Zip code 48307 has no state-approved entry-level practical nursing certificate program inside city limits, full stop. Oakland University, the school most people associate with Rochester nursing, trains students at the bachelor's and graduate level, not as LPNs. Every LPN candidate in this market commutes, typically 20 to 35 minutes into Pontiac, Auburn Hills, Warren, Clinton Township, Southfield, or Detroit, where community colleges and private career schools hold the approved seats, including some of the best LPN programs in Detroit.
That commute changes the math on everything: which programs are realistically reachable on a working schedule, what tuition actually runs once fees and supplies are counted, and how competitive admission gets when Oakland County residents compete for the same limited cohort slots as applicants from three or four surrounding counties.
Michigan licensure adds its own fixed costs and timeline regardless of which school a student picks. Jump straight to the program list →
Where Rochester Students Actually Go for Practical Nursing Training
Does Oakland University offer an LPN program? It's a fair question since Oakland University sits right in Rochester and dominates local search results for nursing. The answer is no. Oakland University's School of Nursing, located at 433 Meadow Brook Road, builds its catalog around the BSN, RN-to-BSN completion, an accelerated second-degree BSN, and graduate and APRN tracks.1 There is no entry-level practical nursing certificate on offer there, despite what some directory sites imply when they lump every nursing-adjacent program under one roof.
The Actual 40-Mile Catchment
Within roughly 40 miles of the 48307 zip code, the Michigan Board of Nursing approved lpn programs in michigan that surface are both run under the Oakland University name but housed at separate Detroit campuses, not the Rochester one. Oakland University Riverview Institute, in Detroit's 48214 area, runs a Practical Nursing Program leading to LPN certification.2 Oakland University at Focus: HOPE, in Detroit's 48202 area, offers its own Licensed Practical Nursing certificate.3 Both sit roughly 25 to 30 miles south of Rochester, a manageable but real commute for students comparing Best LPN Programs in Detroit, not a five-minute drive.
Why Community-Based Programs Dominate
Metro Detroit's practical nursing pipeline leans heavily on community colleges, career and technical centers, and private career schools rather than research universities. That's structural, not accidental. LPN training is built around fast, hands-on clinical preparation, not the four-year research and theory model that anchors most university nursing schools. Institutions like Oakland University put their bachelor's-completion energy into BSN and graduate tracks because that's where the university mission and accreditation infrastructure point. Career centers and community colleges fill the practical nursing gap because their funding, scheduling, and clinical partnerships are built for shorter, skills-first credentials.
The One Filter That Actually Matters
Before you get attached to any program name, confirm it appears on Michigan LARA's approved practical nursing program list. This isn't paperwork trivia. Graduating from a program that isn't approved by the state board means you cannot sit for the NCLEX-PN, full stop, regardless of how legitimate the school looks or how much tuition you've paid. Cross-check every Rochester-area option, including anything branded with a familiar university name, against the current LARA list before enrolling.
Online and Hybrid LPN Options That Work From Rochester
Every Rochester student searching for online LPN programs is really weighing the same tradeoff: schedule flexibility against the fact that nursing is a hands-on license. You can move a surprising amount of practical nursing coursework onto a laptop. You cannot move the clinical hours, and Michigan will not license you if you try.
What Can and Cannot Go Online
The theory side travels well. Fundamentals lectures, pharmacology modules, anatomy and physiology, documentation and charting practice, and most testing prep are routinely delivered through a learning management system, with recorded lectures you can watch after a shift.
What stays in person:
- Skills lab checkoffs: Catheter insertion, sterile dressing changes, injections and medication administration are validated face to face by an instructor.
- Supervised clinical rotations: Hours at long-term care facilities and hospital units, signed off by faculty on site.
- Proctored exams: Most programs require you to test on campus or through a monitored setting.
So the honest description of the best-case scenario is hybrid LPN delivery, not online. Expect to be physically present at a campus and at clinical sites for a meaningful share of the program.
