Guilford County's healthcare corridor, anchored by Cone Health's Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, Novant Health Greensboro Medical Center, and a growing cluster of skilled nursing and home health employers, keeps steady pressure on the LPN pipeline across the Triad. Practical nurses fill roles in long-term care, physician offices, and outpatient clinics that the region's RN workforce alone cannot cover.
Prospective students within a 40-mile radius of 27401 have a narrower menu than metro areas like Charlotte, where students can compare the Best LPN Programs in Charlotte 2026, or Raleigh: Guilford Technical Community College anchors the local option, with a handful of additional campuses in Rockingham, Alamance, and Randolph counties adding evening and accelerated tracks for working adults and CNAs stepping up.
See the ranked program list →
LPN Employment Outlook in the Greensboro-Triad Region
LPN demand in the Greensboro-Triad region shifts often enough that any wage or job-count figure printed on a webpage today may already be stale by the time you read it, so the smartest move is learning to pull the numbers yourself rather than trusting a snapshot.
Pull Wage and Employment Data Directly From BLS
The federal government tracks this occupation under a specific classification code, and you can query it in a few minutes.
- Start at BLS.gov: Open the Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics tool and search for SOC code 29-2061 (Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses).
- Select the right metro: Choose the Greensboro-High Point, NC metropolitan area to see median annual wage along with 10th, 25th, 75th, and 90th percentile figures, plus total employment counts.
- Watch for gaps: Some smaller metro areas get folded into broader North Carolina regional estimates when local sample sizes are too thin, so check the footnotes before citing a number.
Check Program and Association Resources
Beyond federal wage tables, individual schools often publish job placement rates and lists of employer partners. Guilford Technical Community College, Forsyth Technical Community College, and other nearby community colleges are worth checking directly for this kind of program-specific detail. Professional groups like the National Association of Licensed Practical Nurses and the NC Nurses Association also offer regional networking and salary benchmarking, and their Practical Nursing Resources are worth bookmarking.
Research Employers, Not Just Numbers
Wage tables tell you what's typical, not who's hiring. Check the career pages of Cone Health, Novant Health, and the larger long-term care and nursing home operators across the Triad for open LPN roles and posted pay ranges. Local workforce boards like GuilfordWorks and NCWorks track regional hiring trends and often list upcoming healthcare job fairs. Set up job alerts, request informational interviews with working LPNs, and treat this research as ongoing rather than a one-time check before enrollment.
What LPN Programs Near Greensboro Actually Cost
Tuition is often the first question prospective LPN students ask, and the answer varies more than you might expect, even among North Carolina community colleges that share the same state funding model. The table below compares published in-state tuition and the average net price after financial aid for each program within roughly 40 miles of Greensboro. Keep in mind that the net price figure is an institution-wide average drawn from federal data (U.S. Department of Education, 2024). It reflects the typical cost for aided students across all programs at that college, so your individual out-of-pocket cost for the LPN track may be higher or lower depending on your specific aid package, Pell Grant eligibility, and scholarship awards. Every school listed here is a public community college, which means tuition is set by the North Carolina Community College System and tends to be significantly lower than private or for-profit alternatives. Among these five campuses, the share of students receiving Pell Grants ranges from roughly 86% to 89% where reported, a sign that robust federal aid is common in this student population.
| School | City | Sector | In-State Tuition | Out-of-State Tuition | Avg. Net Price (Institution-Wide) | Pell Grant Recipients |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rockingham Community College | Wentworth | Public Community College | $1,966 | $6,574 | $2,060 | Not reported |
| Alamance Community College | Graham | Public Community College | $2,592 | $8,736 | $6,109 | Not reported |
| Forsyth Technical Community College | Winston-Salem | Public Community College | $2,276 | $6,884 | $7,200 | ~89% |
| Davidson-Davie Community College | Thomasville | Public Community College | $1,980 | $6,588 | $8,753 | ~88% |
| Guilford Technical Community College | Jamestown | Public Community College | $2,320 | $7,696 | $15,002 | ~86% |
Common Questions About Greensboro LPN Programs
Prospective students often have overlapping questions about timelines, test scores, and logistics. Below are straightforward answers drawn from the most current published requirements for programs within 40 miles of Greensboro.
