Hammond sits at an awkward point on the practical nursing map: no PN program currently operates inside city limits, but a 50-mile radius from ZIP 46323 pulls in Ivy Tech's Northwest Indiana campuses, hospital-affiliated schools across Lake and Porter counties, and community colleges on the Illinois side of the state line.
That commuting frame, Hammond, East Chicago, Gary, Merrillville, Valparaiso, and the south suburbs of Chicago, is where the real choices live. Tuition swings from roughly $6,000 at in-district Indiana public programs to over $20,000 at out-of-district Illinois options, and Indiana's 2025 first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate of 86.6% masks wide variation between individual schools.
Who Hires LPNs in Hammond and Across Northwest Indiana
Where do LPNs actually get hired in Hammond, and is it hospitals or nursing homes? In Northwest Indiana, the honest answer is that long-term care and post-acute settings hire the bulk of new practical nurses, while hospital systems use LPNs more selectively, often in clinics and outpatient roles rather than inpatient units.
The Employer Landscape in Lake and Porter Counties
The region's major health systems are all within a short commute of Hammond: Methodist Hospitals in Gary and Merrillville, Community Hospital in Munster, and St. Catherine Hospital in East Chicago. Franciscan's Hammond Clinic in Munster has posted for practical nurses in pediatrics, a good example of where hospital-affiliated LPN roles tend to live: ambulatory clinics and specialty offices.
Skilled nursing and rehab facilities are the steadier volume hirers for Nursing in Long Term Care. Lincolnshire Healthcare & Rehabilitation Center, Colonial Nursing & Rehab in Crown Point, Aperion Care, and Miller's Health Systems in Portage all staff LPNs on long-term care and skilled units. Home health rounds out the picture, with Hammond-based agencies including ACE Pediatric & Adult Home Nursing and Caress Health Care Services, plus Interim HealthCare in Merrillville and the Visiting Nurse Association of Porter County in Valparaiso. Pay in this market is respectable: long-term care LPNs in Hammond earn a median of $27.74 per hour, roughly 20 percent above the Indiana median of $22.14, and Benchmark Human Services has listed Lake County nursing roles in the $25.00 to $38.50 range.
Scope of Practice and the Illinois Question
Under the Indiana Nurse Practice Act (IC 25-23-1-1.2) and 848 IAC 2-3, an LPN practices at the direction of a registered nurse, physician, dentist, chiropractor, optometrist, or podiatrist. You are expected to seek additional education or supervision before performing techniques you have not been trained on. Practically, that means independent assessment and care planning sit with the RN, which is why local job titles often read "charge nurse" in long-term care but "clinical nurse" or "office nurse" in outpatient settings.
Hammond sits on the Illinois line, and Chicago-area employers are realistically within reach. But an Indiana license does not travel: you need Illinois licensure by endorsement to work there.
One more reason to choose among the Best LPN Programs in Indiana 2026 carefully: Hammond-area schools place students in these same regional facilities for LPN clinicals, and those rotations are frequently how graduates land their first offer.
Online, Hybrid, Evening, and Part-Time LPN Options for Hammond Students
The real tradeoff for Hammond students is not between online LPN programs and in-person coursework, it is how much of the classroom work you can shift off campus while still meeting Indiana's requirement that every skills lab and clinical rotation happen face to face at an approved site. A fully online practical nursing program does not exist in Indiana, and any school marketing one to you is either misrepresenting hybrid LPN programs or is not approved by the Indiana State Board of Nursing. Confirm approval status directly with the state board before enrolling.
Hybrid Coursework, In-Person Labs
Ivy Tech Community College runs its Practical Nursing Technical Certificate at Lake County and Valparaiso in a hybrid format. Lecture content is delivered partly online, while labs and clinical rotations happen in person at Indiana-approved facilities. Expect roughly 45 credits across 3 semesters, structured in 8-week terms, with 5 term entry points across the academic year.
Full-Time vs. Part-Time Timelines
Most students finish Ivy Tech's PN certificate in 11 to 12 months of full-time study once admitted to nursing courses. Part-time progression is permitted, and the program allows up to 6 semesters (12 terms) to complete, which gives working adults room to stretch the sequence to roughly 18 to 24 months. Ivy Tech does not advertise a separate accelerated track, so the full-time pace is already the fastest route.
