CNA classes in Charlotte, North Carolina
The Charlotte area has 30 state-approved CNA programs, from $205 to $1,600. CNAs here earn a median $18.96/hr. Atrium, Novant and CaroMont all hire here, across three different corridors.
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- North Carolina-approved programs only
- Data verified July 5 2026
CNA programs in the Charlotte area
Central Piedmont Community College runs the Nurse Aide program at two campuses you can pick between: Central Campus in uptown Charlotte and Levine Campus in Matthews. If you already hold a Nurse Aide I listing, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College adds a Nurse Aide II track that feeds the Concord and Kannapolis hospitals, and Gaston College handles training on the Gastonia side of the metro.
| Program | City | Format | Length | Total Cost | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Blooming Heart School of Health | Charlotte | In-person | 4 wk | $850 | ||
| Carolinas College of Health Sciences | Charlotte | Hybrid | Contact school | $1,600 | ||
| Central Piedmont Community College – Central | Charlotte | In-person | Contact school | $1,182 | ||
| Central Piedmont Community College – Levine | Matthews | In-person | Contact school | $1,182 | ||
| Chosen Healthcare Institute, INC. | Charlotte | Hybrid | 4 wk | $850 | ||
| EHC Health Career Institute | Matthews | Hybrid | 5 wk | $725 | ||
| Gaston College – Kimbrell Campus | Belmont | In-person | Contact school | $230 | ||
| GraceMed Academy | Mooresville | Hybrid | Contact school | $775 | ||
| Mitchell Community College – Mooresville | Mooresville | In-person | Contact school | $224 | ||
| Nursing Careers Institute INC. | Matthews | Hybrid | 4 wk | $699 | ||
| Rowan-Cabarrus Community College – College | Kannapolis | In-person | Contact school | $205 | ||
| Rowan-Cabarrus Community College – NC | Kannapolis | In-person | Contact school | $205 | ||
| Rowan-Cabarrus Community College – South | Concord | In-person | Contact school | $205 | ||
| Serenity Nurse Aide Academy | Charlotte | In-person | 5 wk | $1,090 | ||
| South Piedmont Community College – OCH | Monroe | In-person | Contact school | $512 | ||
| Southern College of Health Sciences | Kannapolis | In-person | Contact school | $925 | ||
| Umanah Healthcare Institute – Charlotte | Charlotte | In-person | Contact school | $500 | ||
| Umanah Healthcare Institute – Gastonia | Gastonia | In-person | 4 wk | $750 | ||
| Unity Nursing Institute | Charlotte | Hybrid | 4 wk | $850 | ||
| American Academy of Healthcare, LLC | Charlotte | Hybrid | Contact school | Contact school | ||
| Caregivers Institute INC. | Charlotte | Contact school | Contact school | Contact school | ||
| CAREGroup Academy | Charlotte | Contact school | Contact school | Contact school | ||
| Divine Health Academy | Charlotte | In-person | Contact school | Contact school | ||
| Health Care Institute of Charlotte, II | Charlotte | Contact school | Contact school | Contact school | ||
| HealthCare Professional Education Institute | Kannapolis | Contact school | Contact school | Contact school | ||
| N C Nursing Academy | Gastonia | Contact school | Contact school | Contact school | ||
| Nurse Aide Institute of Excellence | Charlotte | Contact school | Contact school | Contact school | ||
| Queen City Health Care Academy | Charlotte | Contact school | Contact school | Contact school | ||
| Rudledge Education System/Raleigh | Charlotte | Contact school | Contact school | Contact school | ||
| Victory Health Career Center | Charlotte | Contact school | Contact school | Contact school |
Cheapest CNA classes in Charlotte
The low end here is community colleges. The cheapest is Rowan-Cabarrus Community College – College at $205, out in Kannapolis; inside Charlotte the floor is Umanah Healthcare Institute – Charlotte at $500. Ask each one what the figure covers, because a college rate is usually tuition and fees with the exam billed separately.
