A ten-month accelerated track at one of Greater Boston's private vocational schools, or a two-year evening schedule at a community college: both routes lead to the same NCLEX-PN exam, but they demand very different commitments of time, money, and daytime availability. Massachusetts employed over 15,370 LPNs in 2024, and Boston's concentration of academic medical centers, federally qualified health centers, and skilled nursing facilities keeps demand steady across clinical settings.
Tuition near the city ranges from roughly $5,300 at public community colleges to more than double that at private programs, with evening and hybrid LPN programs adding flexibility for working students. Hiring demand, program costs, admissions requirements, and NCLEX pass rates at local schools follow. Jump straight to the program list →
Why Boston Is a Strong Market for LPNs
Is there enough demand for LPNs in the Boston metro to justify the time and cost of a practical nursing program?
The short answer: yes, and the hiring landscape is unusually diverse for a single metro area. Boston anchors one of the densest healthcare corridors in the country, and LPNs fill essential roles across nearly every segment of it.
Major Employers Hiring LPNs
Boston's largest health systems actively recruit licensed practical nurses for inpatient support, ambulatory clinics, and specialty practices. Key employers include:
- Mass General Brigham: the state's biggest network, with LPN openings across primary care, post-acute, and rehabilitation settings.
- Beth Israel Lahey Health: operates hospitals and outpatient sites from Burlington to Plymouth.
- Boston Medical Center: a safety-net hospital with a strong community health mission.
- Steward Health Care: runs multiple community hospitals south and west of the city.
- VA Boston Healthcare System: federal positions that often come with competitive benefits and tuition support.
Beyond hospitals, the metro's large long-term care and home health sector is the single biggest employer of LPNs. Skilled nursing facilities in Worcester, Brockton, Quincy, and the South Shore consistently post openings, and community health centers throughout eastern Massachusetts rely on LPNs to extend care to underserved populations.
A Broader Scope Than Many States
Massachusetts grants LPNs a relatively generous scope of practice. LPNs in Massachusetts are supervised by RNs or physicians, but those who earn additional IV therapy certification can administer intravenous medications and fluids. That credential makes Boston-area LPNs more versatile than their counterparts in states that restrict IV access entirely, and it can translate into higher earning potential and more clinical placement options.
Career Flexibility: Standalone or Stepping Stone
Many nurses in the Boston area build full careers at the LPN level, particularly in long-term care, home health, and LPN school nurse roles. Others use the credential as a launchpad, entering an LPN to RN in Massachusetts bridge program while earning a paycheck. Both paths are well supported by the region's density of nursing schools and clinical sites. The key takeaway: earning your LPN in this market supports both a long bedside career and further advancement.
Evening, Hybrid, and Part-Time LPN Programs Near Boston
The real tradeoff for many Boston-area students is flexibility versus time to licensure. Full-time LPN certificates in Massachusetts typically run 10 to 12 months, but evening, weekend, and part-time tracks often extend the timeline to 18 to 24 months. If you need to keep working or manage family responsibilities, that extra time may be worth it, but it does delay NCLEX-PN eligibility and your first nursing paycheck.
Where the flexible options actually are
Boston proper has fewer clearly documented evening LPN tracks, so most students compare Best LPN Programs in Massachusetts 2026 and look west and north. Quinsigamond Community College in Worcester lists a Practical Nursing Certificate with an evening option, and the college describes the format as blended or hybrid. In LPN terms, hybrid means online didactic coursework paired with in-person skills labs and clinical rotations. Fully online LPN programs are essentially nonexistent because Massachusetts requires supervised clinical hours. The college indicates that a substantial share of the coursework may be completed online, with some classes in Worcester, but students should confirm the exact split before enrolling.
Worcester Technical High School also offers a part-time evening hybrid LPN program. The proportion of online and in-person work is not published, and the school does not list a specific 2026 completion timeline. For prospective students, that makes it a strong option to investigate rather than a fixed path, and the part-time structure suggests a longer run than a 10 to 12 month full-time cohort.
A structured evening and weekend schedule near Lowell and Lawrence
Shawsheen Valley School of Practical Nursing in Billerica offers the clearest published schedule for working students. The program runs in evening and weekend formats, with evening sessions around 5 to 11 PM and weekend sessions from roughly 7 or 8 AM to mid-afternoon. It follows a high school calendar, starting at the end of August and concluding at the end of June, about 40 weeks total. Shawsheen appears to be in-person rather than hybrid, which may appeal if you learn better with direct instructor contact but requires commuting. Billerica sits northwest of Boston, making it a practical drive for students in Lowell and parts of Lawrence.
