Farmington has no practical nursing program inside its city limits. The nearest state-approved campuses sit in Livonia, Novi, Southfield, Wayne, Pontiac, and northwest Detroit, home to several of the best the best LPN programs in Detroit. That spread makes roughly 30 miles from ZIP 48336 your realistic search radius.
That radius changes the math. Two programs with similar tuition stop being equivalent once one adds an hour a day on I-696 and assigns clinical rotations that start before dawn.
Cost, NCLEX-PN pass rates, prerequisite sequencing, and LPN-to-RN bridge access vary sharply across those campuses, and none of it appears in an admissions brochure.
Where Farmington LPNs Actually Work: Local Employers and the Detroit Metro Job Market
Farmington’s LPN job market looks different from the acute-care image many prospective students carry. The strongest demand sits in skilled nursing, long-term care, physician offices, and home health, not on hospital med-surg floors. That pattern holds across the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn corridor, which includes Lapeer, Livingston, Macomb, Oakland, St. Clair, and Wayne counties.1
Where the demand is concentrated
Long-term care and rehabilitation facilities are the anchor employers for new LPNs. MediLodge of Farmington has posted LPN roles in the $35.40 to $49.86 per hour range, though those figures can include shift differentials, PRN pay, or sign-on bonuses and are not a systemwide wage. Nearby options include Maple Manor Rehab and Neuro Center in Novi, Marywood Nursing Care Center in Livonia, Novi Lakes Health Campus, and Fox Run Village in Novi, where published starting pay has appeared at a $29.50 per hour minimum.
Home health agencies also hire steadily along the corridor: Hope At Home Health Care in Farmington Hills, The Medical Team in Livonia, and RenewCare Home Health in Warren are examples that appear in local LPN job listings. Hospital-affiliated roles do exist at Trinity Health’s Farmington Hills Hospital and Garden City Hospital, and Corewell Health’s Farmington Hills campus and Ascension Providence locations in Novi and Southfield are frequently cited regional employers, but acute-care openings for LPNs are narrower and often more competitive.
Wages and scope of practice
Michigan LPNs practice under the direction of a registered nurse or physician, which is why so many postings cluster in settings with high-contact, protocol-driven care: post-acute rehab, residential care, and home visits. On wages, the most recent accessible Michigan statewide data from May 2022 put the LPN mean hourly wage at $27.89 and mean annual wage at $57,180.2 The Bureau of Labor Statistics groups Farmington in the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn metro area, but the detailed metro median is not readily available in a clean summary; nearby metro areas offer a useful benchmark, with May 2023 medians of $30.46 per hour in Lansing-East Lansing3 and $31.93 in Ann Arbor.4
Several LPN programs in Michigan place students in the same skilled nursing and home health agencies that later list LPN openings, so treating LPN clinicals as an extended tryout is a practical strategy.
Online and Hybrid LPN Pathways for Farmington Students
No fully online LPN programs can license you in Michigan. Practical nursing licensure requires supervised clinical and skills lab hours completed in person at an approved site, and the Michigan Board of Nursing will not credit simulated or self-directed substitutes for that requirement. Any program advertising a start-to-finish online LPN credential is either describing a prerequisite bundle, a different credential entirely, or a school not approved to place graduates into Michigan licensure.
What "hybrid" Actually Means Here
In practical nursing, hybrid LPN programs typically mean some theory or didactic coursework delivered online, paired with mandatory on-campus skills labs and scheduled clinical rotations at partner facilities. The in-person share is substantial, not token. Among schools within commuting range of ZIP 48336, none currently publishes a verified hybrid or online-didactic practical nursing track for 2026, so plan your work schedule around in-person attendance.
The published schedules give you a realistic picture of the time commitment:
- Schoolcraft College (Livonia): Practical Nursing Certificate coursework generally runs one theory day plus two clinical days per week, with clinicals on day or afternoon shifts.
- Dorsey College: Practical nursing clinical rotations have been scheduled at roughly 16 hours per week across a five-week block, on day shifts starting as early as 6:30 a.m.
