LPN Programs in Arlington, Virginia 2027
Arlington hosts only a few practical nursing programs, so many residents trade a short commute into Alexandria, Fairfax, Manassas, or the District for access to Virginia Board of Nursing approved training. That geography, not price or prestige, is usually the first constraint shaping the decision.
Within a 40-mile radius of 22204, the realistic options include community college PN tracks, private career colleges, and a handful of hybrid formats. Tuition, clinical placement, NCLEX-PN performance, and evening or weekend scheduling vary widely between them, and so does what students actually pay after grants.
Who Hires LPNs Around Arlington, and What They Can Legally Do in Virginia
The job of an LPN in the Arlington area is rarely a hospital floor job. In this metro, most licensed practical nurse hiring happens in skilled nursing, assisted living, rehabilitation, home health, physician offices, and public and correctional health, not in acute-care inpatient units. The big hospital systems do hire LPNs, but their openings are comparatively limited and tend to cluster in specific departments and outpatient settings.
Where the Jobs Actually Are
VHC Health, based at 1701 N. George Mason Drive in Arlington, treats LPNs as part of its regular workforce and has advertised roles in its Emergency Department and Cardiology, typically asking for a Virginia LPN license, BLS certification, and about two years of experience. Inova has posted outpatient LPN roles, including Monday-through-Friday day-shift positions at Leesburg and other ambulatory sites.1 Outside the hospitals, the volume is heavier: facility-based employers like Oculus Health in Arlington (22207) have advertised LPN work at $45 per hour on 12-hour shifts with flexible weekend rotations, home care operators such as Ryan's Aging Care hire LPN clinical coordinators, and Northern Virginia health departments run periodic LPN openings on state pay scales.3
What Virginia Lets an LPN Do
Under the Virginia Board of Nursing, an LPN performs "selected nursing acts" under the direction of a physician, registered nurse, or licensed dentist.4 Onsite, immediate supervision is generally not required, which is why LPNs can staff nursing homes, home visits, and clinics where an RN or provider oversees the plan of care remotely.5 The scope has clear outer limits: procedures like scalpel removal of corns and warts or administering bolus epidural anesthesia fall outside what an LPN may do.6 Current Board guidance (90-6, effective September 28, 2023)6 and the newer decision-making framework (90-23)7 shape which tasks an employer can delegate in a given setting.
Your Fastest Route In
If you want to be working soon after passing the NCLEX-PN, target skilled nursing and long term care nursing first. Those employers hire LPNs in volume, accept new graduates, and rely on the exact supervision structure Virginia law is built around. Home health and assisted living around Alexandria and Falls Church are close seconds. Save hospital applications for after you have a year of experience behind you.
Online and Hybrid LPN Programs: What Actually Exists for Virginia Students
Students shopping for LPN programs in Virginia often picture two paths: fully online lecture content from home, or a traditional seat in a classroom every week. In Virginia, the realistic choice is not online versus in person. It is how much of the week you can commit to being on campus and in clinical sites.
Why "fully online" is not an option
Virginia's practical nursing regulations require every PN program to provide at least 400 hours of direct client care supervised by qualified faculty. Simulation can substitute for a maximum of 25 percent of those clinical hours, up to 100 hours total. A traditional skills lab does not count as direct client care or simulation. The result is that even a program marketed as "mostly online" still requires substantial scheduled time in a physical lab and at clinical sites. No Board-approved LPN program can be completed without in-person attendance.
What hybrid genuinely means in practice
In Virginia, hybrid LPN programs, where they exist, mean online or recorded lectures for theory courses, paired with mandatory on-campus skills lab days and scheduled clinical rotations. The "online" piece is typically the classroom portion only. Clinical rotations at hospitals, long-term care facilities, and clinics cannot be done remotely. Students should expect to be on campus one or more days per week and at a clinical site on other days, often on an early-morning or evening schedule. The hands-on portion is not a small add-on; it is the core of the program.