Evening, Weekend, and Daytime Cohorts
Ivy Tech lists day, evening, and weekend scheduling options for practical nursing, but the specific mix at Lake County and Valparaiso shifts by cohort. Call the Gary or Valparaiso nursing office to confirm which sections are actually running before you plan your work schedule around a catalog listing.
Cohort Starts and Missed Deadlines
With limited PN cohort entry points each year, missing an application deadline typically pushes you to the next start, which can mean a wait of one to two terms. Build your prerequisite timeline backward from the cohort you want, and have a backup start date in mind so a single missed document doesn't cost you a full year.
Practical Nursing Programs Within Commuting Distance of Hammond
Treat the grid below as a starting point for verification, not a finished shopping list: before you apply anywhere, confirm the program appears on the current Indiana State Board of Nursing approved practical nursing program list published by the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, run the school through the PLA license lookup, and check ACEN's accredited program directory if programmatic accreditation matters to you. Then work the phone, visit the school's official practical nursing page, call admissions directly, and ask three specific questions: is the practical nursing program currently enrolling, when is the next start date, and can you send written confirmation of state board approval and ACEN status. If a program you remember from a few years ago has vanished from the current lists, research it rather than assume, Indiana and Illinois board meeting minutes, official school closure notices, ACEN accreditation archives, local news coverage, and state education and workforce reports will usually show whether enrollment stopped since 2019, and Board documents have historically flagged closures in writing, as the Marion listing below shows. For context beyond approval status, lean on BLS.gov for LPN and LVN wage and job outlook data, the Indiana and Illinois nursing boards for approval and discipline records, ACEN for accreditation, and professional groups such as NALPN for career guidance, and remember that program statuses change, so verify every detail directly with the source.
| School / Program | City (Approx. Miles from Hammond) | Credential Awarded | Program Length | ISBN Approval / Accreditation Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ivy Tech Community College, Practical Nursing Technical Certificate (system-wide) | Multiple Indiana campuses; specific distances from Hammond are not detailed in the statewide Board list | Technical Certificate in Practical Nursing; graduates who pass the NCLEX-PN earn the LPN credential | 45 total credits (30 requirement credits plus program-specific nursing curriculum credits) | Individual Ivy Tech campuses offering the Practical Nursing Technical Certificate appear on the Indiana State Board of Nursing approved LPN program document with a listed status such as Full Accreditation or Initial Accreditation |
| Purdue University Calumet, School of Nursing | Hammond, Indiana 46323 (0 miles) | Not identified as a practical nursing credential in the Board excerpt, which points to an RN-track rather than PN-track program at this campus | N/A | Full Accreditation as a School of Nursing approved by the Indiana State Board of Nursing (2023 list); a practical nursing program is not specified in the excerpt |
| Essential Healthcare Academy, Practical Nursing Diploma | Fort Wayne, Indiana (outside 50 miles of Hammond; listed as a current example of Board-approved practical nursing, not a commuting option) | Diploma in Practical Nursing | 61 credit hours; enrollment opening September 2026 | Initial approval from the Indiana State Board of Nursing and approval from the Indiana Board for Proprietary Education |
| Leffler Academy at University of Saint Francis, Practical Nursing (Fort Wayne campus) | Fort Wayne, Indiana (outside 50 miles of Hammond; listed as a current example, not a commuting option) | Practical Nursing certificate leading to NCLEX-PN eligibility | 12 months | Approved by the Indiana State Board of Nursing to offer the Practical Nursing program at the Fort Wayne campus |
| Caris College, Practical Nursing Diploma | Jeffersonville, Indiana (well beyond 50 miles from Hammond; included to illustrate ACEN candidacy status) | Diploma in Practical Nursing | N/A | Programmatically approved by the Indiana Board of Nursing; Candidate for initial accreditation with ACEN effective October 1, 2024, with candidacy expiring October 2026 |
| VicTory Training, Practical Nursing Program | Location not specified in the Indiana Board for Proprietary Education agenda | Prepares graduates for licensure as a Licensed Practical Nurse after passing the NCLEX-PN | N/A | March 2026 Board for Proprietary Education agenda notes the program must be licensed by the Indiana State Board of Nursing; current approval status is not explicitly stated and should be confirmed with the Board |
| Marion Community School of Practical Nursing | Marion, Indiana (beyond 50 miles from Hammond; shown as an example of how closures are recorded) | Practical Nursing (program closed) | N/A | Conditional Accreditation with a "CLOSING SUMMER 2015" notation on the historical Board approved-schools document |
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What LPN Programs Around Hammond Actually Cost
Because no Indiana practical nursing program sits inside Hammond city limits, most Hammond students end up comparing tuition across the Illinois state line, where community college pricing swings widely depending on whether you qualify for in-district rates. The figures below come from federal education data reported for 2024 and reflect published annual tuition and fees plus the average net price students actually paid after grants and scholarships. Pay close attention to the out-of-district column: as an Indiana resident, that is typically the rate you will be quoted unless the college has a reciprocity or border agreement.
