Where do New Jersey LPN graduates actually pass the NCLEX-PN on the first try, and which programs balance exam readiness with cost and speed? LPNs here earn a median annual wage near $75,160, with consistent demand from hospitals, long-term care, and home health. A program's price tag and length mean little if its graduates struggle at the licensing exam.
First-time NCLEX-PN pass rates anchor the ranked list, with accreditation and completion data as supporting checks. The same filter shapes the affordable and fastest options, licensure steps, salary comparisons, and the process of choosing the right LPN/LVN bridge program. The real decision for many students is whether a shorter, cheaper program can still produce a first-attempt pass.
Top LPN Programs in New Jersey by NCLEX-PN Pass Rate
Passing the NCLEX-PN is the final step between finishing a practical nursing program and holding a New Jersey license, so first-time exam results are the clearest signal of whether a program actually prepares graduates to practice. The New Jersey schools below are ordered by that performance, with each profile covering format, location, cost signals, and what makes the program distinct.
How we ranked these
- Graduation rates at the school
- Program completion and retention
- First-time NCLEX-PN pass rates
- Accreditation status
- Published tuition and fees
- NCLEX first-time pass rates published by the state boards of nursing — ncsbn.org
- IPEDS institutional survey data from NCES covering graduation rates, retention rates and student-faculty ratios — nces.ed.gov
- College Scorecard graduate earnings — collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Internal program database
- Independent editorial research
Salem Community College
Salem Community College's Practical Nursing Certificate is a 44-week program built around the QSEN framework, pairing simulated lab work with clinical rotations in long-term care and related settings. The certificate is designed to meet practical nurse licensure education requirements in both New Jersey and Delaware, which makes it a sensible pick for students near the Delaware border. Cohorts are small, financial aid is available, and the nursing admissions process runs on a portfolio submission rather than open enrollment.
Practical Nursing Certificate — On-Campus
Atlantic Cape Community College
Atlantic Cape Community College offers a 34-credit Practical Nursing certificate that takes about 1.5 years and blends classroom, lab, and supervised clinical instruction aligned with QSEN and NLN competencies. Graduates are prepared for the NCLEX-PN and receive priority consideration when applying to the college's associate degree nursing program. The hybrid format, small class sizes, and clinical experiences spanning pediatrics through geriatrics suit students who want a public-college foundation with a clear path to RN later.
Practical Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — Hybrid
Jersey College
Jersey College's LPN diploma at its Teterboro campus runs 12 to 18 months and is approved by the New Jersey Board of Nursing. Evening classes are available for students who work during the day, and the campus draws commuters from northern New Jersey and the wider New York metro area. The school also runs an on-site LPN to RN Bridge option, so graduates can keep advancing without changing institutions.
LPN Program, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Ocean County Vocational-Technical School
Ocean County Vocational-Technical School runs a 10-month, full-time practical nursing program that moves students from classroom instruction to simulation labs to supervised clinical rotations. Coursework spans anatomy and physiology, nursing fundamentals, pharmacology, maternity, pediatrics, geriatrics, and psychiatric nursing. Admission requires a placement test, background check, and drug screening, and a new cohort starts each September. Veterans benefits, federal financial aid, and job placement assistance are part of the package.
Practical Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Lincoln Technical Institute-Paramus
Lincoln Technical Institute in Paramus offers a 49-credit practical nursing certificate that takes about 52 weeks by day or 104 weeks in the evening, including roughly 575 hours of clinical experience. Instruction is grounded in NLN core competencies and includes a professional development course aimed at the charge nurse responsibilities LPNs can take on. The dual day and evening schedules make the program workable for adults who stay employed while training.
Practical Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Berkeley College-Woodland Park
Berkeley College's Practical Nurse Certificate at the Woodland Park campus teaches vital signs, wound care, catheter insertion, and patient comfort in on-site nursing labs before students move to off-campus clinical rotations supervised by RN instructors. Day students finish in about 60 weeks, while an evening track runs roughly 75 weeks, and rolling admissions means multiple entry points. Berkeley also runs an LPN to BSN pathway out of the same campus for graduates who want to keep climbing. The nursing programs are concentrated at Woodland Park rather than spread across the college's other locations.