The local hybrid picture: NOVA
Within typical commuting distance of Arlington, Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) is the provider that most often appears in searches for online or hybrid nursing. NOVA's Reston Center offers a Virginia Board of Nursing-approved Licensed Practical Nursing program. However, published program materials do not describe an online or hybrid theory track for the LPN certificate. The hybrid or online nursing coursework advertised at NOVA is for the RN associate degree program, not the LPN certificate. As of this writing, we could not confirm any Board-approved LPN program near Arlington that explicitly moves LPN theory online.
Verify before you enroll
Many out-of-state programs that market themselves as online LPN schools may not be approved by the Virginia Board of Nursing. Before paying a deposit, check the Virginia Board of Nursing's approved nursing program list. If a program is not on that list, its graduates may not be eligible for Virginia LPN licensure by examination. Clinical placements also need to be arranged in Virginia or a state where the program holds approval for your clinical site. A quick verification with the Board can save months of delay and thousands of dollars.
Practical Nursing Programs Within Commuting Distance of Arlington
Arlington itself does not host a practical nursing program, so students here commute. The realistic daily-drive options sit in Northern Virginia, while the other Virginia Board of Nursing approved programs listed below are regional or relocation choices rather than commutes. Program details change between catalog years, so confirm start dates, schedule structure, and clinical placement policy directly with each school before you apply.
| Program & Campus | City / Approx. Drive from Arlington (22204) | Program Length | Cohort Schedule (Day / Evening / Weekend) | Clinical Rotation Settings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NOVA Workforce (Northern Virginia Community College), Practical Nursing Certificate | Delivered through NOVA campuses across Northern Virginia; the workforce program page does not name a single campus city, but it is marketed within normal Arlington commuting range | 1,310 total program hours across 3 semesters full-time (roughly one academic year plus summer); an exact month count is not published | Full-time program; clinical hours are scheduled evenings and weekends | 400 clinical hours are required, but specific hospital or long-term care partner sites are not named on the program page |
| Standard Healthcare Services College of Nursing (Standard College), Practical Nursing | Vienna, VA (8230 Leesburg Pike, Suite 500), roughly a 15 to 25 minute drive from 22204 in typical traffic | 14 months (54 weeks) full-time, or about 18 months (68 weeks) part-time; 1,350 total contact hours | Campus-based diploma with hybrid online instruction; the school does not publish a day, evening, or weekend breakdown | Program materials reference 400 clinical hours in healthcare facilities; individual clinical sites are not named publicly |
| Fortis College, Practical Nursing (Norfolk campus) | Norfolk, VA, a multi-hour drive from Arlington and not a daily commute | Listed as "Varies"; a fixed month count is not published | Clinicals can fall on any day, evening, or weekend | 12-hour clinical rotations; partner facilities are not named in the published description |
| Fortis College, Practical Nursing (Richmond campus) | Richmond, VA (2000 Westmoreland Street, Suite A), roughly a 1.5 to 2 hour drive from 22204, outside typical daily commuting range | Not specified on the Richmond program page | Not specified on the Richmond program page | Not specified; the campus page announces start dates but does not name clinical partner sites |
| ECPI University, Practical Nursing (Virginia Beach campus) | Virginia Beach, VA, roughly 3.5 to 4 hours from 22204, a relocation option rather than a commute | 15 months | Not published in the available program comparison data | Clinical schedule details and partner sites are not published in the available program data |
Admission Requirements, and What 'No Prerequisites' Really Means
LPN program admissions in Northern Virginia have drifted toward standardized entrance testing over the past decade, which means the "just enroll and start" era is largely over, even at private career colleges that market speed. What replaced it is a fairly predictable stack of paperwork and screening that catches unprepared applicants off guard.
The Baseline Stack
Most practical nursing programs near Arlington ask for some version of the following:
- Education: High school diploma or GED.
- Entrance exam: Typically the TEAS or HESI, depending on the school. Arlington Career Institute, for example, lists the HESI as part of its current admission process for its vocational nursing program.
