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CNA Classes in California: 37 Free + 530 Total (2026)

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CNA Classes in California: Programs, Costs, and State Requirements

Published June 10, 2026 · Last updated June 10, 2026

California has 530 state-approved Certified Nurse Assistant programs spread across 228 cities, from Los Angeles with 30 to San Diego, Sacramento, and Bakersfield. The pay is among the highest in the country: a median of $22.90 an hour, about $47,630 a year, which runs 13.3% above the national median. You earn it through real preparation, 160 training hours that include 100 clinical hours. This page shows you what programs cost, how long they take, and how to find one near you.

Sourced from California CDPH registrySourced from CDPHBLS salary dataBLS dataLast verified Jun 10, 2026Verified Jun 10
Illustration of a certified nursing assistant caring for an elderly patient, CNA classes in California

AT A GLANCE

Your California CNA path

Four steps from interest to certification. Most students complete this in 6–8 weeks.

  1. Step 1.Complete 160 hours of approved training.
  2. Step 2.Finish 100 supervised clinical hours.
  3. Step 3.Pass the Credentia written and skills exam.
  4. Step 4.Get listed with the California Nurse Aide Registry.
See the full How to Become guide →

Key numbers before you compare programs

Typical program length
3–30 weeks
Typical paid program cost
$140–$3,500
Average CNA salary
$47,630/yr (BLS, May 2025)
Reciprocity accepted
Yes, with conditions

All 530 state-approved California CNA programs

Sort by cost, length, format, or city. Filter with the chips above the table. Click any row to expand full address, phone, clinical site, and next cohort.

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How this list works. Every program below is state-approved by the California Nurse Aide Registry (CA CDPH). Cost, length, and format come directly from each program’s published materials. Blanks (“N/A”) mean the program hasn’t published that detail yet. Programs with a linked name have a verified profile we maintain. Last verified June 10, 2026.
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Showing 1–25 of 530
ProgramCityFormatLengthTotal CostSponsored

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Showing 1–25 of 530

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Fastest CNA programs in California

The shortest approved programs in California run about 3 weeks, like Radiant Care Nursing in Tracy and Silver Peak in San Jose, while others stretch to 30 weeks. A short program does not teach less. Every approved program meets the same 160-hour requirement, including 100 clinical hours, and the same NNAAP exam through Credentia, so a 3-week program simply packs those hours into longer days.

ProgramCityLengthTotal CostSponsored

Schedules verified June 10, 2026, sourced from each program’s published calendar.

Is a 3-week CNA program in California long enough?

A 3-week program at Radiant Care Nursing in Tracy and a term-length course at American River College in Sacramento ($322) both meet the same 160-hour requirement, including 100 clinical hours, and the same NNAAP exam. The difference is how those hours are spaced across the calendar.

The compressed route packs training into full days over a short stretch, often back to back. You reach the Credentia exam sooner, but the weeks are dense while they last. A term-length program at a community college meets that same 160-hour requirement across more sessions at a steadier weekly pace.

Think about which constraint you are working around. If you can clear your weeks and want to test soon, a compressed schedule gets you to the exam first. If a steadier weekly rhythm suits you, a longer course covers the same ground with more room between sessions. Either way you finish at the same Credentia exam, so the goal is reaching it prepared, not just reaching it fast.

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Online, hybrid, weekend & evening CNA programs in California

California programs come in evening, weekend, and hybrid formats, so you can often fit training around work or family without relocating, with 530 approved programs across 228 cities to choose from. College of The Sequoias in Visalia and Silver Peak in San Jose both run hybrid options. One thing to be clear on before you enroll: in California, no CNA program is fully online. The lecture and theory portion can be delivered online or self-paced, but the skills lab and all 100 clinical hours happen in person, under supervision. That holds at every approved program.

ProgramCityFormatLengthTotal CostSponsored

Format and schedule options verified June 10, 2026. Confirm current online, hybrid, evening, and weekend availability with each program.