Formats That Fit Around a Job
Oakland Community College runs the closest thing to a working-adult schedule in the area. Its evening cohort meets Mondays from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Highland Lakes campus in Waterford, with clinical rotations handled on Saturdays and Sundays through McLaren-Oakland Hospital.1 For a Rochester student holding down daytime work, that is the structure worth investigating first.
Other options nearby run more conventional schedules. Schoolcraft College typically splits the week into one theory day and two clinical days, with clinical blocks landing on days, afternoons, or occasionally weekends depending on site availability.2 Hondros College of Nursing operates roughly four days a week with classes running 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and clinicals starting as early as 7:00 a.m.3 Abcott Institute schedules classes Monday through Thursday, 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., across a 12-month program.4 Great Oaks Adult Education runs a daytime cohort, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., with clinical days beginning at 7:00 a.m. on Mondays and Tuesdays and a cohort start dated September 14, 2026.5
Clinical placements across southeast Michigan lean on the region's major systems. Henry Ford College, for example, places students with Corewell Health among other partners, which gives you a sense of the acute-care and long-term care mix available in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties.6
The Out-of-State Trap
Ads promising a fully online LPN credential almost always come from schools approved somewhere other than Michigan. Completing one does not qualify you to take the NCLEX-PN as a Michigan candidate. Before paying a deposit, check the program against Michigan's approved practical nursing list. If a school cannot answer that question directly, walk.
What LPN Training Costs Near Rochester, Tuition, Fees and the Extras
Practical nursing tuition in the Rochester area splits into two very different tiers: community college certificate programs that publish tuition in the low thousands, and private career schools that charge five figures for a faster, more structured schedule. Published tuition is only the starting number, though. Nearly every program in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties adds uniforms, a nursing supply pack, a physical exam with immunization records, hospitalization or liability coverage, and a background check with drug screening before you set foot on a clinical unit.
| Program / School | City | Published Tuition (Full Program) | Fees & Kits | Testing / Background Check | Estimated Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Macomb Community College, Licensed Practical Nursing Certificate | Warren, MI | Approximately $7,200 in tuition and fees for the practical nursing certificate | Uniforms plus Lab Supplies Pacs (Nurse Pacs), billed separately from tuition | Health history and physical exam including tuberculosis and other communicable disease testing, hospitalization insurance, and the Alliance for Clinical Education (ACE) Matching and Placement Program (MAPP), which includes criminal background check and drug screening | About $7,200 in tuition and fees, with uniforms, lab supply packs, health exam, hospitalization insurance and the ACE/MAPP background check and drug screen all charged on top of that figure |
| Wayne County Community College District, Practical Nursing (LPN) | Detroit, MI | Roughly $3,300 in-state tuition for the practical nursing program | Not itemized in the published source; books, uniforms and supplies would be additional | Not itemized in the published source; liability insurance, testing packages, background check and drug screen would be additional | About $3,300 in-state tuition, plus unlisted costs for books, uniforms, supplies, liability insurance, testing packages, background check and drug screen |
| Dorsey College, Practical Nurse program | Madison Heights (Oakland County), Roseville (Macomb County), Detroit and Dearborn (Wayne County), MI | $29,760 tuition to complete the Practical Nurse program within the normal 48-week time frame | $100 course fee per course. Tuition includes e-textbooks and textbooks, an electronic device, a blood pressure kit with stethoscope, and the graduate's nursing cap, pin and lamp. One complimentary medical scrub uniform and one lab coat are provided | $200 application fee before enrollment, which covers drug testing and a personal background investigation, plus a $75 testing fee | $32,160 total tuition and fees, covering tuition and per-course fees but excluding any costs beyond those listed |