- Oakland Community College: OCC's evening/weekend nursing option is an associate degree track, not an LPN certificate. It meets Monday evenings with clinicals at McLaren-Oakland, and combines roughly 3 to 4 theory hours, about 3 lab hours, and 12 to 16 clinical hours weekly. If you specifically want the LPN credential, confirm availability directly with the nursing department.
Screening Out-of-State "Online LPN" Marketing
Much of the online LPN advertising you will see targets states with different rules or refers to LPN to RN bridge programs coursework for people already licensed. Enrolling in one of those does not make you eligible to sit the NCLEX-PN in Michigan.
Ask one question before you enroll: does the school state Michigan Board of Nursing approval for its practical nursing program, and can it name the Michigan facilities where you will complete clinicals? A program that cannot answer both parts in writing is not a program you should be scheduling your life around.
Practical Nursing Campuses Within Commuting Distance of ZIP 48336
Farmington itself does not host a practical nursing program, so every option below requires a commute. The distances and drive times listed are approximate estimates from ZIP 48336 and will shift considerably during Detroit metro peak hours, particularly on I-696, M-10, and I-96. Verify current program availability, campus location, and start dates directly with each school before building your schedule around a commute.
| Campus / Program | City | Miles from 48336 | Typical Drive Time | Format Offered |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Schoolcraft College, Practical Nursing Certificate | Livonia, MI | Approx. 8 miles | 15 to 25 minutes | On-campus practical nursing certificate program |
| Oakland Community College, Nursing (Southfield Campus) | Southfield, MI | Approx. 9 miles | 15 to 30 minutes | On-campus associate degree nursing with ACEN-accredited programs; practical nursing-related coursework at health programs sites |
| Dorsey College, Practical Nurse (Wayne Campus) | Wayne, MI | Approx. 14 miles | 25 to 35 minutes | On-campus Practical Nurse certificate program |
| Hondros College of Nursing, Detroit Campus | Detroit, MI | Approx. 20 miles | 30 to 45 minutes | On-campus practical nursing program; campus info sessions available |
| Dorsey College, Practical Nurse (Madison Heights Campus) | Madison Heights, MI | Approx. 20 miles | 30 to 45 minutes | On-campus Practical Nurse certificate program (main campus for the Detroit-area network) |
| Oakland Community College, Nursing (Highland Lakes Campus, serving the Auburn Hills area) | Waterford, MI | Approx. 22 miles | 30 to 45 minutes | On-campus associate degree nursing with ACEN-accredited programs; practical nursing-related coursework |
| Dorsey College, Practical Nurse (Roseville Campus) | Roseville, MI | Approx. 30 miles | 40 to 60 minutes | On-campus Practical Nurse certificate program |
How Long an LPN Program Really Takes, and Why '6-Month' Claims Don't Hold up in Michigan
A practical nursing program in Michigan is a structured sequence of classroom theory, skills lab, and supervised clinical rotations that ends with eligibility to sit the NCLEX-PN. That sequence takes time, and the state sets a floor on how little of it a school can offer.
The Real Range
Michigan's licensing rules require an approved practical nursing program to run not less than 40 weeks, roughly nine to ten months of instruction.1 In practice, schools within driving distance of Farmington advertise longer. Abcott Institute in Southfield lists its Practical Nurse program as 12 months, structured as 16 courses across 51 weeks.2 Detroit Business Institute in Downriver, now a teach-out program closed to new applicants, also publishes a 12-month length, at 61.5 quarter credits.3 Community college certificate tracks in the region generally cluster in the 10 to 14 month range full time, and reduced-load, evening, or part-time schedules commonly stretch to 18 to 24 months. Programs note that exact duration can shift depending on clinical placement scheduling, so treat any published length as a target rather than a guarantee.
Why Six Months Is Mathematically Out
Michigan's rules describe a core curriculum of didactic instruction plus planned clinical experience covering the full LPN scope of practice, with lab, simulation, and clinical hours sufficient to meet program outcomes.1 Rather than one statewide clock-hour total, approval hinges on those weeks and content areas. Even so, the contact-hour math is telling: Monroe County Community College's practical nursing curriculum runs 51 semester credits and 75.5 total billable contact hours.4 Compress that into a 6 month LPN program and the clinical requirement collapses. A two-week timeline is not a shortened LPN program at all.