Which flexible format is right for working adults?

A hybrid course like College of The Sequoias in Visalia ($276) or Silver Peak in San Jose gives you genuine flexibility on the part of training that is lecture, reading, and quizzes. You can work through that part online, which is the whole point of the format.

What cannot move online is California’s 100 clinical hours. You practice real care on real patients while an instructor evaluates you, and that happens in a building on set dates. So even the most flexible California program eventually ties you to specific in-person clinical and skills-lab sessions. When a program advertises an online or hybrid format, ask exactly which hours are remote and which are on-site, then check those on-site dates against your calendar.

The skills you rehearse in that lab are the ones the exam grades. California’s Credentia exam includes 5 randomly selected nurse assistant skills you perform in front of an evaluator, such as hand hygiene or measuring a radial pulse. Our CNA skills test guides walk through each one if you want to see them first. Treat the in-person hours as the core of your training and the online coursework as the convenience layer.

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Cheapest CNA programs in California

Across California’s 337 programs with verified pricing, tuition runs from $0 to $3,500, and 85 of them cost $750 or less. The lowest paid tuition is $140 at Montebello Community Adult School in Bell Gardens, a nine-week in-person course. Citrus College in Glendora and Riverside City College both land near $230. Before you sort a list by price and pick the bottom line, it helps to know what that number does and does not cover.

ProgramCityLengthTotal CostSponsored

Costs verified June 10, 2026, sourced from each program’s published tuition materials.

Is the cheapest CNA program always the best value in California?

That $140 course at Montebello Community Adult School and a $3,500 program at the top of California’s range both have to deliver the same 160 training hours, including 100 clinical hours, and both end at the same Credentia exam. The sticker price is a starting filter, not the total you will pay.

Add the costs that sit outside tuition. Beyond the course itself, you may owe the Credentia exam fee and any state-required screenings, which the California Nurse Aide Registry lists in full. A program with low tuition but separate add-on fees can land above one that bundles everything, so ask for the all-in figure.

The schedule matters as much as the number. Citrus College in Glendora and Riverside City College both sit near $230, but a community-college term calendar runs on its own timing. Ask any low-cost program how many of its students finish and pass the exam, then weigh that against the few hundred dollars between options.

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Free & employer-sponsored CNA training in California

California has 37 free programs funded through grants or scholarships, six of them employer-sponsored options where a facility covers the tuition. No-Cost CNA Training in Woodland Hills runs a $0 four-week course. A funded seat meets the same 160-hour and 100-clinical-hour standard as any paid program, so the certification you earn is identical.

Free programs you can enroll in directly

ProgramCityLengthTotal CostSponsored

A grant that already covers your full tuition, like the $0 seat at No-Cost CNA Training in Woodland Hills, brings your course cost to zero. If an employer is sponsoring you, ask whether that changes your eligibility for other workforce funding before you enroll.

What’s the catch with free CNA training in California?

A $0 course like No-Cost CNA Training in Woodland Hills removes the tuition barrier, which is real, but the funded and scholarship seats carry their own eligibility rules, so check each program. The funding comes from somewhere, and that source tends to set the terms.

Only 37 of California’s 530 programs are free, funded through grants or scholarships. You may face an application screen, an eligibility requirement, or a waitlist before you can enroll. Many workforce-funded programs tie eligibility to things like income or employment status, so read the requirements early rather than assuming you can simply sign up.

Employer-sponsored training works differently. A facility pays for your CNA course, and some employer-sponsored programs ask for a work commitment in return, so read the terms. That can be a fair arrangement when the role suits you. It fits less well if you would rather compare offers afterward, and pay in California does vary by setting: about $24.04 an hour in hospitals, $22.90 in skilled nursing, and $21.30 in assisted living.

The honest read: a free or sponsored seat is the lowest-cost route when you meet its criteria and accept its terms. If you do not, one of California’s 85 programs at $750 or less may get you certified with fewer strings.