How long does it take to finish an LPN program in the Greensboro area?
Guilford Technical Community College's Practical Nursing diploma runs three semesters and totals 41 to 44 credits. Students typically start in fall and finish the following summer, completing the program in roughly 12 months of continuous enrollment. Other area options, such as ECPI College of Technology in Greensboro, may follow a different academic calendar, so confirm the exact timeline with each school before applying, and compare Fastest LPN/LVN Programs of 2026 if speed matters.
What TEAS score do I need for the GTCC practical nursing program?
GTCC requires a minimum composite score of 66 on ATI TEAS version 7. Earlier TEAS editions are not accepted. The school also awards ranking points for completed prerequisite courses like BIO 163, PSY 150, and ENG 111, so a strong TEAS score paired with finished prerequisites can improve your position in the applicant pool. Check directly with GTCC's nursing admissions office for any updates to the 2026 cycle, and use How to Prepare for Your LPN/LVN Program Entrance Exam as a study resource.
Can I complete an LPN program while working full-time?
It is difficult but not impossible. GTCC's curriculum includes six to nine hours of clinical time each week on top of classroom and lab sessions, and the college assigns clinical schedules without student input on location, time, or day. Students need reliable transportation and scheduling flexibility. Many candidates reduce to part-time work or arrange employer accommodations before the program starts to manage the workload realistically.
What clinical sites do Greensboro-area LPN students train at?
GTCC places students in area hospitals and long-term care facilities through formal written agreements. While the college does not publish a fixed list of partner sites, Novant Health and Cone Health both maintain institutional partnerships with GTCC. Assignments rotate, and students should expect to travel to different agencies throughout the program. Specific site requests are not accommodated.
Related Articles
Evening, Weekend, and Accelerated LPN Options Within 40 Miles
Which schools near Greensboro actually run LPN classes outside a traditional 8-to-5 weekday grid? The honest answer for 2026: fewer than most prospective students hope. Two programs within a 40-mile radius of 27401 have documented non-traditional formats, and each solves a different problem.
Forsyth Tech's Evening and Weekend Track
Forsyth Technical Community College, among the LPN programs in Winston-Salem, runs its Practical Nursing Diploma out of Winston-Salem, with an evening and weekend cohort based at the Stokes County Center in King. The standard full-time sequence is roughly 12 months across three semesters, and the King track is specifically structured for students holding down daytime work.
Extended part-time evening and weekend pathways at NC community colleges can stretch to 18-24 months, depending on course sequencing and clinical placements in a given cycle. Seats in the non-traditional cohort are not guaranteed every admission cycle, so confirm LPN/LVN Program Admissions requirements directly with the program before you plan around it.
ECPI University's Accelerated Format
ECPI University offers a Practical Nursing Diploma out of its High Point campus on a year-round, accelerated schedule that runs approximately 15 months. It is not an evening or weekend program in the Forsyth Tech sense, but the compressed calendar and some online or hybrid didactic delivery can reduce the number of days you commute to campus. Clinicals remain in-person and are non-negotiable.
What Non-Traditional Really Means
Even the evening and weekend track will require daytime clinical rotations during certain semesters. Hospitals and long-term care facilities schedule student rotations around their own staffing rhythms, not yours. Plan on requesting time off or shifting your work schedule for at least one or two terms.
GTCC, Surry Community College in Dobson, and other regional programs currently run daytime, in-person cohorts of about 12 months. If your schedule cannot flex at all, Forsyth Tech's King cohort and ECPI's accelerated diploma are the two documented starting points.