What Those Fast-Track Ads Are Actually Selling
Short-course advertising in the Detroit metro typically points to something other than initial LPN licensure:
- Nurse aide training: Michigan requires a minimum of 75 hours, including 16 classroom hours before any resident contact and 16 supervised clinical hours. That is a CNA credential, not an LPN license.
- Medication technician or med tech certificates: Employer-facing add-ons, not nursing licensure.
- LPN refresher courses: Built for nurses who already hold a license and need reactivation.
The One Legitimate Accelerator
Before you apply, finish your prerequisites, anatomy and physiology, math, and English, and check LPN/LVN Program Admissions requirements. Students who enter a cohort prerequisite-complete start the nursing sequence on day one instead of burning two semesters getting there.
Admission Requirements and a Realistic Application Timeline
No two practical nursing programs within commuting range of Farmington use the same admissions formula, but the pieces repeat often enough that you can prepare for all of them at once. Build the file first, transcripts, entrance exam, health records, and then apply where the calendar works.
- High school diploma or GED, plus placement or entrance testingEvery area program starts here. The entrance exam varies by school: Oakland Community College uses the HESI A2 for nursing admission, Schoolcraft College and Dorsey College use the ATI TEAS, and Detroit Business Institute – Downriver accepts the TEAS or an equivalent. Some catalogs also reference a Wonderlic verbal benchmark alongside the TEAS, so confirm with the admissions office which exam your intended cohort actually scores.
- Know the score thresholds before you sit the examSchoolcraft sets a 60% TEAS composite with section floors of 70% reading, 60% English, 60% math, and 55% science; the test may be attempted twice in a 12-month window, with the highest score used and results valid for one year. Dorsey's practical nursing track references an initial 42 and a later 58.7 overall, with section benchmarks around 65 reading, 54 English, 55 math, and 50 science. OCC has not published composite or section minimums for the current cycle, so treat the HESI A2 as pass-the-bar-the-school-sets rather than a known number.
- Prerequisite coursework and GPASchoolcraft expects a B in Anatomy and Physiology and a C in 100-level math. OCC applies a B- standard per required general education and support course, and requires that biology coursework be current within five years. Neither school publishes a separate cumulative GPA floor specific to the practical nursing track, so the course-by-course grades carry the weight.
- CNA credential: helpful, not universally requiredNone of the area programs reviewed, OCC, Schoolcraft, Dorsey, or Detroit Business Institute – Downriver, list a CNA certificate as a hard prerequisite for practical nursing entry. Prior healthcare experience is common among admitted students at career-college campuses, but it is not a gate. If you have the time, CNA work strengthens your clinical footing and your application; it does not substitute for the entrance exam or prerequisite grades.
- The Michigan clinical compliance stackClinical placement, not the classroom, drives these requirements. Expect a criminal background check with fingerprinting and felony/misdemeanor lookback windows, a drug screen (Schoolcraft requires a first-attempt negative and does not accept marijuana use regardless of Michigan law), a full immunization record, TB screening, current BLS/CPR certification, and personal health insurance. Any of these can disqualify you from a clinical site even after you have been academically admitted, so start the paperwork the moment you apply.
- Back-planning your timelinePublished 2026 cohort dates are thinner than most applicants expect. OCC has set a November 22 deadline for the first HESI A2 attempt, but has not published cohort application windows or term start dates for the coming cycle. Schoolcraft's practical nursing sequence aligns with an August completion, though 2026 application dates are not yet posted. Dorsey runs roughly one-year cohorts with campus-specific start dates subject to approval. Practical approach: call each admissions office directly, ask for the next cohort deadline in writing, and work backward a minimum of four to six months to leave room for a retest and health clearances.
- What separates accepted from waitlisted at competitive community college cohortsAt schools where seats are capped by clinical placement rather than classroom capacity, a completed file beats a strong one. Applicants who submit early in the window, have every prerequisite already finished with grades posted rather than in progress, and clear the science section comfortably above the minimum tend to land seats. Those who apply with one course still pending, a borderline composite, or an incomplete health file are the ones who get pushed to the next cohort.