Students in Quincy, Brockton, Lawrence, or Lowell should not assume a nearby evening LPN track exists. As of 2026, the most documented flexible options for the Boston metro are in Worcester and Billerica, so commuting distance becomes part of the decision. Contact each program directly to verify 2026 cohort dates and check LPN/LVN Program Admissions requirements, because evening and weekend seats can fill quickly.
How Much Do LPN Programs Cost in Boston?
Tuition and fees at Boston-area LPN programs range from $5,352 at North Shore Community College to $8,938 at Quincy College for Massachusetts residents, with out-of-state rates running considerably higher at community colleges like Quinsigamond ($11,206) and Nashua Community College ($15,390). Private, for-profit options such as Lincoln Technical Institute report a net price near $27,578, well above the public vocational/technical schools that dominate the lower end of the cost spectrum.
Public vs. Private Cost Gap
The pattern is consistent: public community colleges keep the cost of LPN programs low, often under $7,000 for in-state students, while net price (what students actually pay after aid) climbs at private and out-of-state institutions. Quincy College sits in between, with in-state tuition near $8,938 but a reported net price of $17,126, reflecting a mix of aid and living-cost factors baked into that figure.
State and Employer-Based Funding
Two Massachusetts-specific programs can meaningfully offset costs for qualifying students. The Massachusetts DDS LPN Certificate Program covers up to $20,000 plus paid educational leave for Direct Support Professionals, Recreation Therapists, and Residential Supervisors who have worked at least two years in good standing, have met or exceeded performance evaluations, and commit to two years of continued DDS service after completing one of 19 participating full-time LPN programs statewide. Separately, the Social Finance Massachusetts Career Ladder Program pays a pre-tax stipend of $440 per week for the duration of a typical 10-month program to students already accepted into an approved LPN track, easing the income loss that comes with reduced work hours during school.
Beyond these targeted programs, standard aid still applies. Pell Grants reach a large share of LPN students at Boston-area schools, with several programs reporting 70 to 85 percent of enrollees receiving Pell support. Under the MASSGrant Award Terms, MassGrant can also apply to certificate-level nursing students, but only those enrolled full-time (12 or more credits) at an eligible institution and demonstrating financial need; part-time certificate students generally don't qualify.1 Many hospital systems in the Boston area also offer tuition reimbursement for employees pursuing LPN credentials, worth asking about before enrolling.
Beyond Tuition
Budget for extras that rarely appear on a program's price sheet: uniforms and clinical supplies, background checks and immunization documentation, and the NCLEX-PN exam fee, which runs roughly $200. Together these can add several hundred dollars to the total cost of becoming licensed.
LPN Tuition at a Glance: Boston-Area Programs
Tuition for LPN certificate programs near Boston varies widely depending on whether you enroll at a public community college or a private institution. The net prices below reflect institution-wide averages after financial aid, not program-specific guaranteed quotes. Public and vocational options cluster well below private alternatives, making them worth a close look for cost-conscious students.
Admissions Requirements for Boston-Area LPN Programs
Boston-area LPN admissions are not a single checklist; they are a set of school-specific gates layered on top of shared clinical and safety requirements. The strongest applications are built by treating each program's testing, prerequisite, and deadline rules as the final word.
The Baseline Every Applicant Should Expect
Expect to document a high school diploma or GED, current immunizations, a CORI or SORI background check, and CPR certification before clinical placement. Most Boston-area programs also require an entrance exam. The ATI TEAS is the most common option, but it is not universal. Some programs require a minimum GPA, often around 2.5, and a few expect prerequisite coursework such as Anatomy and Physiology or medical terminology before the first nursing course. Treat the GPA and prerequisite details as program-specific rather than guaranteed.
Where Programs Diverge
- Quincy College: Requires the TEAS and currently states the exam must be taken on campus.
- MassBay Community College: Requires ATI TEAS results as part of selective admissions.
- Massasoit Community College: Requires ATI TEAS and lists a February 1, 2026 application deadline for 2026 admission.
- Assabet Valley (Marlborough): Uses NLN NEX instead of TEAS, with minimum verbal score of 58% and math score of 45%, and requires applicants to be at least 17.5 years old.
- Upper Cape Cod (Bourne): Lists NLN NEX and TEAS among requirements and charges a $50 application fee.
Application Windows and Competitiveness
Many Boston-area programs run September and January cohort starts, but not all use rolling admissions. Selective programs such as MassBay and Massasoit publish firm deadlines and can fill early, while other programs accept applicants until seats are full. Check the current cycle before assuming a program is open. Some technical programs outside the immediate city use a single application window and different exam requirements, so distance and timing matter just as much as the school's name.