| School | Location | In-District Tuition & Fees (Annual) | Out-of-District Tuition & Fees (Annual) | Average Net Price | Median Graduate Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joliet Junior College | Joliet, IL | $4,530 | $13,800 | $1,672 | $9,711 |
| Moraine Valley Community College | Palos Hills, IL | $3,822 | $9,846 | $2,829 | $9,500 |
| Kankakee Community College | Kankakee, IL | $5,220 | $25,830 | $4,665 | $9,969 |
| Oakton College | Des Plaines, IL | $3,985 | $12,462 | $5,183 | $5,250 |
| City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College | Chicago, IL | $4,590 | $15,150 | $7,220 | $8,375 |
| College of DuPage | Glen Ellyn, IL | $4,560 | $12,750 | $7,401 | $10,410 |
| William Rainey Harper College | Palatine, IL | $3,894 | $11,874 | $11,607 | $10,184 |
The Full Price of Becoming an LPN in Hammond, Line by Line
Applicants budget for tuition and then get blindsided by everything stacked on top of it. Using the program costs in the table above and Indiana's published licensure fees, a typical one-year practical nursing path around Hammond lands near $8,600 in total out-of-pocket spending. Roughly $2,100 of that, about a quarter of the total, sits entirely outside tuition: textbooks and nursing kits, scrubs and a stethoscope, criminal background screening and immunization records, the NCLEX-PN exam fee, and the Indiana license application itself. One more caveat worth repeating: at public institutions like Ivy Tech, net price after federal and state aid often runs well below the sticker tuition shown here, so request a personalized estimate before you rule a program out.
Admission Requirements for Hammond-Area Practical Nursing Programs
Practical nursing admission around Hammond is competitive rather than open-enrollment, and the paperwork trail is long. Ivy Tech Community College's PN program, a selective-admission technical certificate and the anchor option for most Hammond students, publishes statewide standards, though timelines and implementation can vary by campus, so confirm details with the Lake County or Valparaiso campus before you plan around a date.
- High school diploma or equivalentIvy Tech requires an official high school transcript or GED/HSE credential submitted with the online application. At least one non-Ivy Tech Northwest Indiana LPN program requires the official transcript or equivalency no less than 30 days before the class start date.
- Prerequisite coursework and gradesIvy Tech applicants complete APHY 101, ENGL 111, and PSYC 101 with a C or higher. There is no separately published program GPA cutoff beyond that prerequisite standard and the entrance exam, but seats are awarded competitively, so stronger grades matter.
- Entrance examIvy Tech uses the ATI TEAS, and applicants must score Proficient or higher on the academic preparedness category. No numeric composite cutoff is published in current materials. At least one area program uses the HESI Admission Assessment instead, requiring 70% or better on each exam, with three attempts per calendar year, a 30-day wait between retakes, and the highest score on each exam counted.
- Application and testing windowsIvy Tech's statewide PN materials list a TEAS testing window of July 1 through September 30 and a separate online program application open August 15 through October 15. Some campus summaries cite a different annual deadline, so verify the current cycle directly with your campus rather than assuming a date.
