3 accredited schools across the Santa Maria metro area trained 115 LPNs in 2023–24. Here’s how they compare on cost, length and size, plus what the job pays locally.
Updated October 2026 · Data: IPEDS 2023–24, BLS May 2025
Sorted by number of 2023–24 graduates (IPEDS), a proxy for program size and stability.
68 LPN credentials awarded in 2023–24 at this public two-year college. Annual in-district tuition (before fees): $1,104 ($8,952 out of state).
Private for-profit two-year college in Santa Maria that reported 45 LPN graduates in 2023–24. Published tuition and fees plus books and supplies come to $41,237 for a program of about 15 months.
2 LPN credentials awarded in 2023–24 at this public two-year college. Annual in-district tuition (before fees): $1,104 ($9,528 out of state).
3 accredited schools in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro area graduated 115 LPN students in 2023–24. The largest was Allan Hancock College with 68.
Among schools that published a program price, San Joaquin Valley College-Santa Maria in Santa Maria listed the lowest total: $41,237 for tuition, books and supplies.
Licensed Practical Nurses in the Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA metro earn a median $79,010 a year ($37.99/hour), per BLS May 2025 data. That compares with $79,750 statewide and $64,400 nationally.
State-approved practical nursing programs usually take about a year of full-time study; part-time and associate-degree routes take longer.