will benefit from their years of experience and insight, preparing you to succeed as a registered nurse.Program Details: Licensed practical nurses desiring to become RNs can pursue an advanced placement LPN-to-RN program in Ohio at Lorain County Community College. Once program and admission requirements are met, candidates must complete the Advanced Placement LPN to RN course. As an LPN, you will be given credit for prior learning, which allows you to enroll in the program as an advanced placement student. Advanced standing students enter the program in the second nursing semester and can anticipate graduating in just two semesters’ time. Upon completion of the program, an Associate of Applied Science in Nursing degree is conferred.
This LPN-to-RN program in Ohio features a campus-based learning format. The curriculum is a 56-credit pathway. However, with advanced standing and after completing preadmission courses, most LPNs need to complete only 27 additional nursing course credits.
Lorain County Community College offers advanced simulation labs where you can practice hands-on skills that mirror real-world patient care. In addition to classroom and laboratory simulations, the program includes a broad array of clinical opportunities where you will practice hands-on patient care in various healthcare settings. Program faculty arrange clinical practicums at various clinical affiliate sites to ensure you have adequate experiences providing patient care.
Why Choose This Program
• Graduates of the LPN-to-RN program exceed state and national levels on the NCLEX-RN, which supports the school’s claim of educating students who are well-prepared to transition to the RN role.Program Details: Ohio University offers an LPN-to-RN option at three of its campuses. The program is a three-semester advanced placement track that includes a combination of classroom and laboratory learning as well as diverse supervised clinical practicums.
This LPN-to-RN program in Ohio requires students to complete 29.5 credit hours of nursing course credit and 20 credits of prerequisite coursework. You may earn up to 22 advanced placement credits. Upon graduation, a total of 71.5 credits are awarded to earn the Associate of Applied Science in Nursing degree. You will study in classes, including Medical-Surgical Nursing, Microbes and Humans, and Integrated Nursing Practices. Additionally, 267 hours of clinical practicum and 111 hours of laboratory simulations are included in the curriculum, giving you extensive experience learning and developing essential skills needed to perform as a registered nurse.
Why Choose This Program
• Students in the LPN-to-RN program at Ohio University may be eligible to dual enroll in the online RN-to-BSN program, earning associate's and bachelor's degrees in nursing concurrently.Program Details: At Rhodes State College, you will find another option for an LPN-to-RN program in Ohio. The program is designed for licensed practical nurses who want to take their careers on a new trajectory and become registered nurses. The program admits a maximum of 30 students twice yearly in the fall and spring semesters and takes three semesters to complete.
The LPN-to-RN program features a rigorous 65-credit curriculum with classes, including Psychosocial Transition for LPN to RN, Pathophysiology for Healthcare, and Quantitative Reasoning. At Rhodes State College, the program combines classroom learning with external clinical experiences in various acute care healthcare settings. Rhodes State College has advanced simulation labs where you will work with low-, mid-, and high-fidelity patient simulators to develop and hone essential skills before transitioning to clinicals. You will complete your clinical hours in diverse healthcare settings with the supervision of clinical faculty or approved preceptors.
Why Choose This Program
• At Rhodes State College, you will learn from nursing faculty with over 70 years of nursing experience and who are educated at master’s and doctoral levels in nursing.Program Details: Cuyahoga Community College is home to another of our featured LPN-to-RN programs in Ohio. The program, referred to as the LPN to ADN Access Track, is designed to be completed in four semesters. Classes begin in the spring semester of each academic year after completing the required prerequisites. Evening lectures and laboratory simulations are held on campus to provide an engaged learning format.
The Associate Degree in Nursing program is a 55-credit pathway, which includes 16 credits from preadmission coursework and transition courses. The curriculum is designed to offer non-nursing and nursing courses. Some of the classes you will take in this LPN-to-RN program include concepts of Nursing Care for Patients with Acute, Unstable, and Chronic Conditions, Nursing Care for Patients with Complex Conditions, and Statistics.
In addition to classroom learning and high-fidelity simulation experiences in the learning lab, you will complete at least 533 hours of clinical practicum. Clinicals are completed at a wide range of healthcare facilities in Northeast Ohio and are supervised by program faculty.
Why Choose This Program
• The LPN-to-RN program in Ohio at Cuyahoga Community College offers flexible scheduling with evening and weekend classes, making it an excellent choice for working nurses who want to earn their degrees.Program Details: Another option for an LPN-to-RN program in Ohio can be found at Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. Admission to the LPN-to-RN program is competitive, with a limited number of students accepted twice each year. The program is a modified version of the traditional ADN program, allowing LPNs to graduate in four semesters instead of five semesters. Classes meet on campus three to four times per week for lectures and labs.
This LPN-to-RN program features a 65-credit curriculum, including 11 credits which are awarded for LPN-to-ADN advanced standing. Clinical experiences occur one or two days per week, with the possibility of increased clinical hours in the final semester, and may involve day, evening, or weekend schedules. Clinical sites are selected at the discretion of clinical faculty and vary from one semester to the next.