BORN Approval Matters
Only consider programs approved by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing. Graduating from a BORN-approved LPN program is required to sit for the NCLEX-PN, so this is the non-negotiable baseline before evaluating exams, prerequisites, or schedules.
NCLEX-PN Pass Rates for Boston-Area LPN Programs
NCLEX-PN first-time pass rates are one of the most important quality indicators when choosing an LPN program. The Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing tracks these results annually, and programs that consistently fall below 80% may face probation or additional oversight, a clear signal of weaker student preparation. While program-level pass rates for individual Boston-area schools are published by the state board, the most recent publicly confirmed data available is aggregated at the state and national level. The figures below provide essential context for evaluating any program you are considering. Prospective students should request the latest program-specific pass rates directly from each school or review the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing's annual NCLEX performance reports.
| Category | Year | Candidates | First-Time Pass Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts PN candidates educated in state | 2024 | 702 | 91.74% |
| Massachusetts PN licensure candidates (all education backgrounds) | 2024 | 826 | 84.75% |
| Massachusetts Board-approved PN programs (statewide aggregate) | 2024 | 905 | 79.34% |
| Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing (jurisdiction total) | 2024 | 1,291 | 96.98% |
| NCLEX-PN national first-time candidates (all jurisdictions) | 2024 | 50,570 | 88.38% |
Top LPN Programs for Boston Students
Below are the top LPN programs serving Boston students, ranked by IPEDS completion data, accreditation status, and program fit. Every entry on the list sits within commuting range of the city, from a Quincy campus minutes south of downtown to regional options at the edge of the metro. Each card covers what the school is known for and what the practical nursing program asks of you.
How we ranked these
- Median graduate debt
- Institutional graduation rates
- Accreditation and board standing
- Program fit for Boston commuters
- Net price and program cost
- 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
Nashua Community College
Nashua Community College sits at the northern edge of the Boston commuting radius, a realistic drive for students in Lowell, Tyngsboro, and the northern suburbs. Its one-year LPN certificate is delivered through a partnership with River Valley Community College, with classroom and lab work in Nashua and clinical placements across the Greater Nashua region. The college extends New England regional tuition to Massachusetts residents, which pulls out-of-state cost closer to in-state rates, and graduates leave eligible to sit for the NCLEX-PN. Institution-wide, the college reports a 37.6% graduation rate and an average net price of about $23,154 for federal aid recipients.
- One-year certificate totaling 36 credit hours
- TEAS entrance exam required for admission
- Spring start; application due September 30 the prior year
- Delivered in partnership with River Valley Community College
- Clinical placements across the Greater Nashua region
- NH LNA licensure required; waivers possible for allied health workers
- New England regional tuition rate available to Massachusetts residents
- Prepares graduates for the NCLEX-PN exam
Licensed Practical Nursing (LPN) Certificate — On-Campus
Massachusetts Bay Community College
Massachusetts Bay Community College runs its practical nursing certificate at the Framingham campus, on the western edge of the Boston metro along the Mass Pike and Route 9 corridor. The 40-week, full-time program starts once a year in the fall, and it is selective even though the college itself has open general admissions, since clinical seats are limited. The college reports a 100% NCLEX-PN pass rate, and eligible Massachusetts residents may qualify for statewide tuition-free community college funding. Institution-wide, MassBay reports a 17.2% graduation rate and an average net price of about $7,169.
- 40-week, full-time certificate program
- Single fall start each year
- Reported 100% NCLEX-PN pass rate
- ACEN accredited and approved by the state board
- Clinical experiences in hospitals and clinics
- Selective program admission with limited clinical seats
- Prerequisite coursework must be finished by published deadlines
- Small cohorts with dedicated faculty
Practical Nursing Certificate — On-Campus
Northern Essex Community College
Northern Essex Community College serves the Merrimack Valley from its Lawrence and Haverhill campuses, within the northeastern arc of Greater Boston commuting territory. Nursing coursework is now delivered on the Lawrence campus, with clinical placements in Methuen, Tewksbury, Haverhill, and North Andover. The practical nursing certificate is ACEN accredited and approved by the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing, and its credits transfer into the college's associate degree in nursing. Note that the program currently sits under an approval-with-warning status effective January 14, 2026, meaning the board has flagged a compliance concern. Institution-wide, the college reports a 20.9% graduation rate and an average net price near $6,046.