LPN Salary Snapshot: Greensboro vs. North Carolina vs. National
Understanding how local wages stack up against broader benchmarks can help you evaluate the earning potential of an LPN career in the Greensboro-High Point area. The comparison below uses median annual wages reported by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Admission Requirements and How to Apply to GTCC's LPN Program
Guilford Technical Community College runs a selective-admissions Practical Nursing program with a fall-only start and a cap of roughly 30 seats per cohort, so preparation and timing matter. Below is a checklist drawn from the most recent published admission packet. Because GTCC has not yet released a separate 2026 packet at the time of writing, confirm updated dates directly with the Nursing department before you apply.
- Complete GTCC General Admission or ReadmissionIf you are a new or returning student, you must first be formally admitted to the college itself before you can apply to the Practical Nursing program.
- Demonstrate College Readiness in English and MathematicsGTCC requires proof that you meet college-level benchmarks in both subjects. Placement testing or prior coursework may satisfy this step, check with an advisor for the current accepted pathways.
- Demonstrate Biology CompetencyA separate biology competency requirement must be met before your application is considered. Contact GTCC's admissions office for details on which courses or assessments fulfill this requirement.
- Hold a Current Nurse Aide I CertificationYou must appear on the North Carolina Nurse Aide I Registry with no substantiated findings. This is a firm prerequisite, not something you can complete after acceptance. If you are exploring CNA-to-LPN pathways, having your NA I already in hand is essential.
- Earn a Minimum ATI TEAS Composite Score of 66Only TEAS Version 7 scores are accepted; earlier versions will not count. A 66 composite is the published floor, but competitive applicants often score higher given the limited seats. Budget time for a prep course or practice exams.
- Attend the Required Online Program Information SessionIn the most recent cycle the session had to be completed by March 21, roughly a week before the application deadline. Missing it disqualifies your application.
- Submit the Practical Nursing Program Application Within the WindowThe 2025 cycle opened February 24 and closed March 28. Expect a similarly narrow window for fall 2026 enrollment. Mark your calendar early, because late applications are not reviewed.
- Plan for Additional Clinical RequirementsSelective nursing programs across the NC Community College System typically require background checks, drug screenings, and up-to-date immunization records before clinical placement begins. GTCC's published admission packet does not itemize these separately, so ask the program coordinator what documentation you will need upon acceptance.
- Compare Nearby ProgramsForsyth Tech and Randolph Community College also offer practical nursing tracks within 40 miles of Greensboro. Admission criteria, TEAS cut scores, prerequisite courses, and required certifications, can vary from school to school. If GTCC's 30-seat cap feels tight, applying to multiple programs in the same cycle improves your odds without adding significant cost.
Greensboro-Area LPN Programs Ranked by Outcomes and Value
Below are the top LPN programs serving Greensboro students, ranked by completion and outcome data, accreditation status, and fit for the local market. Each entry notes net price, the school's overall graduation rate, program format, and how the program fits a Greensboro-area commute. Program-level earnings and debt are not yet published for these diploma programs, so the cost and debt figures below are institution-wide.
How we ranked these
- Median graduate debt
- Graduation rate
- Reported net price and tuition
- Program format and scheduling
- Local access for Greensboro students
- 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
Davidson-Davie Community College
Davidson-Davie Community College sits in Thomasville, a short drive south of Greensboro, and its one-year Practical Nurse Education diploma is among the lowest-cost routes to LPN licensure in the region, with total program tuition listed at about $3,572 and an institutional net price near $8,750. The school's overall graduation rate is about 46 percent, and the practical nursing program reports a 100 percent licensure pass rate, with graduates entering jobs that pay roughly $43,670 to $48,140 a year. Coursework is delivered in person at the Davie Campus, with classes scheduled in the evening plus occasional weekends, and the program admits one competitive fall cohort. Davidson-Davie also takes part in a nursing apprenticeship with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist that lets selected students step into an ADN pathway while working.