| Ross Medical Education Center, Practical Nursing (LPN) | Multiple Michigan campuses, including Metro Detroit locations serving Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties | $14,000 to more than $19,000 depending on campus and cohort | Required extras are not itemized in the published source. For comparison, Michigan technical school LPN programs typically add roughly $1,000 to $2,000 for books, uniforms, supplies, fees and the NCLEX-PN exam | Not itemized in the published source | $14,000 to $19,000 in tuition, with books, uniforms, supplies, fees and NCLEX-PN costs on top of that range |
| Oakland Community College, nursing cost structure (nearest campus to Rochester) | Auburn Hills, MI | Tuition is calculated per billable contact hour: $115 per billable contact hour for in-district students, plus a $110 student support fee each semester, across 65.5 billable nursing contact hours over five semesters | Not itemized by the college. Michigan LPN programs generally report $150 to $250 for uniforms, shoes and a stethoscope, and $500 to $800 for books and study materials | Not itemized by the college. Michigan LPN programs generally report $100 to $150 for background check and drug screening, and $200 to $400 for immunizations and a physical exam | No single published dollar total. Multiply 65.5 billable contact hours by the $115 in-district rate, then add the $110 student support fee for each of five semesters, then budget separately for uniforms, books, screening and immunizations |
Program Length, Schedules and the Truth About '6-Month LPN Programs'
There is no legitimate fast track LPN program in Michigan that can be completed in six months, and any school advertising one is either selling you something else or counting only part of the calendar. Legitimate practical nursing programs in and around Rochester run roughly 12 to 18 months of full-time study, and the reason is structural: the Michigan Board of Nursing requires an approved practical nursing curriculum to pair classroom theory with supervised clinical practice across multiple patient populations. You cannot compress several hundred supervised clinical hours, rotations through long-term care, medical-surgical, maternal and pediatric settings, plus pharmacology and skills labs, into 26 weeks. Clinical sites schedule students in shifts, and shifts require weeks on a calendar.
What the "6-month" ads are actually selling
When a six-month nursing program shows up in a search for LPN schools in Rochester MI, it is usually one of three things:
- A CNA program: Nurse aide training in Michigan is measured in weeks, not months, and a certified nursing assistant is not a licensed nurse.
- A medical assistant certificate: Common at private career schools, useful in clinics, but it does not qualify you to sit for the NCLEX-PN.
- A prerequisite or "pre-nursing" phase: Some schools quote only the six-month general education block that comes before the nursing core, then add the practical nursing sequence on top.
None of those produce an LPN license. The license comes from graduating a board-approved practical nursing program and passing the NCLEX-PN.
Realistic timelines by schedule format
- Full-time day cohorts: The standard route. Expect three to four semesters, roughly 12 to 18 months from first nursing course to pinning, with clinicals on weekday shifts that make outside employment difficult.
- Part-time and evening cohorts: Built for people already working, often in health care. Same total coursework spread across 20 to 24 months, sometimes longer if clinical rotations only run certain terms.
- Hybrid cohorts: Theory online, labs and clinicals in person. The online component adds flexibility, not speed, because clinical hours are unchanged.
The months before the clock starts
The program length quoted in a brochure almost never includes what it takes to get admitted. Anatomy and physiology, often with a lab, plus math and English composition can consume one to two semesters if you arrive without them. Add a TEAS attempt, a background check and immunization paperwork. Then add the waitlist: competitive Oakland County programs admit once or twice a year, so missing a cycle by one prerequisite costs you six months. Plan for a two-year window from decision to licensure, longer if you later pursue an LPN to RN bridge program, and treat anything faster as a bonus.
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Admission Requirements and How Competitive Rochester-Area Programs Are
Practical nursing admission in Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties is selective, but the criteria differ sharply between community colleges and private career schools. Community college programs screen on completed coursework and a points formula; private schools tend to screen on an entrance exam and documentation. Here is what Rochester-area applicants are actually asked to produce.
- High school diploma or GEDThe universal baseline. Detroit Business Institute and Hondros College of Nursing both list a high school diploma or GED as a condition of acceptance, and community college nursing tracks assume it as well.