Why Choose This Program
• Cincinnati State Technical and Community College’s LPN-to-RN program boasts dedicated faculty with decades of experience in various nursing specialties. Their knowledge and insight into the profession will help guide you as you transition your career and prepare to practice as a registered nurse.Program Details: Central Ohio Technical College is home to another featured LPN-to-RN program in Ohio. The program offers three start dates each year, once in each of the summer, fall, and spring semesters. While some general education courses are available in an online format, nursing courses and lab simulations for the LPN to ADN program occur on campus to facilitate hands-on learning.
The LPN-to-RN program features a 47-credit hour plan of study, with 65 total credits required to earn the Associate Degree in Nursing. In addition to classes in Advanced Adult Health, Management of Care, and Family-Centered Care, you will participate in laboratory simulations and a broad array of clinical experiences. A Management of Care Preceptorship gives you opportunities to focus on trends in professional nursing, behaviors, and skills needed as a nurse generalist, and the development of leadership and management of care knowledge, which is essential to the role of a registered nurse.
Why Choose This Program
• Graduates of the LPN-to-RN program at Central Ohio Technical College have excellent job placement rates. Many students receive employment offers while still in the program, pending graduation and passing the NCLEX licensure exam.Program Details: The LPN-to-RN program in Ohio at Shawnee State University is an outstanding advanced placement option for licensed practical nurses preparing to elevate their skills and knowledge and become registered nurses. New cohorts are admitted each fall and spring semester. LPNs who successfully complete Principles of Anatomy and Physiology I, Introduction to Psychology, and Transition to Registered Nursing may receive advanced placement into the second semester of the program and graduate after three semesters of study.
All nursing classes are offered during the day. Non-nursing courses and some clinical time may occur during evening hours. The program features a 67-credit curriculum, including the credits you will receive for advanced placement.
In addition to in-depth theory courses, you will complete 435 hours of nursing lab simulations and clinical practicums. Clinicals take place at hospitals, nursing homes, physicians' offices, public health clinics, and other affiliate clinical sites, as needed. Program faculty arrange clinicals and preceptor supervision to help you get the most out of your learning experience. Clinical sites include Southern Ohio Medical Center, Holzer Medical Center, and Kings Daughters Medical Center, as well as community health facilities, mental health centers, nursing homes, and clinics.
Why Choose This Program
• If you're from northern Kentucky or southern Ohio, you may qualify for free tuition as part of the Shawnee State University Free Tuition Initiative.RN Average Starting Annual Salary | LPN Average Starting Annual Salary | Difference | |||
Number | % | ||||
$64,480 | $46,310 | +$18,170 | +39.24% | ||
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) |
Level of Experience | RN | LPN | Difference | ||
Number | % | ||||
Entry-Level | $64,480 | $46,310 | +$18,170 | +39.24% | |
1-4 Years of Experience | $74,000 | $50,290 | +$23,710 | +47.15% | |
5-9 Years of Experience | $79,940 | $58,130 | +$21,810 | +37.52% | |
10-19 Years of Experience | $94,430 | $62,000 | +$32,430 | +52.31% | |
20 Years or More Experience | $105,380 | $70,420 | +$34,960 | +49.64% | |
Average Salary | $84,430 | $57,660 | +$26,770 | +46.43% | |
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) |
Metro | RN Average Annual Salary | LPN Average Annual Salary | Difference | ||
Number | % | ||||
Akron | $82,520 | $56,310 | +$26,210 | +46.55% | |
Canton-Massillon | $78,600 | $54,910 | +$23,690 | +43.14% | |
Cincinnati | $85,920 | $59,120 | +$26,800 | +45.33% | |
Cleveland-Elyria | $89,190 | $59,140 | +$30,050 | +50.81% | |
Columbus | $86,140 | $59,360 | +$26,780 | +45.11% | |
Dayton | $85,860 | $57,460 | +$28,400 | +49.43% | |
Lima | $78,120 | $55,050 | +$23,070 | +41.91% | |
Mansfield | $77,200 | $51,750 | +$25,450 | +49.18% | |
Springfield | $80,270 | $58,680 | +$21,590 | +36.79% | |
Toledo | $81,350 | $55,520 | +$25,830 | +46.52% | |
Youngstown-Warren-Boardman | $76,860 | $52,380 | +$24,480 | +46.74% | |
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) |
Occupation | Employment | New Employment Growth (2020-2030) | |||
2020 | 2030 | Number | % | ||
RN | 131,400 | 140,780 | +9,380 | +7.14% | |
LPN | 40,690 | 42,410 | +1,720 | +4.23% | |
Difference | +90,710 | +98,370 | +7,660 | +2.91% | |
(Source: Careeronestop.org) |
Occupation | New | Replacement | Annual Job Openings (New + Replacement) | ||
RN | 938 | 7,052 | 7,990 | ||
LPN | 172 | 3,138 | 3,310 | ||
Difference | +766 | +3,914 | +4,680 | ||
(Source: Careeronestop.org) |
Average Ohio LPN-to-RN Annual Salary | Average National LPN-to-RN Annual Salary | Difference | |||
Number | % | ||||
$84,430 | $94,480 | -$10,050 | -10.64% | ||
(Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics) |