Ranked LPN Programs Serving Farmington Students
Below are the top practical nursing programs serving Farmington students, ranked by program completions, accreditation status, and fit for the ZIP 48336 commute. All of them sit within roughly 30 miles of Farmington, and each entry notes the direction of travel and the corridor it sits on.
How we ranked these
- Median graduate debt loads
- Graduation rates
- Program accreditation status
- Michigan Board of Nursing approval
- Commute distance from Farmington
- College Scorecard graduate earnings — collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Internal program database
- Independent editorial research
- IPEDS institutional survey data from NCES covering retention rates, student-faculty ratios and net price — nces.ed.gov
- Bureau of Economic Analysis cost-of-living index by state — bea.gov
Abcott Institute
Abcott Institute is a Southfield career school whose 67-credit Practical Nurse program runs about 12 months, with classroom and skills lab scheduled Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. It sits southeast of Farmington, an easy run down Telegraph or M-10. Students train in on-site nursing labs that simulate clinical settings, then complete supervised rotations at extended care, long-term care, and community facilities around metro Detroit. Faculty are Michigan-licensed registered nurses holding at least a BSN, and the program is approved by the Michigan Board of Nursing and accredited by the Council on Occupational Education. It is also a WIOA-eligible training provider, which matters for Farmington residents paying with state workforce funds.
- Approved by the Michigan Board of Nursing
- Council on Occupational Education accredited
- 12-month, 67-credit program across 16 courses
- TEAS entrance exam required
- Classroom and skills lab Monday to Thursday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- Lab and clinical faculty-to-student ratio no higher than 1:6 to 1:8
- Clinical rotations at extended care, long-term care, and community sites
- Textbooks, uniforms, and licensing exam fees included
Practical Nurse Program, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Dorsey College
Dorsey College runs its Practical Nurse curriculum from the Madison Heights campus, which serves as the main School of Nursing site for a network that also includes Wayne, Roseville, Woodhaven, and Saginaw. It is straight east of Farmington along I-696. The one-year certificate blends classroom instruction with clinical training in medical-surgical, maternal and newborn, pediatric, and geriatric nursing, and is built to meet Michigan licensure requirements only. Because the curriculum and ACEN accreditation are shared across campuses, students can pick the location that best fits their commute without changing what they study.
- ACEN accredited and approved by the Michigan Board of Nursing
- 1-year Practical Nurse certificate
- Madison Heights is the main School of Nursing campus
- Same curriculum taught at Wayne, Roseville, Woodhaven, and other sites
- Clinical training in medical-surgical, maternal and newborn, pediatric, and geriatric care
- Prepares for NCLEX-PN and Michigan licensure
- Financial aid available for those who qualify
- Career services assistance for completers
Practical Nurse, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Schoolcraft Community College District
Schoolcraft College, in Livonia, is a short drive east along Haggerty Road from Farmington. Its Practical Nursing Certificate uses a career ladder design: students are admitted to the registered nursing track and may elect the PN certificate after the first year plus a summer leadership course. That structure lets graduates continue into the RN program later without reapplying. The certificate is approved by the Michigan Board of Nursing and accredited by ACEN, with fall and winter start terms and clinical sessions on day or afternoon shifts. Schoolcraft also treats several nearby school districts as in-district, which may lower per-credit tuition for some Farmington-area residents.
- ACEN accredited and approved by the Michigan Board of Nursing
- Admission through the Nursing Career Ladder Curriculum
- PN certificate earned after year one plus a summer leadership course
- Continue into the RN program without reapplying
- Two start terms each year, fall and winter
- Clinical sessions on day or afternoon shifts
- Minimum grade of 80% required in nursing courses
- Offered at the Livonia Main Campus
Nursing: Practical Certificate (PN) — On-Campus
Dorsey College-Woodhaven
Dorsey College's Woodhaven campus on West Road is one of the network's approved Practical Nurse sites and operates as an affiliate of the Madison Heights School of Nursing, so curriculum and standards are centrally controlled. It sits south of Farmington down I-275, the longest drive on this list. The one-year certificate covers medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, practical nursing fundamentals, medical math, pharmacology, mental health concepts, and medical-surgical, maternal and newborn, pediatric, and geriatric nursing. Students complete hands-on clinical training with diverse patient populations and prepare for NCLEX-PN licensure in Michigan, and career services are offered to completers.