- Entrance exam: HESI A2 or ATI TEASWhich test you sit depends on the school. Oakland Community College requires the HESI-A2 and does not accept HESI scores taken through another college, so plan to test with OCC directly. Hondros requires a HESI entrance exam. Detroit Business Institute uses an approved entrance assessment such as the ATI TEAS. None of these schools publishes a fixed numeric cut score in their current public materials, treat the exam as a competitive score, not a pass/fail box, and retest if your first attempt is weak.
- Prerequisite courses and grade floorsOakland Community College requires supportive and general-education coursework completed with a B- or better. Macomb Community College requires its specified courses, or direct equivalents, with a punitive grade of C or better by its February 1, 2027 deadline. Hondros, by contrast, requires no prerequisite classes before acceptance. If you are looking further ahead, Oakland University's nursing coursework standards run higher, a 3.0 GPA and B- minimum grades, which matters for LPN-to-RN planning.
- GPA minimumsOakland Community College does not publish a separate overall GPA floor for practical nursing; it weights individual course grades and a points total instead. Macomb and the Wayne County private schools do not publish a numeric GPA minimum either. Strong grades still help, because they feed the points formulas that decide who gets a seat.
- Points-based selectionOakland Community College uses a points rubric and requires a minimum of 50 points on its admission criteria, plus attendance at a mandatory Nursing Information Session. Macomb also awards points for experience. This is where applicants are separated, meeting the minimums gets you considered, not admitted.
- CNA certification: preferred, not requiredAt Macomb Community College, a State of Michigan CNA certificate and employment verification are explicitly optional, though CNA work can earn you experience points. Practically speaking, if you are competing for a points-based seat in Oakland or Macomb County, CNA experience is one of the few levers you can pull before applying.
- Background check, drug screen and health clearanceOakland Community College, Detroit Business Institute and Hondros all require criminal background screening. OCC additionally requires drug screening, health records, immunizations and TB clearance before students may enter clinical rotations. Expect clinical sites, not just the school, to drive these requirements.
- BLS/CPR certificationOakland Community College requires current BLS for Healthcare Providers through the American Heart Association before clinicals. Detroit Business Institute requires AHA BLS certification as well. Schedule the course early, it is inexpensive and one of the easiest items to have ready.
- Interviews and waitlistsDetroit Business Institute includes an interview in its admission process. On waitlists: none of the Oakland, Macomb or Wayne County practical nursing programs reviewed here publishes a typical wait length, so ask the nursing admissions office directly how many qualified applicants were turned away in the last cycle and whether your file rolls forward to the next one.
Michigan LPN Licensure: NCLEX-PN, Fees and Board Requirements
Two hundred dollars is what Pearson VUE charges to sit for the NCLEX-PN, and that's just one line item in a licensure process Rochester-area graduates should start planning during LPN school, months before pinning ceremonies. The Michigan Board of Nursing, operating under LARA, controls every step from application to exam authorization, and missing a sequence step is the most common reason candidates get delayed.
The Application Sequence
Once a Rochester-area program confirms completion, even if you plan to pursue an LPN to RN in Michigan later, licensure follows a fixed order:
- Apply through MiPLUS: Michigan's online licensing portal is where the initial LPN application gets filed, along with official transcripts sent directly from the school to the Board.
- Complete fingerprinting: Candidates who haven't been fingerprinted for a Michigan health license since October 2008, or whose prior Michigan nursing license lapsed more than three years ago, must schedule a Live Scan appointment through an approved vendor using the Board's specific agency ID.
- Register with Pearson VUE: This has to happen before the Board issues an Authorization to Test (ATT), so many candidates do it in parallel with the MiPLUS application rather than waiting.
- Sit for the NCLEX-PN: Bring the ATT and government photo ID; expect to be fingerprinted or photographed again at the test center and after any breaks.