CNA salary in California

BLS wage data for California and its top 3 metros.

California CNAs earn a median of $22.90 an hour, about $47,630 a year, which runs 13.3% above the national median of $20.21 and ranks 5th-highest among the 50 states. The spread is real: at the 10th percentile, entry pay is around $19.28 an hour, while the 90th percentile reaches $29.38. Where you work shapes where you fall in that range.

Entry-level (10th)
$19.28/hr
$40,102/yr
Median (50th)
$22.90/hr
$47,630/yr
Top end (90th)
$29.38/hr
$61,110/yr

Pay by setting in California

SettingMedian hourlyNotes
Hospitals$24.04/hrEstimated from the state wage distribution
Skilled nursing / SNF$22.90/hrEstimated
Assisted living / residential$21.30/hrEstimated

Setting figures are estimated from the verified California wage distribution (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS (Nursing Assistants, 31-1131), California, May 2025); actual pay varies by employer.

In California, the setting you work in tracks a clear pay gap. Hospitals report about $24.04 an hour, skilled nursing facilities sit near the state median at $22.90, and assisted living or residential care runs around $21.30. That is a spread of roughly $2.74 an hour between the top and bottom settings reported here. Across the full range, BLS puts 10th-percentile pay near $19.28 and the 90th percentile at $29.38. These figures are California-specific, so when you compare two job postings, the setting and where it falls in that band tell you most of what the number means.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), occupation 31-1131. Cost-of-living differential: Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (2024).

NEXT STEP

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California SNAPSHOT

What makes CNA training in California different

State-specific context (hours, exam vendor, and funding density) now that you’ve seen the options.

TRAINING HOURS

160 hours, 100 clinical

California requires 160 training hours that include 100 clinical hours, well above the federal floor of 75 and 16.

EXAM VENDOR

Credentia, $120

You take the NNAAP through Credentia: a 70-question written test plus 5 hands-on skills, for $120.

MEDIAN PAY

$22.90/hr, 5th in US

California's CNA median runs 13.3% above the national median and ranks 5th among all 50 states.

Double the federal floor
#5-of-50 CNA pay
530 approved programs

160 training hours, more than double the federal floor

California sets its CNA minimum at 160 training hours, including 100 clinical hours. That is 2.1 times the federal floor of 75 training hours and 6.2 times the 16-hour federal clinical floor set under OBRA '87 (42 CFR 483.152). The payoff is preparation: you complete a large block of supervised, hands-on clinical time before you ever sit the exam.

One exam through Credentia, written plus a hands-on skills test

California uses Credentia for the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP). It costs $120 and has two parts. You take a 70-question written test, or a 60-question oral version with 10 reading-comprehension questions, and you perform 5 randomly selected nurse assistant skills in front of an evaluator. The skills portion is scored step by step as you perform it.

A large program market with 530 approved options

California runs 530 state-approved CNA programs across 228 cities. Los Angeles alone lists 30, with San Diego (14), Sacramento (13), Bakersfield (12), and Fresno (12) all in double digits. That breadth spans 228 cities, and the pay backs it up: a $22.90 median that ranks 5th nationally and reaches about $24.04 an hour in hospital settings.

Bottom line for California students

California asks for more than double the federal training hours and pays a fifth-highest median, so the longer, hands-on path leads into one of the better-paid CNA markets in the country.

CNA classes by city in California

California has CNA programs spread across 228 cities. Los Angeles leads with 30, followed by San Diego (14), Sacramento (13), and Bakersfield and Fresno with 12 each.

Top 10 California metros by program count

  • Los Angeles30 programs
  • San Diego14 programs
  • Sacramento13 programs
  • Bakersfield12 programs
  • Fresno12 programs
  • San Jose10 programs
  • Riverside10 programs
  • Anaheim9 programs
  • San Bernardino8 programs
  • Long Beach7 programs

California Nurse Aide Registry: contacts & reference

The California Nurse Aide Registry, run by the California Department of Public Health, keeps your certification record. You can reach it at (916) 327-2445 or through the CDPH website.