- Background check and drug screenIvy Tech requires a criminal background check and drug screening before enrollment; clinical sites drive this requirement, not just the school. One Northwest Indiana program specifies a certified criminal background check and a 12-panel drug screen.
- Health, immunization, and CPR documentationExpect a physical exam and proof of immunization status or an approved medical or religious exemption, plus current BLS for Healthcare Providers certification before enrollment. Tuberculosis screening is standard, one area program accepts a PPD skin test, IGRA blood test, or chest x-ray completed within the past year.
- What derails an application, and how to recoverThe most common problems are a prerequisite grade below C, a TEAS result under Proficient, and a background check or drug screen finding that clinical partners will not clear. A low prerequisite grade is fixable: retake the course before the application window closes. A weak entrance exam is also recoverable, but only within the published attempt limits and waiting periods, so test early enough to leave room for a second try. If a background issue is the concern, raise it with the program and the Indiana State Board of Nursing before you pay for coursework, licensure eligibility, not just admission, is what is at stake.
Getting Your Indiana LPN License After Graduation
The Indiana State Board of Nursing, under the Indiana Professional Licensing Agency, charges a $50 application fee for LPN licensure by exam or endorsement. That single number sits at the center of a process with several moving parts, a process detailed in During LPN School & Obtaining License, and the order you complete them in matters.
The Sequence After Graduation
Once your Hammond-area program confirms completion, the steps run roughly like this:
- Apply through PLA Online Services: Submit a notarized application with proof of program completion.
- Background check: The state initiates a fingerprint-based criminal background check after you apply, not before.
- Authorization to Test (ATT): Once your application clears, the Board issues an ATT.
- Register for the NCLEX-PN: You'll schedule your exam through Pearson VUE using that ATT.
- License issuance: Passing scores are reported to Indiana, and your LPN license is issued.
Because the background check and ATT issuance are the slowest links in this chain, apply as soon as your program confirms your completion date rather than waiting for your official transcript or graduation ceremony. Delays here are administrative, not academic, and they're the single biggest reason new grads sit idle for weeks before they can test.
Renewal and Continuing Education
Indiana LPN licenses renew every two years. Indiana does not currently require continuing education hours for routine renewal, a topic covered in LPN Continuing Education Units, but LPNs must document at least 8 hours of nursing or nursing-related work during each two-year cycle; private-duty care hours don't count toward this. If your license lapses for an extended period, reinstatement typically requires coursework in assessment, documentation, pharmacology, and ethics or legal topics, six contact hours each, though this is handled case by case rather than as a fixed rule.
Licensure by Endorsement in Illinois
Hammond sits close enough to the Illinois border that many graduates work in the Chicago metro. Illinois licensure by endorsement, through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, requires proof of your Indiana license in good standing, verification from every jurisdiction where you've held a nursing license, and a separate fingerprint check through Illinois State Police. Expect this to add several weeks and an additional application fee on top of what you've already paid Indiana, since the two states don't share verification systems automatically.
NCLEX-PN Pass Rates and Completion Outcomes in Northwest Indiana
Practical nursing accountability in Indiana, central to Licensed Practical Nurse Careers, now runs through public, program-level exam reporting, which makes pass rates easier to find but still easy to misread. For 2025, Indiana's statewide first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate for U.S.-educated candidates was 86.6%, according to NCSBN Nurse Licensure and NCLEX Exam Statistics and the Indiana Commission for Higher Education's annual data. That is the benchmark to hold any Hammond-area program against, but individual Northwest Indiana rates are not bundled into a single county-level public summary, so you will need to check each school's latest entry directly.
What the 86.6% Benchmark Means
Statewide averages hide wide ranges. Some programs clear 90% most years while others hover below 70%. When you find a Hammond-area school's rate, ask whether it sits above or below the 86.6% state mark across the last three years, not just the latest cycle.
Small Cohorts Make One-Year Rates Noisy
A practical nursing class in Northwest Indiana may graduate 15 to 30 students, so one or two retakes can swing the percentage by several points. Do not judge a program on a single bad year or a single perfect year. Look for a three-year pattern: rates consistently above 80% are healthier than one 100% year followed by two 62% years.