The application fee currently runs $212.90 and covers both the application review and the initial two-year license, according to the Board's current guidance, though older paper-based instructions and some third-party estimators cite different figures in the $54 to $100 range. Treat $212.90 as the working number and confirm directly with LARA before submitting payment. The NCLEX-PN exam fee is a separate $200 paid to Pearson VUE, and fingerprinting through MorphoTrust/IdentoGO typically adds another $50 to $80 depending on location.
Eligibility and Timelines
Graduates must sit for the NCLEX-PN within three years of finishing an approved program. Michigan also expects basic English proficiency for candidates trained outside U.S. programs, though this rarely affects Rochester-area applicants completing Oakland County schools. Processing timelines vary, but candidates who file MiPLUS applications, transcripts and fingerprint results together, rather than sequentially, generally see faster ATT issuance.
Reading Program Pass Rates
The Board publishes program-level NCLEX-PN pass rate summaries periodically, and Michigan's statewide first-time pass rate landed near 84.69% in recent reporting. That figure is a reasonable benchmark: southeast Michigan practical nursing programs performing at or above the state average are generally considered solid choices. When comparing Rochester-area schools, look at first-time pass rates specifically rather than cumulative rates, since cumulative figures can mask how many students needed multiple attempts.
Michigan LPN Licensing at a Glance
LPN Pay and Hiring in the Detroit–warren–dearborn Metro
LPN pay in this section means what licensed practical nurses working in and around Rochester actually take home, based on wage data from the Detroit-Warren-Dearborn metro area, which includes Oakland County and Rochester itself. Pay is a range, not a single number, and where a job falls depends heavily on setting and shift.
Statewide, Michigan's median annual wage for LPNs was $61,910 in May 2023, and Michigan employed over 11,000 LPNs.1 National figures from May 2022 break down more finely: the lowest 10 percent of LPNs earn around $40,490 a year, the median nationally is $54,620, and the top 10 percent clear $72,650.2 Michigan's median running above the national figure suggests Rochester-area LPNs likely land closer to the higher end of that spread, though metro-specific Detroit numbers aren't broken out cleanly in the available data, so treat any Rochester-specific estimate as directional rather than exact.
Who's actually hiring
Rochester Hills and Troy support a dense cluster of long-term care and skilled nursing facilities, which remain the single largest employer of LPNs in the region and typically hire in higher volume than any other setting. Corewell Health and Henry Ford/Ascension-affiliated outpatient sites also employ LPNs, mostly in clinic and ambulatory roles. Home health agencies and physician office practices round out the realistic list of local LPN & LVN Jobs.
Where pay tends to land above or below median
Skilled nursing and long-term care facilities, especially those running overnight or weekend shifts, tend to pay at or above the metro median once shift differentials are factored in, though the base rate alone can look modest. Physician clinics and outpatient settings, by contrast, often pay below median: the trade-off is more predictable daytime hours and no weekend rotation. Home health pay varies widely by agency and case load, and can swing either direction depending on visit volume.
Outlook
Michigan's LPN workforce has held steady above 11,000 positions1, and LPN long term care demand in an aging Oakland County population points toward continued hiring rather than contraction. That said, national wage growth for LPNs has been gradual, not dramatic, so students should plan around realistic entry-level pay rather than headline maximums when budgeting for the cost of training.
Ranked LPN and Practical Nursing Programs Serving Rochester Students
Below are the top practical nursing programs serving Rochester students, ranked by IPEDS completion data, net price, and program fit. No approved LPN program operates inside Rochester city limits, so every option here involves a commute, most of them 20 to 45 minutes into Oakland, Macomb and Wayne counties. Each card notes the campus city, the typical drive from Rochester, and what the practical nursing credential actually includes.