Managing agencyCalifornia Department of Public Health
Phone(916) 327-2445
Websitecdph.ca.gov
Typical processingN/A
Renewal windowEvery 24 months; At least 12 paid hours as a nurse aide
Fee structureInitial and renewal certification fees for Nurse Assistants are free; CDPH AFL 06-07 states applicants are no longer required to send fees or payments for initial or renewal certification, and late-payment delinquency fees are no longer assessed.

Always verify with the registry directly before enrolling. Approved-program lists update periodically.

Frequently asked questions

Short, direct answers to what California CNA candidates ask most, from checking your license status to reciprocity and the state exam.

How do I check my CNA license status in California?
You check your status through the California Nurse Aide Registry, run by the California Department of Public Health. Call (916) 327-2445 or use the CDPH website. Your California certification renews every 24 months and requires at least 12 paid hours as a nurse aide, so it helps to confirm your status and expiration date well before that window.
Does California have CNA reciprocity?
Yes, California offers CNA reciprocity, with conditions. Those conditions are set by the California Nurse Aide Registry at the California Department of Public Health, so contact the registry at (916) 327-2445 to confirm what your case requires. California’s own standard is 160 training hours, including 100 clinical hours, which is what the registry certifies to.
How can I transfer my CNA license to California?
To move an out-of-state certification to California, you apply through the California Nurse Aide Registry at the California Department of Public Health. California no longer charges a fee for initial or renewal certification. Because reciprocity in California comes with conditions, confirm the exact documents and steps with the registry at (916) 327-2445 before you start.
How long does CNA reciprocity take in California?
California does not publish a fixed processing time for CNA reciprocity, so it varies by application. Confirm the current timeline directly with the California Nurse Aide Registry at (916) 327-2445 before you rely on a start date for a new job. Submitting a complete application the first time helps you avoid delays.
Can a CNA in California work in another state?
That depends on the other state, not California, since each state runs its own nurse aide registry and sets its own rules. Your California certification is built on 160 training hours, including 100 clinical hours. To work elsewhere, contact that state’s registry about its reciprocity process, and keep your California certification active by renewing every 24 months with at least 12 paid hours.
Can I use my CNA license in California?
A California certification is valid as long as it is active, which means renewing every 24 months and logging at least 12 paid hours as a nurse aide. An out-of-state certification is different: you would apply for reciprocity through the California Nurse Aide Registry, which comes with conditions. Confirm your standing at (916) 327-2445.
What can stop you from getting your CNA license in California?
California certifies you only after you complete its 160 required training hours, including 100 clinical hours, and pass the Credentia NNAAP exam, so falling short on either will stop you. Beyond those, eligibility rules are set and reviewed by the California Nurse Aide Registry at the California Department of Public Health. If you are unsure how a past issue affects you, ask the registry directly at (916) 327-2445 before you enroll.
How hard is the CNA exam in California?
California’s CNA exam is the Credentia NNAAP. It has a 70-question written test and a hands-on portion where you perform 5 randomly selected nurse assistant skills for an evaluator. California requires 160 training hours, including 100 clinical hours, before you can test, so you will have practiced these skills extensively first. California does not publish an official pass rate.
How many questions are on the CA CNA exam?
The written portion of California’s CNA exam has 70 questions, delivered through Credentia as part of the NNAAP. There is also a 60-question oral version paired with 10 reading-comprehension questions. On top of the written test, you perform 5 randomly selected nurse assistant skills for an evaluator. The full exam costs $120 in California.
What is the state exam for CNA in California?
California’s CNA exam is the National Nurse Aide Assessment Program (NNAAP), administered by Credentia. It pairs a written test of 70 questions, or a 60-question oral version with 10 reading-comprehension questions, with a skills test of 5 randomly selected nurse assistant skills performed for an evaluator. It costs $120, and you must finish California’s 160 training hours before you are eligible to test.
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