North Carolina LPN License: Lookup, Renewal, CE, and Fees

North Carolina participates in the Nurse Licensure Compact, so an LPN who already holds a multistate license from another compact state can practice in North Carolina under that license without applying separately. An LPN from a non-compact state, or one who wants a North Carolina-issued license, must apply through endorsement instead.

Endorsement runs through the Nurse Portal for a non-refundable $150 fee. The board verifies the applicant's original and current-state licenses through Nursys and requires a fingerprint-based SBI/FBI background check for $38. Applicants must show NCLEX-PN passage and an active license within the past 5 years, or complete a board-approved LPN refresher course; North Carolina requires no separate state jurisprudence exam. A non-renewable temporary license, valid up to 6 months, is available once per lifetime, within the first 6 months of applying, once fingerprints are received.

North Carolina requires LPN candidates to graduate from a board-approved licensed practical nurse education program; North Carolina programs verify completion electronically, while out-of-state graduates send a final official transcript. The board's exam page does not state program length. Candidates pass the NCLEX-PN, administered through Pearson VUE for a $200 registration fee paid separately. North Carolina requires no separate state jurisprudence exam and does not limit NCLEX-PN attempts; RN candidates who fail their first NCLEX-RN attempt may test for the NCLEX-PN instead, using program code US19909900.