How we ranked these
- Median graduate debt
- Graduation rates by institution
- Net price after aid
- Program completion counts
- Practical nursing program fit
- IPEDS institutional survey data from NCES covering retention rates, student-faculty ratios and net price — nces.ed.gov
- College Scorecard graduate earnings — collegescorecard.ed.gov
- Internal program database
- Independent editorial research
Abcott Institute
Abcott Institute runs a single-focus practical nurse program at its Southfield campus, about a 20-minute drive south of Rochester. The whole school is built around that one credential: a 12-month, 67-credit certificate with on-site nursing labs and supervised clinical rotations at off-campus facilities. Faculty are Michigan licensed RNs holding a BSN, and the program is approved by the Michigan Board of Nursing and accredited by the Council on Occupational Education. Licensing exam fees are included, with a one-time reimbursement, and tutoring and job placement help are available to students.
- 12-month, 67-credit certificate made up of 16 courses
- TEAS entrance exam required for admission
- On-site nursing labs plus supervised off-campus clinical rotations
- Faculty are Michigan licensed RNs holding a BSN
- Approved by the Michigan Board of Nursing
- National licensing exam fee included in the program
- Job placement assistance and tutoring for students
- Campus located in Southfield, Michigan
Practical Nurse Program, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Dorsey College
Dorsey College's Madison Heights campus sits roughly 20 minutes south of Rochester and is one of five Michigan locations teaching the same ACEN-accredited practical nurse certificate. Students finish in about a year through a mix of classroom instruction and hands-on clinical training, with coursework in anatomy and physiology, pharmacology and mental health concepts. The curriculum includes NCLEX-PN preparation, and the school awards a practical nurse certificate rather than a degree. Financial aid is available for those who qualify, and career services are offered to completers.
- ACEN-accredited practical nurse certificate
- Complete the program in about one year
- Classroom instruction plus hands-on clinical training
- Coursework includes anatomy, physiology and mental health concepts
- NCLEX-PN exam preparation built into the curriculum
- Financial aid available for those who qualify
- Career services provided to program completers
- Same curriculum offered at multiple Michigan campuses
Practical Nurse, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Detroit Business Institute-Downriver
Detroit Business Institute-Downriver is the newest entry on this list, offering a 61.5-quarter-credit practical nurse certificate that runs about a year and packs in 1,155 hours of classroom, lab and supervised clinical training. Michigan Board of Nursing approval is still pending, with a tentative start in late fall 2026, so applicants should confirm current status before committing. The campus is in Detroit, about a 30-minute drive from Rochester. Admission requires a TEAS assessment, a criminal background check and current AHA BLS certification.
- 61.5 quarter credits completed in about one year
- 1,155 total hours of classroom, laboratory and clinical training
- TEAS entrance assessment required for admission
- AHA BLS certification and criminal background check required
- Clinical training in long-term care, hospitals and clinics
- Prepares graduates for the NCLEX-PN licensure exam
- Michigan Board of Nursing approval pending as of 2026
Practical Nurse, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Dorsey College-Woodhaven
Dorsey College's Woodhaven campus is the farthest of the college's four metro Detroit practical nurse sites, about a 45-minute drive south of Rochester. The one-year certificate moves from medical terminology and practical nursing fundamentals into medical math, pharmacology, mental health concepts, and medical-surgical, maternal, newborn, pediatric and geriatric nursing. Clinical training exposes students to a wide range of patient populations, and NCLEX-PN preparation is built in. Career services are offered to completers, though the college notes that job placement is not guaranteed.
- One-year practical nurse certificate
- ACEN-accredited program
- Clinical training with diverse patient populations
- Coursework covers medical math, pharmacology and mental health concepts
- Includes maternal, newborn, pediatric and geriatric nursing
- NCLEX-PN exam preparation included
- Career services offered, with job placement not guaranteed
Practical Nurse, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Dorsey College-Wayne
Dorsey College's Wayne campus is roughly a 40-minute drive southwest of Rochester and follows the same one-year practical nurse certificate taught at the college's other Michigan sites. The curriculum covers medical terminology, anatomy and physiology, pharmacology, medical math and nursing fundamentals, then moves into medical, surgical, maternal, newborn, pediatric and geriatric care. Instructors stress critical thinking and patient education so graduates can handle team nursing and direct care. Career services support completers heading into hospitals, nursing homes and home health agencies.