- Criminal background check: Often fingerprint-based. This is not a formality; certain convictions can block clinical placement even if the school admits you.
- Immunization and health clearance: Vaccination records, tuberculosis testing, and a physical exam are commonly required before LPN clinicals.
- Drug screening and CPR certification: Frequently required, though rules vary by program and clinical partner.
What "No Prerequisites" Actually Means
Some programs advertise no prerequisite coursework, and that claim can be literally true: you may not need college-level anatomy, microbiology, or algebra before starting. Arlington Career Institute's older published materials described no required prerequisites for entry. But its current materials still require an entrance exam, a fingerprint background check, and proof of vaccinations and a physical. That is an admission process, not open enrollment. Treat "no prerequisites" as a statement about academic coursework only, never about health clearances or screening.
Where Cut Scores and GPA Rules Diverge
Community college practical nursing programs tend to publish explicit minimums: a stated GPA floor, a minimum composite entrance exam score, and sometimes a competitive points system where meeting the minimum only gets you into the applicant pool. Private career colleges more often use the entrance exam as a pass/fail gate without a published GPA requirement. For comparison, degree-level nursing programs elsewhere set noticeably higher bars: the University of Texas at Arlington's BSN track, for instance, requires the TEAS plus a 2.75 GPA in prerequisite science and lower-division coursework and a background check. Always confirm the current cut score directly with the program, since published figures change between catalog years.
Sequence Your Paperwork First
Background checks and immunization records are the two items that reliably delay applicants. Fingerprint-based checks can take weeks to clear, and if you need a hepatitis B series or a titer redraw, you are looking at months. Start those, plus transcript requests and CPR certification, before the application window opens. The entrance exam you can usually schedule and retake faster than you can fix a missing vaccine record.
Related Articles
Getting Licensed in Virginia After You Graduate
What LPN School Costs Around Arlington: Tuition, Net Price, and Debt
Sticker price and what students actually pay are two different numbers, and for practical nursing that gap matters. The figures below come from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard reporting for 2024, covering schools within commuting range of Arlington. Net price reflects the average annual cost after grants and scholarships for aided students, so it is the more honest planning number; median graduate debt is reported institution-wide, not for the practical nursing certificate alone.
| School | Location | Sector | In-State Tuition & Fees | Out-of-State Tuition & Fees | Average Net Price | Median Graduate Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prince George's Community College | Largo, MD | Public | $4,034 | $8,762 | $8,672 | $10,500 |
| College of Southern Maryland | La Plata, MD | Public | $4,200 | $10,050 | $9,204 | $8,500 |
| Northern Virginia Community College | Annandale, VA | Public | $5,891 | $12,409 | $9,919 | $11,000 |
| University of the District of Columbia | Washington, DC | Public | $5,662 | $12,514 | $10,648 | $24,872 |
| Anne Arundel Community College | Arnold, MD | Public | $4,322 | $11,522 | $14,915 | $8,250 |
| Baltimore City Community College | Baltimore, MD | Public | $3,314 | $7,394 | $15,987 | N/A |
| Fortis College-Landover | Landover, MD | Private, for-profit | $16,522 | $16,522 | $26,578 | $9,500 |
| Standard Healthcare Services-College of Nursing | Falls Church, VA | Private, for-profit | N/A | N/A | $35,726 | $14,750 |
| Saint Michael College of Allied Health | Washington, DC | Private, for-profit | $19,405 | $19,405 | $38,751 | $17,713 |
Paying for LPN School: Fastforward, G3, Pell Grants, and Employer Tuition Support
Most Arlington-area LPN students should not plan to pay full price, but the best funding stack depends on whether the program is credit or noncredit. Virginia's workforce grants cover the gap only when the program is designated, so you need to verify eligibility before enrolling.