Where to Verify a Program Before Applying
- Indiana Commission for Higher Education: publishes annual nursing license exam pass rates by program, including LPN programs, through 2025.
- Indiana State Board of Nursing: posts licensure and exam updates, including any conditional approval actions.
- School nursing department: can confirm cohort size and retake policies behind the public number.
Completion Data Is Institution-Wide, Not Program-Specific
The graduation rates tied to colleges serving Hammond describe the whole college, not the LPN program alone. A campuswide graduation rate in the 40s or 50s does not tell you how many practical nursing students finish on time. Treat that figure as context. If a school cannot share its own practical nursing completion numbers, ask about it directly.
Finally, treat a falling or below-benchmark pass rate as a warning sign. The Indiana State Board of Nursing can place a program on conditional approval when exam performance does not meet standards, which may bring added scrutiny or enrollment limits.
LPN Pay in the Gary and Chicago Metro Areas
The bar below shows where licensed practical nurse pay lands across the Chicago-Naperville-Elgin metro area, which is the labor market most Hammond LPNs can actually commute into. Federal wage figures for the Gary metropolitan division are not published separately for this occupation, so the closest Indiana-side benchmark is the statewide median of about $65,690, roughly $12,000 a year below the Chicago metro median of $78,070. That cross-border gap matters in Hammond, where an Illinois hospital or long-term care employer may sit twenty minutes from an Indiana one. Set either number against the tuition ranges covered earlier in this guide, where most practical nursing programs within commuting distance run in the low-to-mid five figures all in, and a single year of full-time LPN earnings comfortably exceeds the total cost of the credential. Pay near the 10th percentile still clears $62,200, while experienced LPNs in specialty or union settings reach the $96,530 range.
Top LPN Programs Serving Hammond and Northwest Indiana
Below are the top practical nursing programs serving Hammond, ranked for students who need to weigh cost, commute distance, and whether a program is currently enrolling. Each entry notes what the school is known for, how the program is delivered, and what it means for a Hammond resident crossing into Illinois or staying close to the border.
How we ranked these
- Median graduate debt loads
- Institutional graduation rates
- Program cost and tuition tier
- Commute distance from Hammond
- Current enrollment availability
- 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
- Bureau of Economic Analysis cost-of-living index by state — bea.gov
William Rainey Harper College
William Rainey Harper College runs one of the larger practical nursing operations in the northwest Chicago suburbs, with an ACEN-accredited certificate that stacks directly into its nursing associate degree. Cohorts start twice a year, and the program reports a 100 percent licensure pass rate and 71 percent job placement. For Hammond students it is a longer drive than the border schools, but the accreditation and the two annual start dates make it a serious option for applicants willing to cross state lines.
- 38-credit ACEN-accredited certificate
- Two start dates per year, fall and spring
- CNA certification required for admission
- State-of-the-art simulated hospital lab
- Stackable into the Nursing AAS degree
- Program reports 100 percent licensure pass rate and 71 percent job placement
- Limited-enrollment program with prerequisite coursework
Practical Nursing (PN) Certificate — On-Campus
Kankakee Community College
Kankakee Community College is the one school in this group with a formal break for Hammond residents: students from Lake County, Indiana are charged the Illinois out-of-district rate instead of the higher out-of-state rate. The practical nursing advanced certificate covers 38 credits in a fall-to-summer sequence and requires the HESI A2 entrance exam. Job placement has been reported at 100 percent, and the program holds approval from the Illinois State Board of Nursing.
- One-year advanced certificate totaling 38 credits
- Fall-to-summer course sequence
- HESI A2 entrance exam required
- Job placement reported at 100 percent
- Physical exam, background check, drug screen and CPR certification required before entry
- Grade of C or better required in coursework
- Emphasis on person-centered, evidence-based nursing care
Practical Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Joliet Junior College
Joliet Junior College builds its practical nurse certificate out of the first two semesters of its registered nursing curriculum, so graduates can continue into the RN track without starting over. The program states that it meets educational requirements for licensure in both Illinois and Indiana, a detail that matters for Hammond students who intend to license at home. Its 2025 first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate was 100 percent, though out-of-district applicants are considered only after in-district students.
