Capital Area School of Practical Nursing (CASPN)

700 Windy Point Drive, San Marcos, CA

The mission statement of the Capital Area School of Practical Nursing (CASPN) is: “Shaping the future of healthcare through nursing excellence in education, advancement, and practice.” A provider of certification for those aspiring to sit for the LPN boards, this Springfield, IL, school is accredited by the North Central Association.

The nine-month course is divided into four semesters totaling 1,330 hours of clinical (462 hours) and theory (868 hours) instruction. Two batches are admitted each year – in August and December – and attend classes consecutively.

Financial aid is accepted in many forms, including grants, loans, scholarships, the GI Bill and the Workforce Investment Act. Tuition is currently set at either $8,000 or $4,000 per semester and excludes all other fees and charges. A full listing of costs and financial aid eligibility is sent to each enrolled student from the financial aid office. The school discourages full-time employment because of the course’s intensity, but does advise part-time employment up to 20 hours per week.

CASPN is a public, less-than-two-years sub-baccalaureate institution located in a mid-sized city. It currently enrolls fewer than 200 students, all of whom are undergraduates. In 2012, about 94% of the students received financial aid in some form, which is average for the two-year college category of institutions. Average grant aid was $10,320 during the year. Student to Faculty ratio is 16:1, which makes for small-sized classes where students get adequate attention from their instructors. On-schedule graduation rate is currently at 77%.