- ACEN accredited and approved by the Michigan Board of Nursing
- 1-year Practical Nurse certificate
- Affiliate campus of the Madison Heights School of Nursing
- Covers medical math, pharmacology, and mental health concepts
- Hands-on clinical training with diverse patient populations
- Prepares for NCLEX-PN and Michigan licensure
- Financial aid available for those who qualify
- Career services offered, job placement not guaranteed
Practical Nurse, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Wayne County Community College District
Wayne County Community College District houses its Practical Nursing program at the Ted Scott Campus in Van Buren Township, near I-94 and Haggerty Road, a southwest run from Farmington down I-275. Prerequisite coursework is available at six district campuses, including sites in Detroit. The 12-month, 40-credit certificate uses a simulation lab with high-fidelity manikins along with clinical rotations in long-term care, hospitals, and community settings, and placements have included facilities in Novi and Detroit. Admission is selective and uses the HESI exam, and tuition is tiered, so Farmington residents pay the other-Michigan-resident rate rather than in-district pricing.
- ACEN accredited and approved by the Michigan Board of Nursing
- 12-month, 40-credit certificate
- HESI entrance exam required
- Simulation lab with high-fidelity manikins
- Prerequisite courses available at six district campuses
- Clinical rotations at urban and suburban long-term care, hospital, and community sites
- Pinning ceremony and graduation with honors
- Multi-Learning Lab tutoring and early academic intervention
Practical Nursing Program, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Dorsey College-Roseville
Dorsey College's Roseville campus on Gratiot Avenue teaches the same ACEN-accredited Practical Nurse certificate offered across the network's Michigan sites, reached from Farmington by heading northeast out I-696. The one-year program combines classroom instruction with hands-on clinical training and covers medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, mental health concepts, and medical-surgical, maternal, pediatric, and geriatric nursing. Coursework stresses critical thinking and patient education, and completers are prepared for the NCLEX-PN exam and Michigan licensure. Career services support every completer.
- ACEN accredited and approved by the Michigan Board of Nursing
- 1-year Practical Nurse certificate
- Covers medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, and pharmacology
- Includes mental health concepts and geriatric nursing
- Hands-on clinical training with diverse patient populations
- Prepares for NCLEX-PN and Michigan licensure
- Financial aid available for those who qualify
- Career services for all completers
Practical Nurse, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Macomb Community College
Macomb Community College launched its one-year Licensed Practical Nurse certificate in fall 2025, making it one of the newest public PN options within commuting distance of Farmington, northeast via I-696 and Mound Road. Students train in an on-campus simulation lab and complete clinical rotations at partner facilities, including Martha T. Berry Medical Care Facility. Admission is selective and requires prerequisite courses, a minimum GPA, and entrance testing, with a February 1, 2027 deadline posted for the fall 2027 cohort. The college also maintains a separate associate degree nursing track for LPNs who later want to bridge to RN.
- One-year LPN certificate launched in fall 2025
- Selective admission with prerequisites, minimum GPA, and entrance testing
- On-campus simulation lab
- Clinical rotations including a partnership with Martha T. Berry facility
- Prepares for the LPN board exam
- Separate associate degree nursing track for later RN study
- Application deadline of February 1, 2027 for the fall 2027 cohort
- Nearly 5,000 LPN jobs in the local metro area
Licensed Practical Nurse, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Dorsey College-Wayne
Dorsey College's Wayne campus on Michigan Avenue serves the west-suburban corridor that includes Livonia, Canton, and Plymouth, one of the closer Dorsey sites for Farmington students heading south on I-275. The one-year Practical Nurse certificate covers medical, surgical, maternal, newborn, pediatric, and geriatric care along with medical math, pharmacology, and patient education, and is written for Michigan licensure only. Check current status before applying: 2026 state Board of Nursing records list this location as removed from the approved program list under MCL 333.17242, with a teach-out and NCLEX-PN eligibility running only through April 30, 2027.
