Best Schools for Practical Nursing in 2026

703 schools ranked by TSW Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Practical Nursing, ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Practical Nursing graduate earns $44,152/yr across 703 schools.

Programs Ranked
703
Avg Earnings
$44,152/yr
Avg TSW Score
70/100
AI-Proof Rating
AI-Proof
24% task exposure

All Practical Nursing Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

# School TSW Score Earnings ROI
1 Otero College
La Junta, CO · Practical Nursing
88
86–89
$74,405/yr 167.4x
2 Schoolcraft Community College District
Livonia, MI · Practical Nursing
88
86–89
$75,104/yr 167.8x
3 Butte College
Oroville, CA · Practical Nursing
88
85–88
$65,467/yr 244.0x
4 Alvin Community College
Alvin, TX · Practical Nursing
88
86–89
$64,976/yr 353.3x
5 Chattahoochee Valley Community College
Phenix City, AL · Practical Nursing
85
83–86
$63,335/yr 124.7x
6 Coastal Alabama Community College
Bay Minette, AL · Practical Nursing
79
78–79
$63,125/yr 62.4x
7 GateWay Community College
Phoenix, AZ · Practical Nursing
87
85–88
$60,620/yr 248.8x
8 Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas
De Queen, AR · Practical Nursing
81
80–82
$62,501/yr 59.9x
9 Hartnell College
Salinas, CA · Practical Nursing
88
85–88
$63,321/yr 450.0x
10 Morgan Community College
Fort Morgan, CO · Practical Nursing
86
84–87
$64,066/yr 93.0x
11 Howard Community College
Columbia, MD · Practical Nursing
85
83–86
$58,704/yr 142.9x
12 Wor-Wic Community College
Salisbury, MD · Practical Nursing
86
84–87
$61,298/yr 171.9x
13 Mount Wachusett Community College
Gardner, MA · Practical Nursing
84
82–85
$62,720/yr 118.2x
14 Gogebic Community College
Ironwood, MI · Practical Nursing
84
83–85
$62,799/yr 110.5x
15 Muskegon Community College
Muskegon, MI · Practical Nursing
82
80–82
$60,995/yr 86.3x
16 North Central Missouri College
Trenton, MO · Practical Nursing
84
82–85
$59,889/yr 120.0x
17 Essex County College
Newark, NJ · Practical Nursing
84
83–85
$62,448/yr 115.8x
18 Bismarck State College
Bismarck, ND · Practical Nursing
84
83–85
$61,629/yr 117.6x
19 Dakota College at Bottineau
Bottineau, ND · Practical Nursing
84
82–85
$60,969/yr 113.0x
20 Piedmont Virginia Community College
Charlottesville, VA · Practical Nursing
85
83–85
$61,566/yr 123.9x
21 Northeast Alabama Community College
Rainsville, AL · Practical Nursing
82
81–83
$53,855/yr 107.1x
22 Florida State College at Jacksonville
Jacksonville, FL · Practical Nursing
86
84–87
$57,579/yr 199.1x
23 North Idaho College
Coeur d'Alene, ID · Practical Nursing
85
83–86
$55,184/yr 161.5x
24 Illinois Central College
East Peoria, IL · Practical Nursing
83
82–84
$55,604/yr 118.6x
25 Olney Central College
Olney, IL · Practical Nursing
84
82–84
$56,008/yr 126.6x
26 Shawnee Community College
Ullin, IL · Practical Nursing
83
81–83
$54,323/yr 115.8x
27 Greenfield Community College
Greenfield, MA · Practical Nursing
82
81–83
$56,658/yr 100.7x
28 North Shore Community College
Danvers, MA · Practical Nursing
84
81–85
$55,336/yr 131.6x
29 Quinsigamond Community College
Worcester, MA · Practical Nursing
81
80–82
$54,629/yr 90.4x
30 Delta College
University Center, MI · Practical Nursing
83
81–84
$54,108/yr 126.0x
31 Hennepin Technical College
Brooklyn Park, MN · Practical Nursing
75
73–75
$54,376/yr 53.3x
32 Mineral Area College
Park Hills, MO · Practical Nursing
83
81–83
$55,389/yr 111.7x
33 UCNJ Union College of Union County NJ
Cranford, NJ · Practical Nursing
84
82–84
$57,957/yr 118.9x
34 CUNY LaGuardia Community College
Long Island City, NY · Practical Nursing
84
81–85
$56,230/yr 130.2x
35 Cincinnati State Technical and Community College
Cincinnati, OH · Practical Nursing
82
80–82
$53,908/yr 95.6x
36 Bucks County Community College
Newtown, PA · Practical Nursing
82
81–83
$54,103/yr 110.0x
37 Reading Area Community College
Reading, PA · Practical Nursing
80
79–81
$53,953/yr 85.0x
38 York Technical College
Rock Hill, SC · Practical Nursing
82
80–82
$54,238/yr 103.9x
39 Angelina College
Lufkin, TX · Practical Nursing
85
83–86
$54,637/yr 172.5x
40 Saint Michael College of Allied Health
Washington, DC · Practical Nursing
74
74–75
$74,782/yr 37.5x
41 Pickens Technical College
Aurora, CO · Practical Nursing
82
81–83
$53,360/yr 107.2x
42 Delaware Technical Community College-Terry
Dover, DE · Practical Nursing
82
80–83
$51,082/yr 120.1x
43 Augusta Technical College
Augusta, GA · Practical Nursing
83
81–83
$51,024/yr 125.9x
44 Ivy Tech Community College
Indianapolis, IN · Practical Nursing
82
79–83
$50,081/yr 118.1x
45 Fletcher Technical Community College
Schriever, LA · Practical Nursing
83
81–84
$52,652/yr 123.8x
46 Berkshire Community College
Pittsfield, MA · Practical Nursing
83
78–84
$49,764/yr 132.3x
47 Northern Essex Community College
Haverhill, MA · Practical Nursing
80
79–81
$50,770/yr 88.3x
48 St Clair County Community College
Port Huron, MI · Practical Nursing
82
79–82
$50,656/yr 112.9x
49 Isothermal Community College
Spindale, NC · Practical Nursing
85
83–86
$51,324/yr 258.5x
50 McDowell Technical Community College
Marion, NC · Practical Nursing
85
83–86
$51,299/yr 271.6x

Methodology

Programs are ranked by TradeSchoolOutlook Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (projected earnings vs. program tuition).

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Practical Nursing?
Based on our TradeSchoolOutlook Score, Otero College ranks #1 for Practical Nursing with a score of 88/100 and graduate earnings of $74,405/yr.
How much do Practical Nursing graduates earn?
Across 703 schools, Practical Nursing graduates earn an average of $44,152/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $85,953/yr.
Is Practical Nursing an AI-proof career?
Practical Nursing has an average AI task exposure of 24%, rated "AI-Proof". This is a highly AI-proof trade — hands-on work that AI cannot automate.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Last updated 2025.