CNA Training: Hours by State, Curriculum, and Free vs Paid Programs

Federal rules set the floor at 75 clock hours, including at least 16 hours of supervised practical training. States may require more, and many do. Missouri asks for 175 hours, California for 160, Alaska and Virginia for 140 each, and Maine for 130. Wyoming, Wisconsin, Vermont, Tennessee, and South Dakota stay at the floor. The typical state total is 90 hours.

Of the 51 jurisdictions that set their own rules, 22 sit at the 75-hour floor, 15 require more than 100 hours, and 12 require at least 120. Clinical time varies as widely, from 16 hours in many states to 100 hours in Missouri and California. The table below lists every state with its total and clinical hours.

Full-time programs commonly finish in 4 to 12 weeks, and the hour count drives most of the spread. Wyoming's 75 hours fit into about four weeks at 20 hours a week; Missouri's 175 hours take closer to nine. Part-time and evening tracks cover the same material on a longer calendar, often about twice as long. Clinical scheduling at a partner facility can push the end date out further.

Finishing class is not the same as being certified. You still schedule and sit the state competency exam, and your name joins the state nurse aide registry after you pass, which can add days or weeks depending on test dates near you. Employers must verify registry status before they hire. The table below converts each state's hours into typical weeks at full-time and part-time pace.

Federal rule 42 CFR 483.152 sets the content every approved program must cover. Basic nursing skills come first, then personal care skills such as bathing, dressing, grooming, and feeding. Programs also cover mental health and social service needs, care of residents who are cognitively impaired, basic restorative services such as help with mobility and range of motion, and residents' rights.

Five topics must be taught before a student has any direct contact with a resident: communication and interpersonal skills, infection control, safety and emergency procedures, promoting residents' independence, and respecting residents' rights. The practical portion runs at least 16 hours under supervision, and many states require more. Students spend those hours with real residents, practicing the personal care and nursing skills taught in class.

Training runs at community colleges, vocational and technical schools, and the American Red Cross, a large national provider. Nursing homes with their own approved programs, some hospitals and health systems, and some high schools also train aides. Only a state-approved program qualifies you to test, so verify approval first. Check any program against your state's approved list or nurse aide registry before enrolling.

Ten states publish searchable lists of approved programs, and the counts are large: 644 in Illinois, 570 in California, 455 in Ohio, 254 in Texas, 245 in North Carolina, 196 in Florida, 182 in Pennsylvania, and 163 in New York. Those lists name 2,709 programs in total. Our state class pages carry them state by state.

Under 42 CFR 483.152(c), a nursing facility cannot charge a nurse aide it employs, or has offered employment to, for the training the job requires. A CNA hired by a nursing facility within 12 months of completing training must be reimbursed pro rata for training already paid for. Many facilities run free programs on that basis, and some hire trainees and pay them through training.

Some facilities ask for a work commitment in return. Confirm the terms in writing before you start: how long you owe, what happens if you leave early, and what the reimbursement covers. State workforce agencies and some employers also fund training, though the offerings vary by state and by year. Ask the staff development nurse at the facility.

A fully online CNA program does not exist. Where the state allows it, the classroom portion can be taken online or in a hybrid format, but clinical hours are always in person, and so is the competency exam. Before paying for an online course, confirm two things with your state: that the program holds state approval, and that it arranges your clinical placement.

Typical pay for CNAs is $20.32 an hour, or $42,260 a year, in the same government wage data (May 2025). Entry-level work pays around $16.32 an hour, close to $33,940 a year, and the top of the range reaches $24.99 an hour, or $51,980 a year. About 1.45 million people hold the job nationwide.

Employment is projected to grow 2.6 percent between 2025 and 2035, with roughly 196,200 openings a year as workers change jobs or leave the field. Those figures describe the occupation, not any one application. Many CNAs use the certification as a first step: practical nursing programs commonly run about 12 months, and LPNs typically earn $64,400, registered nurses $97,550, and nurse practitioners $132,300.

CNA training runs 75 to 175 hours depending on your state, commonly 4 to 12 weeks full time. Programs sit at community colleges, vocational schools, the Red Cross, hospitals, and nursing homes, and a facility cannot charge an aide it employs or has offered employment. Check your state's hours in the table, then call two or three nursing facilities near you and ask about free or paid training.