Virginia Workforce Funding: FastForward and G3
FastForward reduces tuition for eligible noncredit workforce programs to one-third of full price for Virginia domicile residents who have lived in the state at least one year. The clearest local example for the CNA vs LPN cost difference is NOVA's CNA program, which drops from $3,489 to $1,163 under FastForward and to $0 when G3 is layered on. NOVA's LPN bundle is more expensive at $29,655, and it is not safe to assume the entire LPN program carries FastForward pricing; only designated modules may qualify. G3 is "last dollar" aid for Virginia residents with household income at or below 400% of the federal poverty level, or $100,000 for a family of four, and requires at least 6 credits or a designated noncredit program. NOVA's LPN program is not explicitly listed as G3-eligible in current materials. NOVA Foundation committed $420,000 in 2023 for LPN start-up and last-dollar scholarships, but 2026 renewal is not publicly confirmed.
Federal Aid Depends on Program Type
Pell Grants and federal loans apply to Title IV-eligible programs. Noncredit workforce programs, including NOVA's workforce health tracks, typically fall outside Pell eligibility. That is a real constraint because local LPN student bodies are highly aid-dependent. Across five practical nursing programs within commuting distance, roughly 78% to 86% of students receive Pell Grants. If your chosen program cannot accept Pell, you will lean harder on state and employer funding.
Employer and Long-Term Care Sponsorships
Inova offers tuition reimbursement up to $5,250 per year and student loan assistance up to $10,000 for employees working 40 hours per biweekly pay period with at least 90 days on the job, in good standing, and taking relevant courses. The separate $5,000 Nursing Excellence Scholarship is merit-based and tied to nursing degree programs, not clearly to LPN certificates. Long-term care employers in Arlington and Alexandria commonly advertise $5,000 sign-on bonuses and loan help, but those are post-hire benefits, not pre-licensure tuition sponsorship. The Virginia Long-Term Care Facility Scholarship Program is a better pre-licensure option: it awards funds with a service obligation of one year in long-term care for every $2,000 received, and the recent cycle ran September 2 to December 1, 2025. A 2.5 GPA and one year of Virginia residency are required.
Order of Operations
- File the FAFSA first to see if Pell applies.
- Verify FastForward and G3 eligibility with the specific program, not just the school.
- Ask the employer about tuition reimbursement before you enroll, not after.
- Apply for long-term care or foundation scholarships to close any gap.
Top LPN Programs Serving Arlington, Virginia
Below are the top practical nursing programs serving Arlington students, ranked by cost, completion data, and program fit. The strongest options for Arlington commuters cluster in Northern Virginia and the District, where evening, weekend, and hybrid formats let you train without leaving the region's health care job market. Several Maryland programs also make the list, and they are worth a look for students who do not mind a longer drive.
How we ranked these
- Median graduate debt loads
- Graduation rates at each school
- Program cost and net price
- Delivery format and schedule flexibility
- Commute distance from Arlington
- College Scorecard graduate earnings — collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Internal program database
- Independent editorial research
- IPEDS institutional survey data from NCES covering graduation rates, retention rates and student-faculty ratios — nces.ed.gov
Saint Michael College of Allied Health
Saint Michael College of Allied Health is a small private allied health school based in Washington, DC, with a second location in Alexandria, Virginia that puts its practical nursing certificate within a short drive of Arlington. The program runs on a 14-month day schedule or an 18-month evening track and is built around 1,604 hours of theory and clinical instruction, ending with eligibility to sit for the NCLEX-PN. Admission is uncomplicated: a high school diploma or GED plus entrance exam scores in reading and math. The evening cohort is the practical route for students who keep working while they train.
