How many LVN programs in San Antonio actually feed graduates into the metro's hospital and long-term care pipelines? Fewer than a dozen, but the mix is unusually varied for a market this size: Community College Nursing Programs through the Alamo Colleges system, hospital-affiliated training at Baptist Health System School of Health Professions, and private career schools all competing for seats.
Demand on the employer side is steady. Military healthcare through Brooke Army Medical Center, plus the Methodist, Baptist, and University Health systems, keeps LVN hiring active across bedside, clinic, and skilled nursing roles. The real tension for applicants is not whether jobs exist, but which program clears the NCLEX-PN bar without stacking $30k in tuition on top of a twelve-month timeline.
San Antonio's Healthcare Landscape for LVNs
New LVNs often imagine one of two first jobs: a hospital floor with constant motion or a long-term care setting with longer patient relationships. San Antonio supports both, but the hiring patterns, schedules, and daily responsibilities differ enough to shape where you apply first.
Major Employers and Workplace Settings
San Antonio's large healthcare employers include Methodist Healthcare System, Baptist Health System, University Health, and Christus Santa Rosa. Military treatment facilities at Joint Base San Antonio, including Brooke Army Medical Center and Wilford Hall Ambulatory Surgical Center, sit alongside the South Texas Veterans Health Care System. Together these networks provide hospital, clinic, and specialty roles across the metro, and they frequently hire new LVN graduates.
LVN Scope of Practice in Texas
Texas licenses practical nurses as LVNs rather than LPNs, but the core role matches what most students expect. Working as a licensed practical nurse means operating under RN or physician supervision, administering medications, performing wound care, monitoring vital signs, and documenting patient status. Many hospital and infusion employers require an additional IV therapy certification, so students often add that credential during or shortly after their program. This scope gives LVNs meaningful patient responsibilities early, which is why skilled nursing and rehabilitation employers rely so heavily on them.
Where Demand Is Growing
An aging metro population and San Antonio's proximity to underserved rural counties in South Texas amplify demand in long-term care, home health, and outpatient clinics, where LPNs in Community Health Settings often practice. The same geography pulls clinical rotations and job opportunities outward. Nearby cities such as New Braunfels, Seguin, San Marcos, Boerne, and Laredo offer additional placement sites and, in some cases, shorter commutes or a different patient mix than central San Antonio. For students willing to travel a little farther, those satellite communities, which appear among the Best LVN Programs in Texas 2026, can open more clinical placement options and introduce employers beyond the city center. That wider radius matters when clinical slots in San Antonio fill quickly. It also gives new graduates more hiring leverage.
LVN Salary and Job Growth in the San Antonio Metro
LPN/LVN Salary and job growth numbers tell you what a vocational nursing license is actually worth in the San Antonio job market, both in take-home pay and in how many new positions employers expect to add over the coming decade.
Where San Antonio Wages Stand
The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not currently publish a separate wage line specifically for LVNs in the San Antonio-New Braunfels metro area, so exact local median and percentile figures for the occupation aren't broken out. The best available signal comes from the Bureau's broader metro wage release, which put the average hourly wage across all occupations in San Antonio at $29.39, compared to $33.54 nationwide. That gap suggests local LVN pay likely trails the national median as well, though it isn't a direct substitute for occupation-specific data.
The closest regional benchmark is the Texas statewide figure: LVNs across the state earned a mean hourly wage of $25.41 and a mean annual wage of $52,850, with more than 62,000 LVNs employed statewide. Nationally, the median annual wage for LVNs sits at $64,400, with the bottom 10 percent earning under $49,740 and the top 10 percent earning above $83,440.1 Texas's mean runs below that national median, though statewide averages don't always reflect what a specific metro pays, so San Antonio could land higher or lower depending on employer type, shift, and years of experience.
Job Growth Outlook
Nationally, LVN employment is projected to grow about 3% through 2035, which BLS classifies as "about as fast as average," with tens of thousands of openings a year driven by retirements and expanding long-term care demand. Texas carries one of the largest LVN workforces in the country and is among the Top States for LPN/LVNs, which generally positions it to absorb a proportional share of that growth as San Antonio's hospital and long-term care sectors continue expanding.
Across the industry, hospital and specialty-care settings tend to pay more than physician offices, while home health and long-term care wages vary widely by employer and patient acuity. Confirmed local breakdowns by setting aren't yet available for San Antonio specifically.
Program Schedules: Evening, Weekend, and Accelerated LVN Tracks
Finding an LVN program that fits around a job or family obligations is one of the biggest challenges prospective students in San Antonio face, and the schedule options here are narrower than many applicants expect.
