You can't become an LVN entirely online: California and Texas, the two states that license vocational nurses, require supervised hands-on clinical training, and you must pass the NCLEX-PN. You can take much of the theory online in a hybrid vocational nursing program, and in California your CNA course counts: approved VN schools must give transfer credit for certified nurse assistant courses completed in the last five years (16 CCR 2535). LVNs earned a median $79,750 a year in California and $62,240 in Texas in May 2025 (BLS).
LVN and LPN: the same job, two titles
California and Texas license licensed vocational nurses (LVNs); the other states license licensed practical nurses (LPNs). The work and the licensing exam are the same: LVN graduates take the NCLEX-PN, which 86.6% of first-time, U.S.-educated candidates passed in 2025 (NCSBN). To compare programs, see GoLPN's table of NCLEX-PN pass rates by program, which includes California's and Texas's board-reported results.
California: the hours, and how your CNA counts
- Hours. A California vocational nursing program must total at least 1,530 hours or 50 semester units, including at least 576 theory hours (54 of them pharmacology) and 954 clinical hours (16 CCR 2532).
- CNA credit. Each school must have a Board-approved credit policy and give transfer credit for related education from the last five years, including certified nurse assistant courses (16 CCR 2535). How much credit is up to the school's policy, so ask.
- The equivalency route. California also lets people qualify for the exam with at least 51 months of paid general duty inpatient bedside nursing experience plus a 54-hour pharmacology course; the experience must be equivalent in breadth and depth to an LVN's work, and the Board warns that no other state accepts licensees who qualified this way (BVNPT, 16 CCR 2516).
Texas: program length and clinicals
- A Texas vocational nursing program must last at least the equivalent of one academic year and no more than two calendar years, and include faculty-supervised, hands-on patient care (22 TAC 214.9).
- Programs may use simulation for up to 50% of each clinical course, and one faculty member may supervise no more than 10 students in a clinical group (22 TAC 214.10).
- Credit for advanced placement is at the discretion of each program's director and its governing entity (22 TAC 214.8).
Hybrid and CNA-friendly LVN programs
Examples, in the schools' own words (program pages checked November 2026):
| School and program | Format or CNA rule |
|---|---|
| California Career Institute, Vocational Nursing (Anaheim, CA; part-time evenings and weekends) | "Hybrid-Online Licensed Vocational Nurse Program"; "The program totals 1,574 clock hours (608 theory hours and 966 clinical hours)." |
| Texas State Technical College, Vocational Nursing (Harlingen, TX) | "a hybrid program. Didactic course work is mostly online and may be synchronous or asynchronous." "Skills lab and clinical are face-to-face." |
| North Central Texas College, Vocational Nursing (LVN) | "LVN programs are offered at Gainesville, Corinth, Bowie, Graham, and as an online hybrid." |
| Long Beach City College, Vocational Nursing (CA) | Admission requires a "California Nurse Assistant (CNA) Certificate"; "a full-time 3 semester program." |
| Amarillo College, Vocational Nursing certificate (TX) | "Now requires CNA as per ADN program requirements effective 2024SP"; 40 semester hours. |
Confirm any program on the state's approved list before you apply: California's Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians publishes pass rates for approved programs, and the Texas Board of Nursing approves Texas programs. In 2024–25, 86 California institutions reported 8,366 vocational nursing awards and 68 Texas institutions reported 3,757 to the federal IPEDS survey (CIP 51.3901, first majors; NCES, provisional data).
What LVNs earn compared with CNAs (May 2025)
| State | LVN median annual | LVN jobs | Nursing assistant median annual |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | $79,750 | 82,850 | $47,630 |
| Texas | $62,240 | 57,560 | $37,500 |
Source: BLS OEWS state estimates, May 2025: licensed practical and vocational nurses; nursing assistants.
Sources
- 16 CCR 2532, Curriculum Hours, 16 CCR 2535, Credit for Previous Education and Experience and 16 CCR 2516 (California Code of Regulations, via Cornell LII; viewed November 2026)
- Method 3: equivalency and VN program pass rates (California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians; viewed November 2026)
- 22 TAC 214.9, 214.10 and 214.8 (Texas Administrative Code, vocational nursing education; via Cornell LII, viewed November 2026)
- 2025 NCLEX Examination Statistics (National Council of State Boards of Nursing; June 2026)
- OEWS profile, May 2025: 29-2061 and 31-1131, state estimates (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
- IPEDS 2024–25 Completions (C2025_A), CIP 51.3901 (National Center for Education Statistics; provisional release)
- School pages: California Career Institute, Texas State Technical College, North Central Texas College, Long Beach City College (2026–27 catalog), Amarillo College (2026–27 catalog)
Last reviewed November 2026. ThinkCNA doesn't run courses; the form matches you with schools near you.