- Two-semester certificate of achievement
- Meets educational requirements for Indiana and Illinois licensure
- First two semesters lead to NCLEX-PN eligibility
- Integrated with the traditional RN curriculum for a smooth bridge
- Clinical rotations in community health care settings
- 2025 first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate of 100 percent
- Selective admissions; health and background requirements before clinicals
Practical Nurse (P.N.), Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Oakton College
Oakton College offers its practical nursing certificate as an exit point inside the associate degree nursing program rather than as a standalone credential. Students complete 39 credits along the ADN sequence and take a dedicated LPN option course in the summer after year one, practicing in the college's simulation hospital. Hammond applicants pay out-of-state tuition here, and the certificate is open only to students already admitted to the ADN track, so it fits a narrower set of plans than a standard PN certificate.
- 39-credit certificate embedded in the ADN program
- Open only to students admitted to the associate degree nursing track
- Includes a dedicated LPN option course in the summer after year one
- Coursework in maternal-child nursing, chronic illness and pharmacology
- Clinical practice in the simulation hospital plus live placements
- Prepares graduates for NCLEX-PN licensure and entry-level LPN roles
Practical Nursing (LPN) Certificate — On-Campus
College of DuPage
College of DuPage delivers its 35-credit practical nursing certificate through a blend of classroom, lab, and clinical instruction, with coursework in physical assessment, pharmacology, and pathophysiology. Like Oakton's, the certificate is reserved for students already enrolled in the associate degree nursing program, so it works best as a planned exit ramp rather than a direct entry point. Hammond students would attend as out-of-state enrollees.
- 35-credit certificate
- Open only to students admitted to the Associate Degree Nursing program
- Classroom, lab and clinical instruction
- Coursework covers physical assessment, pharmacology and pathophysiology
- Graduates eligible to sit for the NCLEX-PN
- Prepares for roles in hospitals, clinics and long-term care
Practical Nursing (PN) Certificate — On-Campus
City Colleges of Chicago-Malcolm X College
Malcolm X College, part of City Colleges of Chicago, offers a 49-credit advanced practical nursing certificate with full-time and part-time study and a defined route into higher nursing degrees. The program cites a median annual salary of $70,952 in Cook County and roughly 988 openings a year for practical nurses locally. For Hammond residents who already work full time in Chicago, City Colleges can extend in-district tuition through an employment-based waiver, which is unusual among the schools on this list.
- 49-credit advanced certificate
- Full-time and part-time study options
- TEAS entrance exam with a 60 percent minimum cumulative score
- 2.5 GPA minimum plus prerequisite coursework
- Credit transfer into associate or bachelor's nursing programs
- Background check and drug screening required
- Median annual salary of $70,952 reported in Cook County
Practical Nursing, Advanced Certificate — On-Campus
Moraine Valley Community College
Moraine Valley Community College sits in Palos Hills, a manageable drive from Hammond, and offers a licensed practical nursing certificate aligned to Illinois licensure requirements. The college has not been accepting applications for the LPN program, so confirm current status before planning around it. Students who do enroll from Indiana pay the out-of-state tuition rate.
- Certificate meeting Illinois licensure education requirements
- Campus-based format in Palos Hills
- Curriculum built to align with state licensure expectations
- NC-SARA participant, relevant to online and out-of-state students
- Advisors available by email and phone for requirement planning
- Licensure also involves exams, background checks and fingerprinting
Licensed Practical Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Verve College
Verve College runs a hybrid practical nurse program that pairs online theory with weekly in-person clinicals at sites around Chicago and Oak Brook. The 12-to-14-month program is priced as a single all-in figure that includes the NCLEX-PN exam fee, and it offers day, evening, and weekend schedules. For Hammond students the hybrid format cuts down how often you have to cross the state line, though the private-school tuition runs well above the community college options.