- Certificate program with day and evening tracks
- Day schedule runs about 14 months
- Evening option runs about 18 months
- 1,604 hours of theory and clinical training
- Entrance exam: 76% reading and 70% math
- $75 application fee due on acceptance
- Campus-based instruction in Washington, DC
- Graduates are eligible for the NCLEX-PN
Practical Nursing Program, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Standard Healthcare Services-College of Nursing
Standard Healthcare Services-College of Nursing is an independent nursing school in Falls Church, Virginia, a few miles from Arlington, and its entire catalog is organized around two programs: practical nursing and an LPN-to-RN transition. The practical nursing diploma covers 1,350 total contact hours with 400 clinical hours in acute, long-term, and ambulatory settings, delivered in a hybrid format with online lectures, on-campus skills labs, and clinicals at Northern Virginia partner facilities. Full-time students finish in about 14 months and part-time students in about 18. The school publicly targets an 80% NCLEX-PN pass rate and an 80% job placement rate.
- Diploma program with 1,350 total contact hours
- 14-month full-time track, 18-month part-time option
- Hybrid delivery: lectures online, skills labs on campus
- 400 clinical hours in acute, long-term, and ambulatory settings
- School targets an 80% NCLEX-PN pass rate
- School targets an 80% job placement rate
- 24/7 access to online resources
- Non-credit vocational diploma focused on job-ready skills
Practical Nursing Program, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Northern Virginia Community College
Northern Virginia Community College is the region's public community college, and its practical nursing certificate is the most direct in-state public LPN pathway available to Arlington residents. Instruction runs at the Reston Technology Center with evening and weekend classes, so students can hold a job through the 12 to 14 months of coursework, and clinical placements stay within about 50 miles of campus. Entry requires a current Virginia CNA license and a proficient ATI TEAS score, and the program is approved by the Virginia Board of Nursing. The curriculum is eight sequential courses capped by a final capstone.
- $29,655 total program tuition
- Completes in 12 to 14 months
- 8 sequential courses plus a capstone
- Evening and weekend classes at Reston Technology Center
- Current Virginia CNA license required
- ATI TEAS proficient score required
- Clinical placements within 50 miles
- Approved by the Virginia Board of Nursing
Practical Nursing Program, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
College of Southern Maryland
College of Southern Maryland is a public community college whose practical nursing certificate has been training LPNs for more than 40 years from the health sciences center on its Regional Hughesville campus. It is ACEN accredited and approved by the Maryland Board of Nursing, and recent cohorts posted a 100% first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate. The program spans three clinical semesters with full-time and part-time options, and clinical rotations include long-term care and community settings. Scholarships are available, and admissions is competitive.
- ACEN accredited and Maryland Board of Nursing approved
- Three clinical semesters with full-time and part-time options
- Recent cohorts achieved a 100% first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate
- Clinical rotations in long-term care and community settings
- Taught at the Regional Hughesville health sciences center
- Fall start with a competitive admissions process
- Scholarships available
- Practical nursing program offered for more than 40 years
Practical Nursing Certificate — On-Campus
Anne Arundel Community College
Anne Arundel Community College offers a 41-credit practical nursing certificate that can be completed in a single academic year, with an evening and weekend schedule built for working adults. Clinical rotations reach acute medical-surgical, obstetric, and pediatric units, and students practice skills on simulation equipment before they reach patients. The program is approved by the Maryland Board of Nursing, and at a total program cost under $6,500 it is one of the more affordable certificate options within reach of Arlington. Scholarships and financial aid are both available.
- 41-credit certificate completed in one academic year
- Evening and weekend schedule for working adults
- Clinical rotations in acute med-surg, obstetrics, and pediatrics
- Simulation practice with state-of-the-art equipment
- Approved by the Maryland Board of Nursing
- $6,500 total program tuition
- Financial aid and scholarships available
- Reports a higher than average NCLEX-PN pass rate
Practical Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — Hybrid
Prince George's Community College
Prince George's Community College runs a 47-credit LPN certificate that pairs general education coursework with nursing core courses such as Foundations of Nursing Practice, Reproductive Health Nursing, and Physiological Integrity I. One of its practical advantages is a formal articulation pathway into the college's associate degree RN program, so graduates can continue their education without starting over. Training is campus-based at the Center for Health Studies, with clinical work in hospitals, long-term care facilities, and community health agencies. Faculty advisors guide students through the courses flagged as critical to progression.