- One-year diploma, 47 credit hours, single fall start
- Reported total program tuition of about $3,572
- Program reports a 100% NCLEX-PN licensure pass rate
- In-person classes at the Davie Campus
- Competitive admission under the college's special criteria
- Listed starting pay of $43,670 to $48,140 per year
- Financial aid and outside scholarships available
- Selected students apprentice with Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist
Practical Nurse Education, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Forsyth Technical Community College
Forsyth Technical Community College is based in Winston-Salem, a straight commute west for Greensboro students, and its one-year Practical Nursing diploma runs with day, evening, and weekend classes. The school's overall graduation rate is about 34 percent, and the college's reported average net price is roughly $7,200, among the lower figures for schools serving this metro. An evening and weekend cohort meets at the Stokes County Center in King, which suits students on the northern side of the Triad, and the program admits both full-time and part-time students. Forsyth Tech also runs an LPN-to-RN transition pathway with a listed fall application deadline of March 13, 2026.
- One-year diploma with full-time and part-time options
- Day, evening, and weekend class schedules
- Evening and weekend cohort at the Stokes County Center in King
- Listed application deadline of March 13, 2026
- Prepares graduates to sit for the NCLEX-PN
- Emphasis on evidence-based practice and team-based care
- Campus-based instruction in Winston-Salem
Practical Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Guilford Technical Community College
Guilford Technical Community College is the in-metro choice, with the Practical Nursing diploma taught in Jamestown and additional campuses in Greensboro and High Point, so students commute within the county rather than across the region. The school's overall graduation rate is about 31 percent, and the college's reported average net price is roughly $15,000, the highest among the schools in this ranking. The diploma takes three semesters, starts each fall, and caps the cohort at 30 students, with in-state tuition of $76 per credit hour and an estimated total program cost near $8,000 including fees and supplies. Clinical rotations happen in area hospitals and long-term care facilities, and the college offers an LPN-to-ADN bridge reserved for Cone Health LPNs, a strong fit for Greensboro nurses who want to advance without leaving the local health system.
- Three-semester diploma with one fall start per year
- In-state tuition of $76 per credit hour
- Estimated total program cost near $8,000 including fees and supplies
- Cohort capped at 30 students per year
- Clinical placements in area hospitals and long-term care facilities
- Approved by the North Carolina Board of Nursing
- Mandatory orientation plus health and background screening
Practical Nursing, Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Rockingham Community College
Rockingham Community College in Wentworth serves the northern edge of the Greensboro metro, drawing commuting students from Greensboro and the surrounding counties northeast of the city. The school's overall graduation rate is about 35 percent, and its reported average net price of roughly $2,060 is the lowest of the schools in this ranking. The Practical Nursing Diploma covers three semesters and 48 credits, with admission tied to a 2.5 GPA, a TEAS score of 55 percent or higher, current North Carolina CNA certification, and CPR certification. Applications for the next cohort open in January 2027, and graduates can continue into the college's LPN-to-ADN option without transferring.
- Three-semester, 48-credit diploma
- TEAS score of 55% or higher, valid for 24 months
- Minimum 2.5 GPA across prerequisites and general education
- Current North Carolina CNA certification and CPR certification required
- Prerequisite coursework in anatomy, physiology, and chemistry
- Mandatory nursing information session before applying
- Approved by the North Carolina Board of Nursing
- LPN-to-ADN option available at the same college
Practical Nursing Diploma — On-Campus
Alamance Community College
Alamance Community College in Graham is within easy reach of eastern Greensboro and Burlington, which makes it a practical fit for students on that side of the metro. The school's overall graduation rate is about 39 percent, and its reported average net price is roughly $6,100. The Practical Nursing diploma is a three-semester day program with spring entry and selective admission, requiring the ATI TEAS exam, a criminal background check, and NC Residency Certification; the program launched in 2023 to expand regional LPN capacity. An NC AHEC-funded clinical instructor partnership with Cone Health gives Alamance nursing students added clinical instruction inside a major Greensboro-area health system.
- Three-semester day diploma with spring entry
- ATI TEAS exam required within 24 months of the deadline
- Selective admission using a points-based application
- Criminal background check required
- NC Residency Certification required with the college application
- Pre-nursing advising available for applicants
- Program launched in 2023 to expand regional LPN capacity
- Clinical instructor partnership with Cone Health