Practical Nurse Certificate — On-Campus
Morris County Vocational School District
Morris County Vocational School District operates the Morris County School of Technology in Denville, a public vocational district serving the county's adult learners. Its practical nursing program is a certificate-level route toward LPN licensure in New Jersey. The school publishes limited program detail online, so prospective students should contact admissions directly about start dates, costs, and clinical placement.
Licensed Practical or Vocational Nursing (LPN or LVN), Certificate or Diploma
UCNJ Union College of Union County, NJ
UCNJ Union College of Union County offers a four-semester Practical Nursing certificate with clinical rotations available on days, evenings, and weekends, which helps working students in the Cranford area stay employed while they train. The program is approved by the New Jersey Board of Nursing and has carried NLN CNEA accreditation, with probationary status formally lifted after NCLEX data confirmed compliance. Admissions require CPR certification and a criminal background check, and the certificate feeds into regional LPN-to-RN tracks.
Practical Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Rowan College of South Jersey-Cumberland Campus
Rowan College of South Jersey's Cumberland campus in Vineland runs a one-year Practical Nursing certificate that starts each fall. Admission is selective and portfolio-based, with a mandatory information session and an application window that closes in late February for the following cohort. Clinical placements are arranged within about 90 minutes of campus, so reliable transportation matters. The college also maintains an LPN-to-RN track for graduates who want to continue.
Practical Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Essex County College
Essex County College, a public community college in Newark, awards a Licensed Practical Nurse academic certificate through its nursing and health sciences division. It is a comparatively low-cost public option for students in and around Newark who want to train close to home rather than commute or relocate. Program specifics are published through the college catalog for applicants who want exact course and admission requirements.
Licensed Practical Nurse - Academic Certificate — On-Campus
Fastest Top LPN Programs in New Jersey by NCLEX-PN Pass Rate
For students who want to enter the workforce quickly, these one-year practical nursing programs from the ranked pool offer the shortest path to NCLEX-PN eligibility. Both campuses operate under the same institution but serve different regions of southern New Jersey. Tuition and program data are drawn from IPEDS and College Scorecard (2024).
| School | City | Program Length | In-State Tuition | Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rowan College of South Jersey, Cumberland Campus | Vineland | 1 year | $6,000 | Campus |
| Rowan College of South Jersey, Gloucester Campus | Sewell | 1 year | $6,000 | Campus |
Most Affordable LPN Schools in New Jersey
The net prices listed below are institution-wide averages after financial aid, drawn from federal data. Your actual out-of-pocket cost will depend on the aid you receive, residency status, and any additional fees for books, uniforms, and testing. New Jersey's Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) training grants can further reduce or even eliminate tuition costs for qualifying students. Eligibility is determined through your local One-Stop Career Center, and the LPN program must appear on the state's Eligible Training Provider List. Some counties, such as Cape May County, offer training grants of up to $5,000 specifically for in-demand fields like practical nursing. Contact your nearest American Job Center to learn whether you qualify.
| Rank | School | City | Avg. Net Price (After Aid) | Program Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hudson County Community College | Jersey City | $7,307 | Campus |
| 2 | UCNJ Union College of Union County | Cranford | $8,257 | Campus |
| 3 | Atlantic Cape Community College | Mays Landing | $8,392 | Hybrid |
| 4 | Rowan College of South Jersey, Cumberland Campus | Vineland | $10,562 | Campus |
| 5 | Salem Community College | Carneys Point | $10,816 | Campus |
Fastest LPN Programs in New Jersey
The 6-month LPN program does not exist in New Jersey, and any school or ad claiming otherwise deserves a skeptical second look. State board requirements for accredited LPN programs in NJ , classroom, lab, and clinical hours , make that timeline mathematically impossible, no matter how compressed the calendar looks on paper.