- 47-credit LPN certificate
- Prerequisites include Anatomy & Physiology I and II
- Core courses include Foundations of Nursing Practice
- Also covers Reproductive Health Nursing and Physiological Integrity I
- Articulation pathway into the associate degree RN program
- Faculty advising through the Center for Health Studies
- Campus-based clinical work in hospitals and long-term care
- Prepares graduates for the NCLEX-PN
Nursing (LPN) Certificate — On-Campus
Baltimore City Community College
Baltimore City Community College offers a one-year practical nursing certificate, 45 credits spread across three semesters, approved by the Maryland Board of Nursing. The curriculum covers adult health nursing, maternal-child nursing, medication calculation, and nursing practice, with an emphasis on client education and working within a care team. Entry requires 13 prerequisite credits in subjects such as anatomy, physiology, and microbiology, plus a biology placement exam and computer literacy. Instruction is campus-based, so the trip to Baltimore is part of the weekly schedule.
- 45 credits across three semesters
- Completed in one year
- 13 prerequisite credits required
- Prerequisites include anatomy, physiology, and microbiology
- Biology placement exam required
- Computer literacy prerequisite required
- Approved by the Maryland Board of Nursing
- Covers adult health and maternal-child nursing
Practical Nursing Certificate — On-Campus
Fortis College-Landover
Fortis College-Landover is a private career college in Prince George's County, Maryland, offering a streamlined diploma pathway in practical nursing. The curriculum combines classroom instruction with hands-on clinical training and emphasizes patient care, health advocacy, and nursing fundamentals, with graduates prepared to sit for the NCLEX-PN. The school leans on career services and local employer connections to help students move into entry-level roles, and class schedules are built to be convenient for working students. Financial aid is available.
- Diploma pathway in practical nursing
- Hands-on clinical training alongside classroom instruction
- Covers patient care, health advocacy, and nursing fundamentals
- Career services for graduates
- Connections to local employers
- Convenient class schedules
- Financial aid available
- Prepares graduates for the NCLEX-PN
Practical Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
University of the District of Columbia
The University of the District of Columbia runs a practical nursing certificate through its community college, accredited by ACEN and approved by the DC Board of Nursing, on a campus a short trip from Arlington. Admission is competitive: a 2.8 minimum GPA, prerequisite anatomy and physiology courses passed with a B or better, and a minimum ATI TEAS score of 58.7. Clinical attendance is mandatory and rotations span the health continuum from critical care to home health. Students get structured advising and a defined progression plan, with a maximum of three years to finish.
- ACEN accredited and DC Board of Nursing approved
- 2.8 minimum GPA for admission
- ATI TEAS exam required, minimum score of 58.7
- Prerequisite science courses require a B or above
- Fall start with a late-February application deadline
- Mandatory clinical attendance plus CPR certification
- Annual health clearance and background check required
- Maximum three years to complete, one nursing course may be repeated
Practical Nursing Certificate Program — On-Campus
How to Check LPN Pay in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria Metro
Exact pay for a newly licensed LPN in Arlington varies by employer, shift, and setting, and the current metro-specific wage table is not something to guess at, so pull it yourself: go to bls.gov/oes, search occupation code 29-2061 (Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses), select the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area, then compare that against Virginia statewide and national medians. The bar below shows the national spread for reference; use the median for budgeting and the 25th to 75th percentile band as your negotiating range. Cross-check with the Virginia Employment Commission at virginiaworks.com, the Virginia Board of Nursing under the Department of Health Professions, individual program pages for placement data, and groups like the National Federation of Licensed Practical Nurses, then call two or three local employers or a regional workforce center for what they are actually paying this year.
After Licensure: LPN-to-RN Bridge Options in Northern Virginia
For licensed LPNs around Arlington, choosing among LPN to RN Bridge Programs usually comes down to community college advanced placement versus a university bachelor's degree. Both can lead to RN licensure, but they differ in cost, time, and how much credit you receive.