| Program | City | Length | Total Cost | Details | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rowan-Cabarrus Community College – College | Kannapolis | Contact school | $205 | ||
| Mitchell Community College – Mooresville | Mooresville | Contact school | $224 | ||
| Gaston College – Kimbrell Campus | Belmont | Contact school | $230 | ||
| Umanah Healthcare Institute – Charlotte | Charlotte | Contact school | $500 | ||
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| South Piedmont Community College – OCH | Monroe | Contact school | $512 | ||
| Nursing Careers Institute INC. | Matthews | 4 wk | $699 | ||
| EHC Health Career Institute | Matthews | 5 wk | $725 | ||
| GraceMed Academy | Mooresville | Contact school | $775 | ||
Is the cheapest class the best value?
Every program here is state-approved, so the certificate is the same wherever you train. What differs is which corridor you end up in: Central Piedmont Community College sits in uptown, Rowan-Cabarrus Community College covers Concord and Kannapolis, and Gaston College reaches toward Gastonia. Ask each one where its clinical rotations happen.
Ways to pay
Get reimbursed after you’re hired. You may qualify for pro-rata reimbursement of eligible training costs if a Medicare- or Medicaid-certified nursing home hires you within 12 months of paying for your own training (federal rule 42 CFR 483.152). Ask the facility how it handles reimbursement.
Local help paying for class. The NCWorks Career Centers serving Mecklenburg County can help cover training costs through WIOA if you qualify; ask whether your chosen program is on the WIOA-eligible training list before you enroll.
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Where CNAs work in Charlotte
Charlotte’s CNA hiring is led by Atrium Health, whose flagship Carolinas Medical Center runs the uptown core. Novant Health Presbyterian Medical Center covers the east side, and Novant Health Huntersville Medical Center serves north Mecklenburg. Atrium Health Cabarrus covers the Concord-Kannapolis corridor, and CaroMont Regional Medical Center anchors Gastonia. White Oak of Charlotte is one of the large skilled-nursing employers hiring alongside the hospitals.
Hospitals (10)
Nursing homes & skilled nursing (10)
Home health agencies (11)
Hospice care (8)
Assisted living (11)
These employers hire CNAs across the Charlotte metro. Get matched to a program near where you want to work.
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What CNAs earn in Charlotte
Depending on your setting and experience, expect somewhere between $16.22 and $23.58 an hour (the 10th to 90th percentile across the Charlotte metro).
At $18.96/hr, Charlotte pays a little above the North Carolina statewide median of $18.49.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia NC-SC metro area (OEWS area 16740)
What moves you up the range
Three things, in the order they usually pay off: shift, setting, and time on the job. Nights, weekends and holidays carry a differential almost everywhere, and picking up those shifts is the fastest raise available to a new aide. Hospitals and hospital-run skilled nursing generally start higher than freestanding nursing homes or agency home care, though the home-care schedule can be worth more than the hourly gap. Experience moves you less than either in the first year. Compare a few of the 50 Charlotte-area listings below against the median above before you take the first offer.
Where you’ll take the CNA exam near Charlotte
North Carolina’s nurse aide competency exam is run by Credentia. Finish a state-approved program first, then register and schedule the written and skills test through Credentia’s CNA365 platform. The exam runs about $140. You get 24 months and up to 3 attempts after finishing training. Passing lists you on the North Carolina Nurse Aide I Registry.
Charlotte-area test sites
Every approved test site here is a community college outside Charlotte, starting with Central Piedmont Community College’s Levine Campus in Matthews and running out to Monroe and Albemarle. Credentia books the date.
Charlotte CNA questions
How we verify this page
We build this page from the North Carolina Nurse Aide I Registry and approved-training guide (which programs are state-approved), each program’s own published materials (cost, hours, and schedule), Credentia (the state exam), and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (pay). Tuition and fees change and aren’t guaranteed here, so confirm the current cost directly with the school before you enroll.
More CNA resources for North Carolina
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