What "Accelerated" Actually Means Here
When New Jersey schools advertise accelerated or fast-track LPN programs, they typically mean day tracks that run 12 to 15 months rather than the 18 to 24 months common to evening and weekend formats, a pattern reflected in the Fastest LPN/LVN Programs of 2026 list. Lincoln Tech's Iselin and Moorestown campuses run a 52-week day program versus 104 weeks in the evening track. CDE Career Institute in Paterson keeps both day and evening students on a 12-month schedule. Prism Career Institute in Cherry Hill offers a 63-week day option and a 70-week evening/weekend format, with weekend classes meeting Tuesday through Thursday evenings plus every other full weekend. Param Institute of Education spreads its weekend track across 24 months, roughly double its 12 to 15 month day and evening options.
Evening and Weekend Tracks Trade Speed for Flexibility
If you're working while training, an evening or weekend format at schools like Jersey College (Teterboro, Ewing) or Camden County College lets you keep a paycheck coming in, but expect the tradeoff: these formats generally extend your finish date rather than shorten it. Part-time students should plan on the long end of any range a school quotes.
Why "Online LPN Programs in NJ" Isn't Quite Real
Searches for online LPN programs in NJ turn up a hard truth: New Jersey requires hands-on clinical training that cannot happen through a screen. Some programs offer hybrid delivery for theory coursework, letting you complete lecture material remotely, but clinical rotations and skills labs still require physical attendance.
Bottom line: budget 12 to 15 months for a full-time day program, 18 to 24 months for evening or weekend formats, and treat any 6-month promise as a red flag worth investigating before you enroll.
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How Our LPN Rankings Work
About 75 percent of each program's composite score in our top-ten ranking comes from one number: first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate. That weighting is deliberate. A program can have a beautiful campus and a low price tag, but if its graduates struggle to pass the licensing exam, none of that matters. Pass rate is the closest thing available to a direct measure of instructional quality and clinical preparation.
The Accreditation Cutoff
Before any program earns a spot on this list, it has to clear a binary gate: current approval from the New Jersey Board of Nursing, plus accreditation from ACEN or CCNE where applicable. Programs missing either credential are excluded outright, regardless of how strong their pass rates might look. This is not a point deduction, it is a disqualifier, because unaccredited training can leave graduates unable to sit for the NCLEX-PN or transfer credits into an RN bridge program later.
Tie-Breakers and What We Left Out
When pass rates land close together, completion and retention rates decide the order. A program that graduates 85 percent of its cohort tells a different story than one that loses half its students before the final term, even if both post similar exam results.
Net price appears next to each entry for transparency, but it does not move the rank order in this particular list. If cost is your primary filter, the earlier affordable-schools table is built specifically around that priority.
Pass-rate figures come from the New Jersey Board of Nursing and NCSBN reporting. Cost and completion figures are pulled from IPEDS and College Scorecard data.
Steps to Earning Your LPN License in New Jersey
If you're wondering how to become an LPN in New Jersey, the path is straightforward but requires careful attention to each stage. From meeting basic prerequisites to receiving your license from the New Jersey Board of Nursing, most candidates complete the entire process in roughly 12 to 18 months. Here is what each step looks like.
NJ LPN Licensure: Fees, Fingerprinting, and Renewal
New Jersey’s full participation in the Nurse Licensure Compact has made multistate practice a realistic option for many LPNs, but licensure still requires you to manage two separate tracks: Pearson VUE for the exam and the New Jersey Board of Nursing for state approval.
Exam Registration and Fees
Register for the NCLEX-PN Exam through Pearson VUE after the Board of Nursing confirms your eligibility. The exam fee is $2001, paid directly to Pearson VUE, and you schedule your test date once you receive your authorization to test. Treat this fee as separate from any state charges.
State Application, Background Check, and Fingerprinting
The Board of Nursing application requires proof of your completed LPN program, identification, and a criminal background check that includes fingerprinting. Use the fingerprinting instructions in the application packet to complete the vendor screening. State-side costs have appeared in different fee structures across Board documents and licensing guides; recent materials list a $75 application fee plus a $120 license fee2, while some guides report a single $200 application fee. Confirm the current total before submitting.