- About one year to a practical nurse certificate
- Classroom instruction combined with clinical training
- Covers medical terminology, medical math and nursing fundamentals
- Includes medical, surgical, maternal, newborn, pediatric and geriatric care
- Emphasis on critical thinking and patient education
- Prepares students for the NCLEX-PN exam
- Career services available to completers
Practical Nurse, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Wayne County Community College District
Wayne County Community College District delivers its practical nursing certificate from a downtown Detroit campus, about a 30-minute drive from Rochester. The 12-month, 40-credit program is ACEN accredited, requires prerequisite courses and a HESI entrance exam, and uses a HESI exit exam to track readiness along the way. Students train in a simulation lab with high-fidelity manikins and rotate through long-term care, hospital and community settings. As a community college it carries community college pricing, and its overall graduation rate of about 22% covers every program at the college, not the nursing cohort specifically.
- 12-month certificate totaling 40 credit hours
- ACEN accredited program
- HESI entrance exam and prerequisite courses required
- HESI exit exam used to track student progress
- Simulation lab with high-fidelity manikins
- Clinical rotations in long-term care, hospitals and community settings
- Tutoring through the Multi-Learning Lab
- Graduation pinning ceremony with honors recognition
Practical Nursing Program, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Schoolcraft Community College District
Schoolcraft College teaches its practical nursing certificate at the Livonia Main Campus, roughly a 30-minute drive from Rochester. The program is ACEN accredited and approved by the Michigan Board of Nursing, with two entry terms a year in fall and winter and clinical sessions scheduled on day or afternoon shifts. Nursing courses require a minimum grade of 80%, and a criminal background check is part of the process. The college's overall graduation rate of about 18% spans all of its programs and is school-level context rather than a practical nursing outcome.
- ACEN accredited and approved by the Michigan Board of Nursing
- Two start terms per year: fall and winter
- Clinical sessions offered on day or afternoon shifts
- Minimum grade of 80% required in nursing courses
- Criminal background check required
- Coursework in pharmacology, medical-surgical and maternal-child nursing
- Taught at the Livonia Main Campus
Nursing: Practical Certificate (PN) — On-Campus
Dorsey College-Roseville
Dorsey College's Roseville campus is one of the closest of the college's Michigan sites to Rochester, about a 25-minute drive south and east. Students take the same one-year practical nurse certificate offered at the college's other Michigan campuses, covering medical terminology, anatomy, physiology, pharmacology, mental health concepts and medical-surgical, maternal, pediatric and geriatric nursing. Clinical exposure spans varied patient populations and the curriculum builds in NCLEX-PN preparation. The college's overall graduation rate near 35% reflects all programs, not nursing students alone, and career services serve every completer.
- One-year certificate taught at five Michigan campuses
- NCLEX-PN preparation included
- Hands-on clinical training with diverse patient populations
- Coursework in medical terminology, anatomy, physiology and pharmacology
- Emphasis on the critical thinking skills employers look for
- Meets Michigan practical nurse licensure requirements
- Career services for every completer
Practical Nurse, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Macomb Community College
Macomb Community College is the nearest public option on this list, about a 20-minute drive from Rochester in Warren. Its licensed practical nurse certificate launched in fall 2025 as a one-year, full-time pathway with an on-campus simulation lab and clinical rotations at real healthcare facilities, including a partnership with Martha T. Berry Medical Care Facility. The college estimates total program cost at roughly $12,000, and admission is selective, requiring prerequisite courses, a minimum GPA and assessment testing. Its overall graduation rate near 18% covers the whole college rather than nursing specifically.
