Practical Nursing · North Carolina

North Carolina colleges that awarded Practical Nursing credentials

37 colleges in North Carolina reported conferring Practical Nursing credentials to the federal IPEDS collection in 2023-24, and every one of them also awarded in the year before. 0 awarded a degree, and 37 awarded only a certificate. That is a record of credentials already awarded, not confirmation that a program is currently admitting.

Colleges and what they awarded

Largest first by credentials conferred in 2023-24. That order measures the size of the graduating class and nothing else: it is not a ranking, and the largest entry is often a certificate provider rather than the strongest degree program. The credential is labelled on every row for exactly that reason.

Colleges in North Carolina that conferred Practical Nursing credentials in 2023-24, with the number awarded and whether any was a degree.
CollegeCredentials awardedHighest level
Gaston College195Certificate only
Forsyth Technical Community College68Certificate only
Caldwell Community College and Technical Institute33Certificate only
Fayetteville Technical Community College32Certificate only
Central Carolina Community College31Certificate only
Isothermal Community College26Certificate only
Cleveland Community College25Certificate only
Durham Technical Community College24Certificate only
Sampson Community College24Certificate only
Davidson-Davie Community College22Certificate only
Cape Fear Community College21Certificate only
James Sprunt Community College21Certificate only
Southeastern College-Charlotte21Certificate only
Robeson Community College19Certificate only
Central Piedmont Community College18Certificate only
College of the Albemarle17Certificate only
McDowell Technical Community College17Certificate only
Rockingham Community College17Certificate only
Rowan-Cabarrus Community College17Certificate only
Bladen Community College15Certificate only
Craven Community College15Certificate only
South Piedmont Community College14Certificate only
Wilson Community College14Certificate only
Halifax Community College13Certificate only
Wayne Community College13Certificate only
Edgecombe Community College12Certificate only
Surry Community College12Certificate only
Coastal Carolina Community College11Certificate only
Vance-Granville Community College11Certificate only
Guilford Technical Community College10Certificate only
Montgomery Community College10Certificate only
Nash Community College10Certificate only
Richmond Community College10Certificate only
Lenoir Community College9Certificate only
Brunswick Community College7Certificate only
Beaufort County Community College6Certificate only
Wake Technical Community College4Certificate only

Looking for Practical Nursing programs in North Carolina? This page lists every college that reported awarding Practical Nursing credentials to the federal government in 2023-24 — 37 of them — with the credential level each one awarded. That is a record of credentials conferred, not a confirmation that a college is currently admitting students, so confirm current availability with the college before it changes where you apply.

How much of this field is in North Carolina

Credentials awarded
844
Share of U.S. total
2.3%
Colleges awarding it
37
Awarding a degree
0

North Carolina colleges conferred 844 Practical Nursing credentials in 2023-24, which is 2.3% of the 36,636 conferred across the 49 U.S. jurisdictions reporting any. Of the 37 colleges here, 0 awarded a degree and 37 awarded only a certificate. These counts measure the size of graduating classes, not program quality, and not how many students are currently enrolled.

What level those credentials were

  • Certificates100%844

Most Practical Nursing credentials awarded in North Carolina were certificates. The mix here is close to the national pattern for this field. A certificate is a different credential from a degree, not a lesser one, and the level a program awards is set by the program rather than by the student.

We measured how much this varies nationwide, and for most fields the credential level is set by the field rather than the state: is your major a certificate or a degree?

How concentrated it is. The single college with the largest reported graduating class in this field accounted for 23% of North Carolina’s Practical Nursing credentials. Activity is spread across several institutions rather than sitting with one.

What this evidence does and does not prove

This lists colleges that reported conferring credentials in this field to the federal IPEDS completions collection, in both 2022-23 and 2023-24. It does not confirm that any of them is currently admitting students to the program, and a college can appear here after deciding to close it. Confirm with the institution before it affects where you apply.

How this list was built

From the U.S. Department of Education IPEDS completions collection, matched to each college on its exact federal program classification. A college appears only if it conferred credentials in both 2022-23 and 2023-24, which is what separates a running program from one that has already closed.

This page exists because its list of colleges is materially different from that of every closely related field in North Carolina — the fields a reader could otherwise mistake it for, such as two engineering disciplines, or nursing and practical nursing. Where a related field resolves to the same colleges, the second page would be the first one with its title changed, and CampusPin does not publish it. Sharing colleges with an unrelated field is different, and not a reason to withhold the page: in most states the same colleges award business, psychology and biology alike, which says something about the colleges rather than about the fields. We measured exactly how often that happens, and published the result: does choosing a major narrow your college list?

What Practical Nursing graduates go on to do

Occupations the federal CIP–SOC crosswalk associates with Practical Nursing, ordered by projected annual openings. National figures: openings and pay do not vary by where you studied, and the crosswalk describes related fields rather than a required or guaranteed path.

Occupations associated with Practical Nursing, with median annual wage, projected annual openings, and the education most entrants hold.
OccupationMedian payOpenings / yrMost entrants hold
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses$62,34054,400Postsecondary nondegree award

Crosswalk: U.S. Department of Education (NCES), CIP 2020 to SOC 2018. Pay and projections: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024 wages, Employment Projections). “Most entrants hold” is what BLS observes about people already in the occupation, not a legal requirement, an admission rule, or a guarantee of entry. Projected openings are a projection, not jobs promised.

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