Best 15 LPN Programs in Georgia in 2024

Albany, GA is home to Albany Technical College. This technical school moved to its current campus in 1972. Its intercollegiate basketball teams compete in the NJCAA and the GCAA conference. Albany Tech has grown from an initial class of 175 to a student body of over 4,000 pursuing over 130 specializations.

The practical nursing program here prepares students with a combination of academic and occupational courses. Students gain a solid core of knowledge and then learn to care for patients in a variety of medical situations.

Savannah Technical College is a community college in Savannah, Georgia. Programs here cover Aviation Technology, Business and Technology, Health Sciences, Industrial Technology, and Public Services. The college offers free ESL and adult education programs. They also have a foundation that awards scholarships to qualifying students who have completed 30 credit hours at the school.

You can pursue a Practical Nursing diploma here at their Savannah and Liberty campuses. This program covers the knowledge and practical skills needed to pass the NCLEX-PN exam and get a license. Exam and license fees are not included in the program’s cost.

Lanier Technical College has campuses scattered around Georgia, with its current headquarters in Gainesville. They offer a wide variety of programs, from certificates to associate degrees to GED and ESL classes. The college is a quick drive from Lake Lanier and Don Carter State Park, with a fair amount of hiking trails and camping opportunities nearby.

The Practical Nursing program at Lanier Tech is competitive, with only the top 16 ranked applicants chosen. This smaller class size gives diploma-seekers individualized attention as they work through a year’s intensive study.

Over 100 programs are available at Augusta Technical College, spread among three campuses and an educational center. They also have a wide variety of distance education classes in online-only and hybrid or enhanced content format. The college is conveniently located in Augusta right off of I-520.

Augusta Tech’s program exposes students to a variety of clinical settings. This lets students practice their new knowledge in maternity and surgical nursing, among other situations. Prospective students will need to have completed several prerequisite courses with a minimum GPA to be considered for program entry.

Waycross, GA gives students of Coastal Pines Technical College a smaller town experience. However, CPTC is located right off the main highway. This makes for an easy commute to Savannah’s culture, the rugged Atlantic beaches, and Jacksonville, Florida’s nightlife. The college has dual enrollment opportunities with sixteen high schools, letting students get a head start on their future degrees or diplomas.

This Practical Nursing program covers everything from medical terminology and human body structures to nursing leadership. It also includes multiple clinical experiences, letting students build necessary skills in a healthcare environment. The HOPE Career Grant can defray tuition costs for qualified applicants.

Although it was originally founded as a junior college, Dalton State College became a four-year institution in 1998. DSC offers a variety of programs at various academic levels, from career certificates to Bachelor’s degrees. These include a certificate in Practical Nursing. The college is located off of I-75, within commuting distance of Atlanta, Chattanooga, and the Appalachian Mountains.

DSC allows entry to the LPN Nursing program in both the Fall or Spring semesters. One of their upper-division classes is taken online, requiring students to have access to a laptop and higher speed internet. This program also requires 19 credit hours of the core curriculum. Certain cores, such as the Math elective, can be fulfilled with a choice of entry-level math classes.

Southeastern Technical College serves eight counties around Vidalia, GA with multiple campuses and learning centers. It’s been a technical school since 1963. The school as currently known was formed by a merger in 2008.

The Practical Nursing diploma requires 60 credits’ study. It touches briefly on general core subjects before moving on to pharmacology, nursing fundamentals, surgical nursing, and nursing leadership. You’ll need a laptop; specifications are on the program page. You may earn a full-ride scholarship to this program via one of their scholarship funds.

Georgia Northwestern Technical College, or GTNC, is the largest college in the northwestern part of the state. It’s headquartered in Rome, off of Highway 27. This college offers both technical and academic instruction for students. It also provides the community with continuing education services.

This 57 credit plan of study includes 16 credit hours of pre-occupational curriculum. This gives students a strong basis in English, math, psychology, anatomy, and human nutrition. Students must be at least 18 for entrance into the program but can get the pre-occupational courses out of the way at 17. Note that Tennessee and Alabama residents qualify for in-state tuition rates at GTNC.

South Georgia Technical College has two campuses, with the main branch in the Americas and a satellite campus in Cordele. SGTC used to be an air force training facility for WWI and WWII. It was reimagined as a trade and vocational school in 1948. The town itself reflects a similarly long history with a number of attractive antebellum and Victorian buildings.

SGTC’s Practical Nursing diploma requires 57 credit hours of study. It is typically completed within a year. In addition to tuition and fees, students in this program need to pay an annual fee for liability insurance. Your adviser can tell you what that will cost for the year you attend.

A 2010 merger of two other colleges created Valdosta’s Wiregrass Georgia Technical College. That very year, WGTC won the Perdue Award for Technical College of the Year. This technical college is committed to providing a hands-on education. It awards certificates, diplomas, and associate degrees in over 175 specializations.

You can earn a Practical Nursing diploma here, preparing you for the NCLEX-PN exam. To apply, you must have completed the HESI A2 exam. This Practical Nursing program qualifies for the HOPE Career Grant.

Senator Joe Kennedy championed the creation of Ogeechee Technical College in 1987. He wanted to provide adult education and raise literacy in Statesboro and other towns in eastern Georgia. OTC’s first student body was in the Practical Nursing cohort. The school has since expanded to other Health Sciences, Childcare, and Horticulture programs.

Ogeechee Technical College trains nurses to provide safe, competent, and compassionate patient-centered care. They also teach valuable collaboration skills, preparing students for working in high-pressure environments with a medical team. The program costs here include an NCLEX-PN review course and the exam fees.

Thomasville, GA is home to the main campus of Southern Regional Technical College. STRC was formed from the merger of two technical colleges. It now offers 155 programs ranging from technical certificates to associate degrees.

Students learn how to give competent nursing care and handle basic medical situations in SRTC’s Practical Nursing program. This involves two semesters of prerequisites and three semesters of practical, occupational-focused courses. Unlike many of the programs on this list, students have a little flexibility here. They can choose among a list of two-credit occupational courses, selecting the one of most interest.

Oconee Fall Line Technical College is better known as FTCT. It services eleven counties in the state and maintains six campuses and centers. The two primary campuses are in Sandersville and Dublin.

The program here is a bit more rigorous than many on this list, with 60 required credit hours. It’s highly encouraged to work with an academic adviser to make sure you get all the courses needed by the program deadlines. All students applying for one of OFTC’s Allied Health diplomas must take the Test of Essential Academic Skills or TEAS exam.

Southern Crescent Technical College (SCTC) has main campuses in Griffin and Thomaston, GA. It offers a wide variety of technical certificates, diplomas, and associate degrees in both practical and art fields. These include allied health, public safety, computer information systems, and film production.

The Practical Nursing program at SCTC can be entered in the Fall or Spring semesters with minor adjustments to your class schedule. You can discuss your options with your adviser. Applicants need to have completed several general education courses in math, sciences, and liberal arts.

North Georgia Technical College, in Clarkesville, GA, was originally a school for agricultural and mechanical arts. In the 60s it evolved to a wider range of technical training. The 45,000 square foot campus is in a peaceful and rural part of the state in view of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The competitive Practical Nursing program here accepts only 20 students per campus per year. Students will also need to take the HESI Admission Assessment Exam by the application deadline. In addition to completing the 60 credit program, students will need four core courses in English, math, psychology, and human anatomy.