Who Offers Evening or Night Classes?
If you are searching for LVN night classes in San Antonio, your realistic options are limited. St. Philip's College lists both day and evening formats in its catalog for the Vocational Nursing certificate, though the publicly promoted track runs Monday through Friday at roughly 40 hours per week across 12 months. Whether an evening cohort is actively enrolling in a given year varies, so contact the nursing department directly for confirmation. Baptist Health System School of Health Professions states in its FAQ that no evening LVN schedule is available; lectures meet weekdays from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., although clinical rotations, detailed in the Complete Guide to LPN/LVN Clinical Rotations, may occasionally fall on evenings or weekends. Galen College of Nursing offers a part-time track at its San Antonio campus that extends the program to 21 months, and some class times may run into the evening. Lamson Institute schedules nursing students Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., with no documented standalone evening cohort.
Can You Finish in Six Months?
The short answer is no. Every accredited LVN program in the San Antonio area runs a minimum of 12 months at full-time pace. Texas Board of Nursing requirements for vocational nursing education make a six-month timeline unrealistic. Programs advertising drastically shorter completions elsewhere should be vetted carefully against the Fastest LPN/LVN Programs of 2026 for accreditation status and licensing eligibility.
Comparing Program Length
- St. Philip's College: 12 months, full-time, 1,440 clock hours.
- Baptist Health System: 12 months, blended/hybrid format, 1,176 hours across three semesters.
- Galen College of Nursing: 12 months full-time or 21 months part-time, 1,440 clock hours (including 648 clinical hours). New cohorts start four times per year.
- Lamson Institute: 12 months, 72.5 quarter credits, approximately 1,455 contact hours. State data classifies the program as hybrid.
Weekend and Hybrid Formats
No San Antonio LVN program currently offers a weekend-only track. Baptist Health System and Lamson Institute both incorporate elements found in Hybrid LPN Programs, blending some online didactic coursework with in-person labs and clinicals. Clinical rotations at several schools may include weekend or early-morning shifts, but that is not the same as a weekend-only program. If schedule flexibility is your top priority, Galen's 21-month part-time option provides the most breathing room, though it does add nine months to your timeline.
Tuition, Net Price, and Financial Aid for San Antonio LVN Programs
Cost is one of the biggest variables when choosing an LVN program in San Antonio. The table below compares published tuition, effective net price (what students actually pay after grants and scholarships), and the share of students receiving Pell Grants at each school. Net price figures come from IPEDS and College Scorecard data published by the U.S. Department of Education (2024). Note that public and private institutions calculate net price differently: public school net price reflects in-district or in-state tuition minus institutional and federal aid, while private school net price reflects the full sticker price minus all grant aid. A higher Pell Grant recipient share generally signals that a school enrolls more students with significant financial need and that federal aid is accessible to most of the student body. If you have searched for "free LVN programs in San Antonio," it is important to understand that no program is truly tuition-free on its own. However, several funding sources can reduce out-of-pocket costs to near zero. Federal Pell Grants cover a significant portion of tuition at lower-cost public programs. The Texas Workforce Commission (TWC) funds workforce development grants through local Workforce Solutions Alamo, which can pay full tuition for qualifying residents. St. Philip's College, for example, notes eligibility for the Ready to Work free-tuition initiative. Employer-sponsored tuition reimbursement programs at hospital systems such as Methodist, Baptist Health, and University Health are another avenue worth exploring before you enroll.
| School | Sector | Published Tuition (In-State) | Effective Net Price | Pell Grant Recipients |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St. Philip's College | Public | $5,542 | $4,273 | 94% |
| Hallmark University | Private Nonprofit | Not published | $12,513 | 81% |
| Concorde Career College | Private For-Profit | Not published | $26,599 | 78% |
| Galen College of Nursing | Private For-Profit | $17,048 | $29,104 | 66% |
NCLEX-PN Pass Rates at San Antonio LVN Schools
Baptist Health System School of Health Professions posted a 78.95% first-time pass rate on the NCLEX-PN Exam in 2024, with 30 of 38 first-time test takers passing. That is down from 83.33% in 2023, when the school reported only six first-time test takers and five passed.
2024 First-Time Pass Rates at a Glance
- Baptist Health System School of Health Professions: 78.95% (30 of 38 first-time test takers passed)
- Lamson Institute: 50.00% (26 of 52 first-time test takers passed)
St. Philip's College and Galen College of Nursing San Antonio did not have confirmed 2024 or 2025 first-time LVN/VN pass rates in the Texas Board of Nursing data we reviewed. Galen's San Antonio location appeared in a January 2024 BON survey as being in compliance with Rule 215 for its ADN program, but that does not establish the LVN track's first-time pass rate or compliance status.