- Hybrid delivery with online theory and weekly in-person clinicals
- $24,995 total program tuition, NCLEX-PN exam fee included
- Completes in 12 to 14 months
- Day, evening and weekend schedules
- TEAS entrance exam required; active CNA certification expected
- ATI exit exam required to graduate
- PN labs at both the Chicago and Oak Brook campuses
- $75 application fee
Practical Nurse (PN) Program, Certificate or Diploma — Hybrid
CAAN Academy of Nursing
CAAN Academy of Nursing in Matteson runs a 59-week, 1,180-hour practical nursing program with clinical training in acute, long-term, and ambulatory care settings. The academy already enrolls students from Indiana, which makes it a proven pathway for Hammond-area applicants rather than an untested one. Admission is structured, with prerequisites, an entrance exam, an essay, and letters of recommendation, and financial aid and payment plans are available.
- 59-week program totaling 1,180 clock hours
- Sessions meet five days a week
- 2.5 GPA minimum plus prerequisites including medical terminology
- $60 non-refundable application fee
- Entrance exam, essay and two letters of recommendation required
- Clinical training in acute, long-term and ambulatory care
- Financial aid, employer reimbursement and payment plans available
Licensed Practical Nursing Program, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Americare Technical School
Americare Technical School in Park Ridge offers a practical nursing program built around fundamentals, medical-surgical nursing, pediatrics, obstetrics, geriatrics, and pharmacology. Morning, evening, and weekend schedules give working students real flexibility, and residency in Illinois is not required to apply. It is a private-school option, so expect a higher sticker price than the Illinois community colleges on this list.
- TEAS score of 60 or higher required for admission
- Morning, evening and weekend class schedules
- Curriculum covers fundamentals, medical-surgical, pediatrics, obstetrics and geriatrics
- Fingerprint background check, drug screen and CPR certification required
- Financial aid available for qualifying students
- Program length of 84 weeks reported
Practical Nursing Program, Certificate or Diploma — Hybrid
LPN-to-RN and LPN-to-BSN Bridge Paths From Hammond
The Ivy Tech LPN to ASN Transition awards 19 prior-learning credits toward a 71-credit Associate of Science in Nursing, which is the shortest documented LPN to RN bridge in Indiana from a practical nursing license to RN eligibility. That advanced standing is the mechanism behind the pay jump most Hammond LPNs are chasing: moving from LPN wages in the Gary and Chicago metro range up to RN pay, which typically runs tens of thousands higher per year in Northwest Indiana hospital settings.
The Realistic Ladder from Hammond
The sequence for most working LPNs looks like this: earn the PN certificate and pass NCLEX-PN, work as an LPN while completing general education prerequisites, apply to an LPN to RN bridge, sit for the NCLEX-RN, and (optionally) finish an online RN-to-BSN. There is no widely advertised direct LPN-to-BSN cohort in Northwest Indiana for 2026, so treat the ASN-then-BSN route as the standard path.
Ivy Tech LPN to ASN Transition
Ivy Tech's statewide bridge is open to licensed practical nurses, paramedics, military medics, and CMA-AAMA medical assistants. Full-time completion is documented at under 12 months in some implementations, with a hard ceiling of six semesters from the first nursing course. LPNs who graduated from an Ivy Tech Practical Nursing program within the last two years can have NRSG 122 (5 credits) waived; LPNs from outside Ivy Tech or beyond that two-year window generally take it. The Bloomington evening cohort, for reference, starts August 24, 2026 with a May 15 application deadline. Confirm the current Northwest region cohort calendar directly with the Gary or Valparaiso campus, since evening and hybrid availability shifts by term.
Purdue University Northwest
PNW offers a pre-licensure BSN and an online RN-to-BSN Completion program (ranked No. 38 in U.S. News' 2026 Best Online Programs). The RN-to-BSN requires an active RN license at entry, so it is a second step after Ivy Tech, not a direct LPN bridge. The Spring 2026 Professional Nursing CODO application is closed; check PNW for the next window.
Before You Enroll
Articulation agreements vary by school. Contact the nursing advisor at your target LPN bridge program about the next cohort application window, and ask which PN credits transfer in writing before you commit to any LPN program in Hammond.