- 2026 state records list this location as removed from the approved program list
- 1-year Practical Nurse certificate
- NCLEX-PN eligibility limited to graduates through April 30, 2027
- Covers medical math, pharmacology, and patient education
- Serves Livonia, Canton, Plymouth, and nearby west-suburban communities
- Curriculum built for Michigan licensure only
- Financial aid available for those who qualify
Practical Nurse, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Detroit Business Institute-Downriver
Detroit Business Institute-Downriver, east of Farmington in Detroit, offers a 61.5-quarter-credit Practical Nurse certificate built around 1,155 hours of classroom, lab, and supervised clinical training, with admission requiring the ATI TEAS assessment, a criminal background check, and BLS certification. Verify status carefully before applying: school materials describe the program as pending Michigan Board of Nursing approval with a tentative late 2026 start, while state records reviewed for 2026 list it as removed from the approved program list, with a teach-out window limited to students already enrolled. For new applicants seeking initial LPN licensure, this is not an open pathway in 2026.
- 61.5 quarter credits, completed in about one year
- 1,155 total classroom, lab, and clinical hours
- ATI TEAS entrance assessment required
- AHA BLS certification and criminal background check required
- Clinical training in long-term care, hospitals, and clinics
- 2026 state records list the program as removed from the approved list
- Teach-out window limited to students already enrolled
Practical Nurse, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
The Hidden Costs Beyond Tuition
Tuition is the number every school advertises, but it is rarely the number you actually write checks for. Michigan's practical nursing students also pay $200 to register for the NCLEX-PN and $212.90 to apply for LPN licensure by examination through LARA, plus fingerprinting and a criminal background check that typically runs $50-$80 depending on the vendor and location. Textbooks, clinical uniforms and shoes, a stethoscope, and a skills or lab kit commonly land in the $300-$800 range together. Immunizations, titers, and a drug screen add more, and those costs vary by clinic. Before you sign an enrollment agreement, ask each admissions office for a written, all-in cost sheet that itemizes every one of these lines.
Related Articles
Accreditation, LARA Approval, and NCLEX-PN Pass Rates You Can Verify
State approval and national accreditation are two different things, and only one of them decides whether you can sit for the NCLEX-PN. Confusing the two is the single most expensive mistake a Farmington applicant can make.
The Two-Layer Check
Michigan's Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs (LARA), through the Board of Nursing, approves practical nursing programs. If a program is not on the Board's approved list, its graduates are not eligible to test. That is the non-negotiable layer. For proprietary schools, there is an earlier gate as well: a for-profit institution must appear on Michigan's Proprietary Schools List before it can even be considered for nursing program approval.
ACEN or COE accreditation is a separate signal. It is voluntary, national, and speaks to curriculum quality and how cleanly your credits may transfer into an LPN to RN bridge later. A program can be fully state-approved without holding either. Ask directly rather than assuming, because the Board's own approval lists do not identify which programs carry national accreditation.
How to Verify in Ten Minutes
- Check the state list first: Pull the Michigan Board of Nursing approved practical nursing program list. The most recent version is dated September 3, 2026, and it is republished periodically, so use the newest file, not a cached copy. Detroit LPN programs appearing with full approval status in 2026 include Henry Ford College in Dearborn, Macomb Community College in Clinton Township, and Baker College.
- Then check the accreditor: Search the school by name on the ACEN or COE directory. If it is not there, it is not accredited by that body, regardless of what the admissions page implies.
- Ask for the pass rate in writing: Request the program's most recent first-time NCLEX-PN rate and the number of candidates tested.
Benchmarks and Red Flags
Michigan's statewide first-time pass rate for candidates educated in state was 84.69 percent in 2024, 86.09 percent in 2023, and 80.38 percent in 2022. The national first-time rate for U.S.-educated candidates in 2023 was roughly 86.68 percent. Program-level numbers for individual Detroit-area schools are not cleanly published in the state's public summaries, which is why you should request them from the school directly. Use the statewide figure as your yardstick: a program consistently below the mid-80s deserves hard questions.
Walk away from any program that will not state its LARA approval status, name its accreditor, or put its most recent pass rate on paper. Reluctance on any of those three is the answer.
Farmington has no LPN program of its own, but that's a commute problem, not a career problem. Every accredited option within thirty miles puts Detroit metro employers within easy reach.
