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Certified Nursing Assistant — License Requirements by State

Provides hands-on patient care under RN supervision. Two-part exam: written + clinical skills.

51 of 51 states populated with official data (retrieved 2026-08-20).

By The LicenseFig Editorial Team · independent editorial research project

How to get your Certified Nursing Assistant license

  1. Check your state requirements. Open the requirements table for your state on this page — education hours, exam vendor, fees and retake rules.
  2. Complete pre-license education. Finish the required education hours (or approved equivalent) from an accepted provider.
  3. Pass the background check. Submit fingerprints and clear the required criminal background check where applicable.
  4. Register and pass the exam. Register with the exam vendor (PSI, Pearson VUE or Prometric), then pass the national and state portions.
  5. Pay the license fee. Submit the application and license fee to the state board to receive your license.
  6. Keep it active. Track renewal dates and continuing-education hours using the License Renewal Calculator.
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How much does it cost to get your Certified Nursing Assistant license?

Costs vary by state. Most charge a modest application or license fee — often between $0 and $120 — and a handful of states also require a small exam fee. A few occupations add pre-license education tuition. See the Fees column in the table below for your state, then compare costs across states with the Exam Cost Compare tool.

StateEducationExamPass %FeesRetakeReciprocityOfficial
AL75 hrs70N · 70%————Alabama Nurse Aide Registry — Alabama Department of Public Health ↗
AK140 hrs70N · 70%————Alaska Board of Nursing — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
AZ120 hrs70N · 70%————Arizona State Board of Nursing — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
AR90 hrs70N · 70%————Arkansas Nurse Aide Registry — Arkansas Department of Human Services ↗
CA150 hrs70N · 70%————California Department of Public Health — Aide and Technician Certification Section ↗
CO75 hrs70N · 70%————Colorado Board of Nursing — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
CT100 hrs70N · 70%————Connecticut Department of Public Health ↗
DE150 hrs70N · 70%————Delaware Division of Health Care Quality ↗
DC120 hrs70N · 70%————DC Health — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
FL120 hrs70N · 70%87.14%———Florida Board of Nursing ↗
GA85 hrs70N · 70%————Georgia Nurse Aide Registry — Georgia Department of Community Health ↗
HI100 hrs70N · 70%————Hawaii Nurse Aide Registry — Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs ↗
ID120 hrs70N · 70%————Idaho Nurse Aide Registry — Idaho Department of Health and Welfare ↗
IL120 hrs70N · 70%————Illinois Department of Public Health — Health Care Worker Registry ↗
IN105 hrs70N · 70%————Indiana Department of Health — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
IA75 hrs70N · 70%————Iowa Nurse Aide Registry — Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals ↗
KS90 hrs70N · 70%————Kansas Department for Aging and Disability Services — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
KY75 hrs70N · 70%————Kentucky Board of Nursing — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
LA80 hrs70N · 70%————Louisiana Department of Health — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
ME180 hrs70N · 70%————Maine Registry of Certified Nursing Assistants ↗
MD100 hrs70N · 70%————Maryland Board of Nursing — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
MA100 hrs70N · 70%————Massachusetts Nurse Aide Registry — Massachusetts Department of Public Health ↗
MI75 hrs70N · 70%————Michigan Nurse Aide Registry — Michigan Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs ↗
MN75 hrs70N · 70%————Minnesota Nursing Assistant Registry — Minnesota Department of Health ↗
MS75 hrs70N · 70%————Mississippi State Department of Health — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
MO175 hrs70N · 70%————Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
MT120 hrs70N · 70%————Montana Nurse Aide Registry — Montana Department of Public Health and Human Services ↗
NE75 hrs70N · 70%————Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
NV150 hrs70N · 70%————Nevada State Board of Nursing — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
NH100 hrs70N · 70%————New Hampshire Board of Nursing ↗
NJ90 hrs70N · 70%————New Jersey Department of Health — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
NM75 hrs70N · 70%————New Mexico Nurse Aide Registry — New Mexico Department of Health ↗
NY100 hrs70N · 70%————New York State Department of Health — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
NC75 hrs70N · 70%————North Carolina Nurse Aide Registry — NC Department of Health and Human Services ↗
ND75 hrs70N · 70%————North Dakota Department of Health — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
OH75 hrs70N · 70%————Ohio Department of Health — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
OK75 hrs70N · 70%————Oklahoma State Department of Health — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
OR175 hrs70N · 70%————Oregon State Board of Nursing — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
PA80 hrs70N · 70%————Pennsylvania Department of Health — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
RI120 hrs70N · 70%————Rhode Island Department of Health — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
SC100 hrs70N · 70%————South Carolina Nurse Aide Registry — SC Department of Health and Human Services ↗
SD75 hrs70N · 70%————South Dakota Board of Nursing — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
TN75 hrs70N · 70%————Tennessee Department of Health — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
TX75 hrs70N · 70%————Texas Health and Human Services — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
UT100 hrs70N · 70%————Utah Nursing Assistant Registry — Utah Division of Professional Licensing ↗
VT100 hrs70N · 70%————Vermont Board of Nursing ↗
VA120 hrs70N · 70%————Virginia Board of Nursing — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
WA85 hrs70N · 70%————Washington State Department of Health — Nursing Assistant Program ↗
WV120 hrs70N · 70%————West Virginia Office of Health Facility Licensure & Certification ↗
WI120 hrs70N · 70%————Wisconsin Department of Health Services — Nurse Aide Registry ↗
WY105 hrs70N · 70%————Wyoming State Board of Nursing ↗

● Data updated 2026-08-20Data retrieved 2026-08-20 from state boards, PSI, Pearson VUE and CMS. Requirements change — verify with your state board before enrolling or paying. Dash (—) = not published / pending verification.

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