Best Nursing Schools in Alabama (2026)

Quick answer: Certified nursing assistants in Alabama earn a median of $34,140 per year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This page lists accredited certified nursing assistant schools in Alabama with local wage data and median graduate earnings for each school.

Programs sits within the Alabama certified nursing assistant workforce, served by accredited training providers. For context, the state median annual wage for this occupation is approximately $34,140 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Alabama Quick Facts

MetricValueSource
State median annual wage$34,140BLS OEWS, May 2025
Alabama pay range (10th to 90th percentile)$28,330 to $38,680BLS OEWS, May 2025
Top-paying Alabama metro for this fieldDecatur, AL, $36,280BLS OEWS, May 2025
National job outlook (2024 to 2034)+2.3% growth, about 204,100 openings per yearBLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
State employment25,250 workersBLS OEWS, May 2025
Alabama location quotient1.28BLS OEWS, May 2025

Explore the Certified nursing assistant Career

What You’ll Find Below

The school listings below are sorted by proximity to Programs. Each entry includes the school name, address, and the credentials offered. Use the Alabama figures above as a reference point when comparing program length, schedule, and tuition.

How We Rank Schools

We first gather the schools closest to the city or state page you are viewing, then rank that local group by BOC Score, with the highest at the top. The BOC Score is computed from federal IPEDS and College Scorecard data; schools without enough data to score appear last.

Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
25%
Average net price (lower is better)
20%
Retention rate
15%
Fully online availability
10%

Schools without enough federal outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

#1

Snead State Community College

Boaz, AL In-state option BOC Score 53.0
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 48.8% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 12
  • Annual completions: 208
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $43,544 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#2

Herzing University-Birmingham

Birmingham, AL In-state option BOC Score 46.8
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 28.1% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 19
  • Annual completions: 169
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $58,575 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#3

George C Wallace State Community College-Selma

Selma, AL In-state option BOC Score 44.0
Tuition $4,740 - $19,175
Contact
Key stats
  • Graduation rate: 40.0%
  • Programs offered: 23
  • Annual completions: 372
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $41,578 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#4

Bishop State Community College

Mobile, AL In-state option BOC Score 42.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 30.9% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 42
  • Annual completions: 1152
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $43,359 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#5

Shelton State Community College

Tuscaloosa, AL In-state option BOC Score 40.6
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 25.7% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 32
  • Annual completions: 909
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $50,082 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#6

Lawson State Community College

Birmingham, AL In-state option BOC Score 38.3
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 26.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 43
  • Annual completions: 463
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $44,506 (College Scorecard)
  • Online programs available

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

#7

J. F. Drake State Community and Technical College

Huntsville, AL In-state option BOC Score 28.9
Tuition Contact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Completion rate: 12.5% (College Scorecard)
  • Programs offered: 23
  • Annual completions: 329
  • Median graduate earnings, 4 yrs after completing (all majors, not a single program): $52,160 (College Scorecard)

Source: ACCSC IPEDS College Scorecard

Nursing Assistant Pay and Job Outlook

Annual Wage by Percentile - Nursing Assistants
Nursing Assistants annual wage percentiles, BLS OEWS May 2025P10 $33940, P25 $37260, P50 $42260, P75 $47220, P90 $51980.10th$33,94025th$37,26050th (median)$42,26075th$47,22090th$51,980
Source: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
Nursing Assistants annual wage percentiles
PercentileAnnual wage
10th$33,940
25th$37,260
50th (median)$42,260
75th$47,220
90th$51,980
Projected employment growth, Nursing Assistants, 2024-2034
Nursing Assistants employment 2024 vs 2034 projection, BLS Employment Projections2024 employment 1.4415e+06; 2034 projected employment 1.474e+06; percent change +2.3%.20241,441,500 jobs2034 (proj.)1,474,000 jobsChange: +2.3%
Source: BLS Employment Projections, 2024-2034
Nursing Assistants employment projection 2024 to 2034
YearEmployment
20241,441,500
2034 projected1,474,000
Percent change+2.3%

Frequently Asked Questions

How long does certified nursing assistant training take in Alabama?

Certified nursing assistant certificate programs in Alabama typically take 6 to 12 months of full-time study, while associate degree programs generally run about 2 years. Actual completion time depends on schedule (full-time vs. part-time) and any prerequisite coursework.

How much do certified nursing assistants earn in Alabama?

According to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), certified nursing assistants in Alabama earned a median annual wage of approximately $34,140. Pay varies with experience, certification, and employer; the 10th to 90th percentile range was approximately $28,330 to $38,680 (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

How many certified nursing assistant schools are in Alabama?

The schools listed above are within about 800 miles of Programs. Compare them by tuition, program length, and the credential each one awards.


About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.

Data sources

Figures on this page are sourced from the federal and state datasets below. Methodology: how we rank and source data.

DataProviderVintage
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)U.S. Bureau of Labor StatisticsMay 2025
Employment ProjectionsU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics2024-2034
Integrated Postsecondary Education Data SystemNational Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)2024
College Scorecard (school-level outcomes)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release
College Scorecard (field-of-study earnings)U.S. Department of Educationlatest release (updated 2026-06-12)
Occupational licensing requirementsCareerOneStop (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2026-02-22)
Registered apprenticeship programsCareerOneStop / Apprenticeship.gov (U.S. Department of Labor)latest release (updated 2025-10-25)