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CNA classes in Iowa

22 CNA (certified nursing assistant) programs with costs, results and funding that can make them free

18 schools offer these nursing assistant programs, and Iowa has approved every one for workforce funding. Each shows its price if you pay yourself and how past students did.

Nursing assistants give basic care and help patients with everyday tasks. To work as one, you usually finish a state-approved program and pass your state's competency exam, which puts you on the state registry.1 Federal rules require state-approved nurse aide programs for nursing homes to run at least 75 hours, including at least 16 hours of supervised hands-on practice. If a nursing home employs you or has offered you a job when you start, it can't charge you for the program.2

In Iowa, 17 of the 22 programs take students without a high school diploma and 5 ask for a diploma or equivalent.

All 22 are the same kind of program: nursing assistant (CNA).

See the 22 programs

How much do CNA classes cost in Iowa?

$625 to $750 is what most CNA programs in Iowa cost if you pay yourself

That is the middle half of the 21 programs with a price. All of them: $384 to $1,099

In the typical program

Finished the program
69%
Working 6 months later
83%
Earned a year, estimated
about $22,200
Length
4 to 8 weeks

Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Only programs approved for workforce funding are listed; other schools in Iowa may also offer CNA classes. How these figures are made

Are there free CNA classes in Iowa?

Who qualifies, and other ways to pay: financial aid, grants and the GI Bill

All 22 CNA programs in Iowa approved for WIOA funding

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22 programs

How to pay for CNA classes in Iowa

WIOA funding can pay for CNA classes in Iowa

Every program on this page is approved for it. Whether you qualify, how much your local area pays and how to apply are on our page Does WIOA pay for job training?

Financial aid and grants for CNA classes

Most students can get federal student aid for college, career school or trade school. A Federal Pell Grant, unlike a loan, usually doesn't have to be repaid. Ask the school whether its program qualifies.78

GI Bill for CNA classes

Veterans, service members and qualified dependents can use GI Bill benefits for non-college training programs.9

The program list does not show which programs accept these. Ask the school.

Quick facts: CNA classes in Iowa

programs with a price cost under $1,000
19 of 21
lowest typical price among the states with enough programs to compare
7th of 45
other states where the typical program's graduates earned less
7 of 32
CNA programs here, against the typical state's 21
22 vs 21

State comparisons use the same figures as the CNA classes by state table: the middle program of each state, and only states with three or more schools for prices. Source: US Department of Labor, program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025).

CNA classes in Marshalltown, Cedar Rapids, Des Moines and other Iowa cities

Choosing an area filters the program list above. 6 more programs are in 6 other areas, 3 in smaller cities and towns and 1 online.

Other training in Iowa

How CNA classes compare with the rest of nursing and patient care: Nursing and patient care programs in Iowa

Where the Iowa nursing assistant program numbers come from

Which Iowa nursing assistant programs are on this list?

These are the nursing assistant programs Iowa approved for WIOA funding (public workforce funding under the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act), as reported to the US Department of Labor for program year 2024 (July 2024 to June 2025). Each state keeps its approved programs on an eligible training provider list (ETPL).10 The list here covers programs approved as of June 30, 2025. Schools that never applied for approval are missing, so this is a part of what Iowa offers.

How the prices and results of Iowa nursing assistant programs are measured

Prices are tuition and required fees for someone paying without workforce funding, as the school reported them; check the current price with the school. Results describe students who left each program in recent years, so they are no guarantee, and the yearly earnings are the reported quarter times four, an estimate. A program without a "Trained with WIOA funding" line may still take WIOA students. Where a field was left empty or withheld, the page says "Not reported", and "Left out" where a figure was filed but failed one of our checks; nothing is estimated to fill a gap. Where the numbers come from explains each figure in full.

Sources for the facts about CNA classes in Iowa

Show the 10 sourcesHide the sources
  1. US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook: Nursing Assistants and Orderlies
  2. Electronic Code of Federal Regulations: 42 CFR 483.152, Requirements for approval of a nurse aide training and competency evaluation program
  3. US Department of Labor, TrainingProviderResults.gov: About This Site
  4. US Department of Labor: WIOA Adult Program
  5. Code of Federal Regulations, title 20, part 680, sections 680.220, 680.230 and 680.310: career services before training, other grants such as Pell Grants first, and limits on Individual Training Accounts (GovInfo, 2024 edition)
  6. US Department of Labor: American Job Centers
  7. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Eligibility for Federal Student Aid
  8. US Department of Education, Federal Student Aid: Don't Miss Out on Federal Pell Grants
  9. US Department of Veterans Affairs: GI Bill benefits for non-college degree programs
  10. US Department of Labor, Training and Employment Guidance Letter 8-19, Attachment I: Requirements for Training Providers, Program Eligibility, and the State Eligible Training Provider (ETP) List