What the Texas Board of Nursing Watches
Texas BON monitoring documents flag concern when a program's first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate falls significantly below 80 percent. A single year is not always decisive, but sustained sub-80 percent performance is a red flag. Lamson Institute's 50 percent first-time rate in 2024 is the kind of data point you should not ignore, especially if you are comparing schools with limited seats or evening cohorts.
Check Current Status Before Enrolling
School-level pass rates and approval status can change. Before you submit an application, verify the program's current standing at the Texas Board of Nursing website and ask admissions for the most recent first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate and any conditional approval or probation history. If a school is reluctant to share that data, treat the hesitation as part of your decision.
Admission Requirements and Prerequisites Compared
Admission into San Antonio's four major LVN programs hinges less on a polished transcript than on a single standardized exam score, and the schools diverge sharply on how they screen and seat applicants.
GPA and Entrance Exams
St. Philip's College Vocational Nursing publishes a 2.5 GPA floor in its official program catalog, though some student-facing pages reference a lower 2.0 threshold, so confirm the current figure directly with admissions before applying. The program requires the TEAS as its LPN/LVN Program Entrance Exam, but a specific current minimum score is not published in the catalog, so treat a competitive score as the expectation rather than a bare pass. St. Philip's does not mandate prerequisite coursework, though it strongly encourages Anatomy & Physiology I and II, Nutrition, general psychology, and a health information technology course beforehand. Applications run through ApplyTexas for Fall and Spring intakes, and a Texas Board of Nursing background check is required before acceptance.
Baptist Health System School of Health Professions sets no minimum GPA on its current LVN admissions page, relying instead on a high school diploma or GED plus a TEAS score reaching the "Proficient" band, roughly 58.7% overall. Galen College of Nursing accepts the TEAS, ACT, SAT, or its own Multilevel PAX exam, with qualifying scores that have ranged from the low 50s to mid-50s depending on cohort and test chosen. Lamson Institute also requires the TEAS but evaluates section-level minimums rather than one composite cutoff, and keeps open enrollment for applicants at least 18, or 17 with parental consent.
Background Checks and Screening
All four programs require a criminal background check, and Baptist and Lamson explicitly require drug screening as well; Galen and St. Philip's fold comparable screening into clinical-site onboarding even where it is not spelled out as a standalone admissions policy.
Enrollment Pace and Clinical Placements
St. Philip's runs fixed Fall/Spring cohorts through a competitive community-college application cycle with limited seats, while Galen and Lamson operate on rolling or cohort-based enrollment with more flexible timelines. Baptist trains students across its own hospital network, including Baptist Medical Center, St. Luke's, Northeast, North Central, and Mission Trail campuses, giving graduates direct exposure to a potential future employer. Lamson's hybrid, 1,455-hour, 72.5-credit certificate track compresses coursework and clinical time into 12 months; St. Philip's does not publish a separate clinical-hour count, while Galen reports 648 clinical hours within its 1,440 clock hours, so ask each program directly if hours-to-completion matters for your planning.
A program's NCLEX-PN pass rate tells you more about your odds of becoming a licensed nurse than its tuition sticker price ever will.
San Antonio LVN School Rankings 2027
Below are the top LVN programs serving San Antonio students, ranked by net price, school-wide graduation rates, and reported graduate outcomes. All four sit within roughly 30 miles of downtown San Antonio, and each one prepares graduates to sit for the NCLEX-PN.
How we ranked these
- Median graduate debt levels
- Institutional graduation rates
- Net price after financial aid
- Program-level graduate earnings data
- Accreditation and NCLEX preparation
- College Scorecard graduate earnings — collegescorecard.ed.gov
- IPEDS institutional survey data from NCES covering graduation rates, retention rates and student-faculty ratios — nces.ed.gov
- Internal program database
- Independent editorial research
- Bureau of Economic Analysis cost-of-living index by state — bea.gov
Galen College of Nursing-San Antonio
Galen College of Nursing's San Antonio campus is a private, single-purpose nursing school whose practical nursing track runs about 12 months and mixes clinical coursework with hands-on lab practice. The school's overall graduation rate is about 81%, and the effective net price after aid runs about $29,104. Program-level earnings for this nursing program are not yet reported. The San Antonio site is affiliated with Methodist Healthcare and runs an LPN to ADN bridge on the same campus, so graduates who want to keep advancing after licensure do not have to leave the city to do it.