Multistate Compact Status
New Jersey is a Nurse Licensure Compact member. The compact has been active in the state since March 1, 2020, and New Jersey began issuing its own multistate licenses on November 15, 2021.3 Multistate status is not automatic. To qualify, your primary state of residence must be New Jersey, and you must select the multistate option on your application or file the separate RN/LPN Multistate License Application if you held a single-state New Jersey license before November 15, 2021.
Renewal
New Jersey LPN licenses renew every two years. Check the current renewal packet for any contact-hour requirements, and keep your address and employment information current if you hold a compact license. Multistate practice is a privilege tied to meeting New Jersey's renewal and eligibility standards.
LPN Pay Across New Jersey's Metro Areas
New Jersey LPNs earn well above the national average. According to the most recent federal data, the statewide median annual wage for LPNs in New Jersey is approximately $75,160, compared with a national mean hourly wage of $29.23 (roughly $60,800 annualized). Wages vary by region and employer type: LPNs working in North Jersey counties closer to New York City typically command higher pay than those in South Jersey, and hospital-based positions often pay more than roles in skilled nursing facilities or home health agencies. County-level data from the New Jersey Department of Labor illustrates this geographic spread, with mean hourly wages ranging from around $28 in some western counties to nearly $32 in areas such as Mercer County.
| Area | Mean Hourly Wage | Median Annual Wage | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| New Jersey (statewide) | $35.87 | $75,160 | 25th percentile $66,890; 75th percentile $79,980 |
| Mercer County, NJ | $31.77 | N/A | Includes Trenton and Princeton areas (2023 NJ DOL data) |
| Warren County, NJ | $28.23 | N/A | Rural western NJ county (NJ DOL data) |
| National Average (for comparison) | $29.23 | N/A | 2023 national mean hourly wage for LPNs |
LPN-To-RN Bridge Options in New Jersey
At least five New Jersey institutions currently offer LPN to RN Bridge Programs, giving licensed practical nurses a structured path to an associate degree in nursing and, ultimately, NCLEX-RN eligibility. An RN license brings a broader scope of practice, higher earning potential, and access to specialties typically closed to LPNs.
Community College ADN Bridges
Community colleges remain the most accessible route for licensed practical nurses.
- Middlesex College offers a one-year LPN-to-RN program leading to an ADN. It holds provisional accreditation from the New Jersey Board of Nursing, is delivered in person, and has an application deadline of August 2026.
- Raritan Valley Community College runs an LPN-to-RN bridge with day or evening scheduling options, though clinical placement availability varies. Priority goes to residents or workers in Somerset and Hunterdon counties.
- Camden County College awards an ADN through its LPN-to-RN track at the Joint Health Sciences Center in Camden. Applicants need an active LPN license (or PN program completion), a TEAS score of at least 58.7 percent overall with 50 percent minimums in reading and math, and must be 18 or older. Day and evening sections are available.
- Passaic County Community College also lists an LPN-to-ADN pathway, though detailed program length and format information was not published at the time of this writing.
Hospital and Private-College Tracks
- RWJBarnabas Health School of Nursing accepts applications between May 1 and June 30 for a 15-month nursing sequence (prerequisite time may add to the total). A minimum 2.5 GPA is required for admission.
- Jersey College in Teterboro offers an LPN-to-RN bridge spanning 15 to 33 months depending on schedule and prior credits, with full-time day and part-time evening options. Graduates of Jersey College's own LPN program can apply directly.
Working While You Study
Most of these programs are designed with working nurses in mind. Evening and part-time scheduling at Camden County College, Raritan Valley, and Jersey College allows students to continue earning an LPN paycheck during bridge coursework. Plan on 12 to 18 months of nursing-specific classes for ADN completion once prerequisites are finished. LPN-to-BSN pathways in New Jersey are less clearly defined; some ADN graduates transfer credits toward a bachelor's through intercollegiate agreements, but confirmed direct LPN-to-BSN bridge programs were not widely documented for 2026.