- $346 per credit for Massachusetts residents
- Reported 85% licensure pass rate
- Reported 100% job placement rate
- Nursing courses held on the Lawrence campus
- Clinical placements in Methuen, Tewksbury, Haverhill and North Andover
- Credits transfer into the college's associate degree in nursing
- TEAS taken at the Haverhill testing center or remotely proctored
- State board approval with warning, effective January 14, 2026
Practical Nursing Certificate — On-Campus
North Shore Community College
North Shore Community College's practical nursing certificate is an intensive ten-month program based at the Danvers campus, drawing students from Boston's northern suburbs and the North Shore. Clinical rotations run through affiliates such as Mass General Brigham Salem Hospital, Melrose Wakefield Hospital, and Lahey Beverly Hospital. The program is ACEN accredited, and the college also offers an LPN-to-RN advanced placement track that lets licensed practical nurses finish an RN degree in one academic year. The Fall 2026 cohort is closed, so applicants planning for 2026 should look to the next cycle, with a priority deadline of February 26, 2027. Institution-wide, NSCC reports a 17.8% graduation rate and an average net price around $9,000.
- Intensive ten-month certificate program
- Clinical affiliates include Salem Hospital and Melrose Wakefield Hospital
- Skills labs and simulation facilities on campus
- Community College Nursing Scholarship available
- Transfer options to four-year institutions
- Closed for Fall 2026; priority deadline February 26, 2027
- Prepares graduates for NCLEX-PN licensure
Practical Nursing Certificate — On-Campus
Quinsigamond Community College
Quinsigamond Community College sits in Worcester, roughly an hour west of Boston, and its practical nursing certificate uses a hybrid format that mixes online coursework with labs and clinicals across Worcester County and the MetroWest corridor, including Framingham. The five-semester, 46-credit program runs weekend and evening clinical options, which helps students who are working while they train. The college reported a 97.5% NCLEX-PN pass rate for its 2024 cohort and has posted strong first-time results across multiple years. Institution-wide, QCC reports a 21.6% graduation rate and an average net price of about $9,090.
- Five-semester, 46-credit certificate
- $227 per credit
- TEAS entrance exam required; 2.7 GPA minimum
- Summer start
- Hybrid format mixing online coursework with labs
- Weekend and evening clinical options
- Clinical sites in Worcester County and MetroWest
- Credit for prior learning accepted
Practical Nursing Certificate — Hybrid
Quincy College
Quincy College is the closest thing to a Boston-proper option on this list, with a Quincy campus just south of the city and a second site in Plymouth. The full-time practical nursing certificate runs ten months, with September starts in Quincy and January starts in Plymouth, and clinical placements at partner facilities across the region. The program accepts Massachusetts residents only, holds full approval from the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Nursing, and has been an ACEN candidate since February 2025. Institution-wide, Quincy reports a 15.1% graduation rate and an average net price of about $17,126.
- Ten-month, full-time certificate with 44 credit hours
- Quincy campus starts in fall, Plymouth campus in January
- TEAS exam must be taken on campus
- Prerequisites include college algebra and anatomy and physiology
- Open to Massachusetts residents only
- Reported 92% job placement rate
- Full state board approval; ACEN candidate since February 2025
- Clinical placements at partner healthcare facilities
Certificate of Completion in Practical Nursing — On-Campus
Lincoln Technical Institute-Lincoln
Lincoln Technical Institute's Lincoln, Rhode Island campus sits about an hour southwest of Boston off I-295, within extended commuting range of southeastern Massachusetts and the outer metro. The practical nursing diploma runs roughly 52 weeks in the day track and about 90 weeks in the evening track, both built around five supervised clinical rotations, and the evening option is designed for working adults. The program is ACEN accredited and prepares graduates to sit for the NCLEX-PN. Institution-wide, the campus reports a 63.3% graduation rate and an average net price of about $27,578.
- Day track about 52 weeks; evening track about 90 weeks
- Five supervised clinical rotations
- ACEN accredited diploma program
- Campus in Lincoln, Rhode Island, just off I-295
- Evening option designed for working adults
- On-campus instruction combined with clinical training
- Covers anatomy, physiology, pharmacology and patient care
- Graduates eligible for the NCLEX-PN exam
Practical Nursing Diploma — On-Campus
Did you know Massachusetts employed 15,370 LPNs in 2024, a figure projected to climb to 15,820 by 2034? That's a 3 percent growth rate, about on par with the national average, according to BLS employment projections, translating to roughly 1,290 annual job openings statewide for practical nurses.