- One-year, full-time LPN certificate that opened fall 2025
- Estimated total program cost of about $12,000
- On-campus simulation lab plus real-world clinical training
- Clinical partnership with Martha T. Berry Medical Care Facility
- Selective admission with prerequisites, minimum GPA and testing
- Prepares graduates for the LPN board exam
- Nearly 5,000 LPN jobs reported in metro Detroit
Licensed Practical Nurse, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Mott Community College
Mott Community College in Flint sits roughly 50 minutes northwest of Rochester, the longest commute here and just beyond the 40-mile radius many Rochester students treat as a cutoff. The practical nursing certificate covers 41 credit hours with fall and winter starts, and admission is competitive: a 3.0 minimum GPA, HESI exam scores, prerequisite coursework and a clinical eligibility list. Background checks and drug screening are required before clinical placement. The certificate also serves as the first year of Mott's ADN pathway for students who intend to continue on to registered nursing.
- 41 credit hours with fall and winter start terms
- Minimum 3.0 GPA plus HESI exam scores required
- Competitive eligibility list for clinical placement
- Criminal background check and drug screening required
- Serves as the first year of the ADN pathway
- Coursework in medical-surgical, family and child nursing
- Prerequisite courses required before entry
- Prepares graduates for NCLEX-PN licensure
Practical Nursing Certificate — On-Campus
Paying for It: Free and Low-Cost LPN Training Routes in Michigan
Is there a truly free LPN program in Rochester or the surrounding area? No accredited program hands out training at zero cost, but for qualifying Michigan residents, several routes can bring tuition close to nothing, much like the affordable LPN programs available elsewhere.
Michigan Reconnect: the biggest lever for most adults
Michigan Reconnect is the program most Rochester-area LPN candidates should investigate first. As of 2026, eligibility requires being at least 21 years old (the age floor dropped from 25)2, having lived in Michigan for at least one year, and holding no prior associate's or bachelor's degree.1 Dependent students filing FAFSA for 2026-27 need a contributor who established Michigan residency by July 1, 2025; independent students need 12 continuous months of residency before their program starts.3
Reconnect covers Pell-eligible programs that lead to an associate degree or an industry-recognized credential, which describes most practical nursing certificate tracks at community colleges.4 Oakland Community College5 and Macomb Community College6 both accept Reconnect under these same age and residency terms. Once enrolled, students must keep earning at least 12 credits per academic year and maintain a 2.0 GPA or satisfactory academic progress to keep the award.7
Michigan Works! and WIOA training funds
Michigan Works! service centers administer WIOA training grants for residents who are unemployed, underemployed, or facing a layoff. These funds can pay for practical nursing training, but only if the specific LPN program sits on that local workforce board's approved training provider list. This is not automatic. Ask the school's financial aid office whether they are listed, and contact the Michigan Works! office serving your county directly to confirm current eligibility rules and income thresholds, since these vary by region and change with funding cycles.
Employer sponsorship and Pell Grants
Nursing homes, assisted-living communities, and long-term-care employers across Oakland and Macomb counties frequently offer tuition assistance to LPN students in exchange for a work-commitment agreement, typically requiring a set period of employment after licensure. Terms differ by employer, so get any commitment in writing before enrolling and ask what happens if you leave early.
Separately, most LPN certificate programs at community colleges qualify for the federal Pell Grant, which does not need to be repaid. Combining Pell with Reconnect, employer sponsorship, or a Michigan Works! grant is often how students get closest to a genuinely free path through LPN training.
From LPN to RN: the Bridge Path From the Rochester Area
Most Rochester-area nurses do not start with a four-year BSN. They earn the practical nursing certificate first because it is shorter, cheaper and puts a paycheck in hand roughly a year in, then use employer tuition help to climb. Here is how that ladder usually stacks up in Oakland and Macomb counties.
