Best degree programs for Nursing Assistants, ranked by enrollment
3 college programs and 559 schools train Nursing Assistants. Compare graduates per year, cost and pay, $42,260 median wage, 1,448,910 U.S. jobs. Federal data.
3 college programs at 559 schools train nursing assistants, graduating 55,410 people a year (IPEDS completions). The largest is Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant/Aide. The job pays a median of $42,260 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About nursing assistants
Provide or assist with basic care or support under the direction of onsite licensed nursing staff. Perform duties such as monitoring of health status, feeding, bathing, dressing, grooming, toileting, or ambulation of patients in a health or nursing facility. May include medication administration and other health-related tasks. Includes nursing care attendants, nursing aides, and nursing attendants.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
3 degree programs that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 51.3902 | 49,489 | 89.3% | 499 | $44,377 | $15,018 |
| 2 | CIP 51.3999 | 5,553 | 10.0% | 74 | $44,377 | $15,018 |
| 3 | CIP 51.2601 | 368 | 0.7% | 15 | $23,917 | $7,750 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
What nursing assistants earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Illinois | $45,960 | 68,640 | 1.21× | 46 | 7,438 |
| Wisconsin | $45,130 | 28,370 | 1.04× | 20 | 5,916 |
| Florida | $37,510 | 96,960 | 1.05× | 53 | 4,179 |
| Kansas | $38,010 | 24,610 | 1.84× | 25 | 3,940 |
| California | $47,630 | 110,060 | 0.65× | 38 | 2,917 |
| Ohio | $39,010 | 63,280 | 1.22× | 35 | 2,774 |
| Indianalimited | $38,330 | 33,640 | 1.13× | 1 | 2,557 |
| Utah | $39,840 | 12,260 | 0.76× | 13 | 2,378 |
| Georgia | $37,680 | 43,440 | 0.95× | 21 | 2,371 |
| Colorado | $47,380 | 22,240 | 0.83× | 19 | 2,068 |
| Oklahoma | $35,930 | 19,410 | 1.22× | 27 | 1,888 |
| Minnesota | $46,680 | 29,120 | 1.06× | 15 | 1,734 |
| Texas | $37,500 | 88,680 | 0.68× | 24 | 1,707 |
| New York | $48,590 | 87,990 | 0.97× | 5 | 1,689 |
| Arizona | $44,780 | 20,320 | 0.67× | 14 | 1,542 |
| Iowa | $39,350 | 22,670 | 1.56× | 7 | 1,404 |
| Arkansas | $34,430 | 17,260 | 1.42× | 22 | 1,365 |
| Louisiana | $30,510 | 20,690 | 1.15× | 15 | 1,213 |
| Washington | $49,180 | 30,270 | 0.91× | 20 | 876 |
| New Jersey | $46,830 | 32,400 | 0.81× | 11 | 859 |
| Nevadamoderate | $45,490 | 8,100 | 0.56× | 3 | 710 |
| Pennsylvania | $44,590 | 67,740 | 1.20× | 10 | 592 |
| Virginia | $43,200 | 40,580 | 1.06× | 5 | 527 |
| Michigan | $39,570 | 43,290 | 1.05× | 14 | 425 |
| New Mexico | $39,390 | 4,750 | 0.59× | 10 | 416 |
| North Carolina | $38,460 | 64,010 | 1.39× | 17 | 392 |
| Tennessee | $37,990 | 27,040 | 0.89× | 14 | 388 |
| South Carolina | $37,220 | 21,760 | 1.01× | 5 | 243 |
| Mississippi | $31,520 | 14,200 | 1.31× | 7 | 193 |
| Massachusettsmoderate | $46,680 | 38,130 | 1.13× | 3 | 136 |
| Delawarelimited | $42,030 | 5,530 | 1.22× | 2 | 104 |
| Alabamamoderate | $34,140 | 25,250 | 1.28× | 3 | 60 |
| Connecticutlimited | $44,790 | 21,380 | 1.35× | 2 | 50 |
| Missourimoderate | $37,680 | 34,050 | 1.24× | 3 | 47 |
| West Virginia | $36,720 | 9,390 | 1.44× | 5 | 43 |
| District of Columbialimited | $47,700 | 3,490 | 0.53× | 1 | 31 |
| Wyominglimited | $39,160 | 2,830 | 1.08× | 1 | 29 |
| Idaholimited | $38,650 | 7,910 | 0.99× | 1 | 22 |
| Nebraskalimited | $40,000 | 16,450 | 1.72× | 1 | 22 |
| Alaskalimited | $46,370 | 2,060 | 0.68× | 2 | 20 |
| Hawaiilimited | $45,350 | 5,050 | 0.86× | 1 | 18 |
| Montanalimited | $40,900 | 4,390 | 0.92× | 1 | 15 |
| Kentuckylimited | $38,370 | 23,410 | 1.26× | 2 | 12 |
| Marylandlimited | $43,240 | 27,720 | 1.08× | 1 | 3 |
| New Hampshirelimited | $47,870 | 7,810 | 1.23× | 1 | 3 |
| North Dakotalimited | $45,820 | 6,840 | 1.71× | 1 | 2 |
| Oregonlimited | $49,830 | 14,800 | 0.81× | 1 | 1 |
Skills and tools
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Turn or reposition bedridden patients.