- 12-month program with four start dates each year
- TEAS entrance exam required for admission
- $0 application fee
- Prepares students for the NCLEX-PN exam
- Financial aid and scholarships available
- Transfer credit review for prior coursework
- Modern clinical learning labs and practice-based training
- Assigned academic advisor and on-demand tutoring
Licensed Practical or Vocational Nursing (LPN or LVN), Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Hallmark University
Hallmark University is a private San Antonio institution that delivers its vocational nursing certificate in person at the Westover Hills campus over 12 months. Cohorts are intentionally small, and the school notes that no formal prerequisite courses are required, which helps applicants who have little or no prior college credit. The effective net price is about $12,513, the school's overall graduation rate is about 66%, and median graduate debt is around $25,438. Program-level earnings are not yet reported. Clinical placements are concentrated in San Antonio hospitals.
- 12-month vocational nursing certificate with multiple start dates
- Limited enrollment keeps cohorts small
- No formal prerequisite courses required
- TEAS entrance exam required, 52% overall minimum
- ACEN accreditation candidacy status
- Approved by the Texas Board of Nursing
- Military benefits accepted
- Background check, drug test, BLS certification, and immunizations required
Licensed Practical or Vocational Nursing (LPN or LVN), Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
St Philip's College
St Philip's College is the public community college option in this group and the only one where a San Antonio resident may qualify for free tuition through the city's Ready to Work program. The 12-month, three-semester certificate holds accreditation and reports a three-year NCLEX-PN pass rate above 90% with job placement above 85%, and it runs day and evening cohorts. The effective net price is about $4,273 and median graduate debt is roughly $9,500. The school's overall graduation rate of about 28% reflects the whole open-access college, not the nursing program alone. Program-level earnings are not yet reported.
- 12-month, three-semester full-time certificate
- ACEN accredited and approved by the Texas Board of Nursing
- Three-year NCLEX-PN pass rate above 90%
- Job placement rate above 85%
- Day and evening cohorts on the main San Antonio campus
- Eligible for San Antonio Ready to Work free tuition
- Clinicals in San Antonio, New Braunfels, Seguin, and San Marcos
- Competitive points-based admission with two application cycles yearly
Licensed Practical or Vocational Nursing (LPN or LVN), Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
Concorde Career College-San Antonio
Concorde Career College's San Antonio campus sits near the Loop 410 and I-10 interchange and delivers its practical nursing diploma in as few as 12 to 13 months. Students are admitted directly into the nursing track from day one rather than competing for a selective phase later, and clinical rotations are placed with local providers across hospitals, long-term care, and home health. The effective net price is about $26,599, median graduate debt is about $9,500, and the school's overall graduation rate is about 69%. Program-level earnings are not yet reported. The campus is marketed as military friendly, which fits a metro with a large active-duty population.
- Diploma completed in as few as 12 to 13 months
- Direct admission to the nursing program from day one
- Prepares students for the NCLEX-PN licensure exam
- Hands-on labs plus clinical rotations with local providers
- Approved by the Texas Board of Nursing
- Financial aid and scholarships available for those who qualify
- Military-friendly campus near Joint Base San Antonio
- Pathway to continue on to RN training
Licensed Practical or Vocational Nursing (LPN or LVN), Certificate or Diploma — On-Campus
How These San Antonio LVN Programs Were Evaluated
This ranking is built from public federal and state data, not editorial opinion or paid placement. Every school listed here appears because it cleared two non-negotiable filters: approval from the Texas Board of Nursing and eligibility for federal financial aid, which means students can access loans, grants, and work-study to help cover tuition.
What the numbers actually measure
From there, programs were compared using a handful of measurable factors. Net price, the same metric used in the Most Affordable LPN/LVN Programs for 2026 ranking, reflects the average amount students pay after grants and scholarships are subtracted from the sticker price. Graduation rate comes from institution-wide federal reporting, meaning it reflects the whole college, not the vocational nursing program specifically, since program-level completion data isn't consistently published. Program-level earnings figures, where available, show what graduates typically earn shortly after finishing, though these numbers are not reported for every school.
Why this approach, and its limits
We chose this route because it's verifiable. Anyone can pull the same federal datasets we used and check our math. That's different from lists built around advertiser relationships or subjective "editor's picks." That said, the data has real limits: your actual cost will depend on your income, credits transferred, and aid package, and a strong institution-wide graduation rate doesn't guarantee the LVN cohort performs identically. Treat these rankings as a well-informed starting point, then confirm current tuition, schedule, NCLEX-PN pass rates, and LPN/LVN Program Admissions requirements directly with each school before enrolling.