Community college LPN-to-ADN routes
Northern Virginia Community College (NOVA) operates a Credit for Prior Learning LPN-to-RN pathway, one of the LPN to ADN Programs in the region, within its A.A.S. Nursing program. To apply, you need an active, unrestricted Virginia LPN license and completion of the Traditional RN prerequisites, including BIO 142. NOVA's published application windows for the CPL pathway are May 1 to June 1 and September 1 to 15, aligned with August and January starts. The program holds ACEN accreditation and Virginia Board of Nursing approval, which means admission is competitive even if published cut scores are not always listed on the bridge page.
Germanna Community College offers a similar LPN to RN advanced standing option in its Nursing A.A.S. Advanced standing requires LPN status and a HESI score of at least 750. Germanna lists application periods running September 1 to October 15, 2026, then February 1 to March 1 and September 1 to October 1 in 2027. Like NOVA, exact advanced-standing credit is not spelled out publicly, so ask during advising how many courses or semesters you can skip.
University transfer option
Marymount University advertises a Transfer BSN but does not identify a named LPN-to-BSN bridge in its public materials. Licensed LPNs who want a bachelor's-level pathway would apply through standard transfer admission, with the Traditional BSN taking about 2.5 years for the nursing component. That is a longer and generally more expensive route, but it opens BSN-level roles and graduate school options later.
Financial and timing reality
The added tuition mainly buys a different career ceiling. RN wages in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro run above LPN pay in most clinical settings, though exact amounts vary by employer, shift, and specialty. Bridge seats are limited and admission cycles are narrow, so review LPN to RN in Virginia application windows while you are still in your PN program rather than after graduation. Neither public pathway lists a minimum LPN work experience requirement, but treat licensure and test scores as the main gatekeeping factors.
Common Questions About LPN Programs in Arlington
These are the questions we hear most often from Arlington-area students weighing practical nursing. Answers reflect what Virginia regulators and area programs currently publish as of 2026; always confirm details directly with the school before you enroll.
Are there LPN programs located in Arlington, VA itself?
Yes. Medical Learning Center at 1840 Wilson Boulevard offers LPN training, and ALISAB School of Nursing at 901 South Highland Street appears in Virginia Board of Nursing listings. A Northern Virginia Community College Practical Nursing Certificate is also associated with a 3301 N Fairfax Drive address, though that listing comes from a third-party directory rather than the college itself, so verify it with NOVA directly.
How long does it take to become an LPN in Virginia?
Most Virginia practical nursing programs run 12 to 18 months full time. Part-time and evening formats stretch that to roughly 18 to 24 months. Whichever schedule you choose, Virginia requires at least 400 supervised clinical hours, so a program that promises a dramatically shorter timeline deserves a close look at how it meets that clinical requirement.
Can you get into an LPN program in Virginia with no prerequisites?
Not literally. Virginia requires applicants to have completed at least two years of high school or the equivalent, and Arlington-area programs typically add a high school diploma or GED, a minimum age of 18, and a basic academic skills test before enrollment. What some schools mean by "no prerequisites" is no college-level coursework required, which is different from no requirements at all.
How much does LPN school cost in the Arlington area, all in?
There is no reliable published all-in figure for Arlington-area LPN programs right now. Individual schools do not post a consistent school-by-school tuition breakdown, and affordable LPN programs rankings do not isolate Arlington-area costs; the broad Northern Virginia salary estimates circulating online describe nursing pay, not school costs. Request a written cost sheet covering tuition, fees, uniforms, books, background checks, and testing from every program you consider.
Can an out-of-state LPN license be transferred to Virginia?
Virginia offers licensure by endorsement, so LPNs holding an active, unencumbered license elsewhere can apply without retaking the NCLEX-PN, provided their education meets Virginia's standards. The Board of Nursing lists a $170 LPN fee for exam or endorsement. If your original program included fewer than 400 clinical hours, you will need to document 960 hours of clinical practice in an active nursing role.