- Answer patient call signals, signal lights, bells, or intercom systems to determine patients' needs.
- Feed patients or assist patients to eat or drink.
- Measure and record food and liquid intake or urinary and fecal output, reporting changes to medical or nursing staff.
- Provide physical support to assist patients to perform daily living activities, such as getting out of bed, bathing, dressing, using the toilet, standing, walking, or exercising.
- Document or otherwise report observations of patient behavior, complaints, or physical symptoms to nurses.
- Remind patients to take medications or nutritional supplements.
- Review patients' dietary restrictions, food allergies, and preferences to ensure patient receives appropriate diet.
Skills
- Active Listening3.6
- Monitoring3.3
- Critical Thinking3.1
- Speaking3.1
- Reading Comprehension3.1
- Active Learning2.9
- Writing2.8
- Learning Strategies2.4
Knowledge areas
- Customer and Personal Service3.9
- Administration and Management3.3
- English Language3.3
- Public Safety and Security3.2
- Medicine and Dentistry3.1
- Education and Training3.1
Abilities
- Problem Sensitivity3.9
- Oral Comprehension3.9
- Near Vision3.8
- Oral Expression3.8
- Speech Recognition3.5
- Static Strength3.3
Core activities
- Assisting and Caring for Others4.6
- Getting Information4.2
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.1
- Documenting/Recording Information4.0
- Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships3.9
- Performing General Physical Activities3.8
Tools and technology
hotmarks an O*NET hot technologyHow to get in
How to become a Nursing Assistant
Job zone 3 of 5 · SVP 6.0 to < 7.0- Typical entry education
- Postsecondary nondegree award
Most occupations in this zone require training in vocational schools, related on-the-job experience, or an associate's degree.
Previous work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is required for these occupations. For example, an electrician must have completed three or four years of apprenticeship or several years of vocational training, and often must have passed a licensing exam, in order to perform the job.
Employees in these occupations usually need one or two years of training involving both on-the-job experience and informal training with experienced workers. A recognized apprenticeship program may be associated with these occupations.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 3 majors mapped to Nursing Assistants3 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 51.2601Health Aide
- 51.3902Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant/Aide
- 51.3999Practical Nursing, Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants, Other
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become a Nursing Assistant?+
Postsecondary nondegree award is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Nursing Assistant/Aide and Patient Care Assistant/Aide, which awarded 49,489 degrees in 2024-25, 89.3% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming a Nursing Assistant?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Practical Nursing, Health Aides/Attendants/Orderlies. Together they graduate about 55,410 people a year.
How much do nursing assistants earn?+
The median is $42,260 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $33,940 at the 10th percentile to $51,980 at the 90th. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for nursing assistants growing?+
BLS projects a +2.3% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 204,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
559 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 3 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do nursing assistants work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Nursing Assistant, Certified Nurses Aide (CNA), Patient Care Assistant (PCA), Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 31-1131.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024-25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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