CNA Classes in GA: Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus, Savannah
To work as a CNA in Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus or Savannah, you need a Georgia certification: complete a state-approved program of at least 85 hours, including 24 hours of clinical rotation supervised by an approved RN or LPN, pass Credentia’s written (or oral) exam and skills evaluation, and get listed on the Georgia Nurse Aide Registry. New graduates must pass within 12 months of their graduation date. To stay listed, you work at least 8 paid hours every 24 consecutive months under a nurse’s supervision, and renewal is free.
Georgia CNA requirements at a glance
- Training: At least 85 hours on the Federal/State Core Curriculum, including 24 hours of clinical rotation in a facility supervised by an approved RN or LPN. Facility orientation doesn’t count toward the 24 clinical hours, and the course is taught in English only.
- Who approves programs: The Georgia Department of Community Health (DCH), through its contractor, Alliant Health Solutions. See the list of active training programs by region; programs are re-approved every two years.
- Competency exam: Credentia: 70 multiple-choice questions in English, or an oral version, plus 5 skills in 30 minutes. Three attempts.
- Nurse aide registry: DCH’s registry, run by Alliant Health Solutions; search it online. Renew every two years with at least 8 paid hours every 24 consecutive months under a nurse’s supervision; no fee.
- Moving from another state: Mail the Reciprocity Form. You need an active listing with no discipline and at least 8 paid CNA hours under RN supervision in the past two years. Approved applicants are listed without the Georgia exams.
Colleges near Atlanta, Augusta, Columbus and Savannah that train CNAs
These public colleges in the Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA and Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC and Columbus, GA-AL and Savannah, GA metro areas reported nursing assistant completions (CIP 51.3902) to the federal IPEDS survey for July 2024 to June 2025. Many approved CNA programs, such as those run by nursing homes, private training schools and the Red Cross, don’t report to IPEDS, so check the state’s approved-program list too.
| Institution | City | Completions |
|---|---|---|
| Southern Crescent Technical College | Griffin | 254 |
| West Georgia Technical College | Waco | 252 |
| Chattahoochee Technical College | Marietta | 206 |
| Savannah Technical College | Savannah | 97 |
| Gwinnett Technical College | Lawrenceville | 47 |
| Columbus Technical College | Columbus | 45 |
| Augusta Technical College | Augusta | 11 |
| Georgia Piedmont Technical College | Clarkston | 3 |
| Atlanta Technical College | Atlanta | 2 |
Statewide, 21 institutions in Georgia reported 2,371 nursing assistant completions for 2024–25. Source: IPEDS 2024–25 Completions, National Center for Education Statistics (provisional release).
Free CNA training in Georgia
Federal rules protect nurse aides who train for jobs in nursing homes that take Medicare or Medicaid. If one of those facilities employs you, or has offered you a job, on the day your approved program starts, it can’t charge you for any part of it, including textbooks and required materials. If you pay for a program yourself and a facility hires you, or offers you a job, within 12 months of finishing, the state must reimburse your costs on a pro-rata basis for the time you work there as a nurse aide (42 CFR 483.152(c)). Ask nursing homes near you whether they sponsor students.
What to check before you pay for a CNA program in Georgia
- It’s on the state’s approved list. Only an approved program makes you eligible for the competency exam.
- Its hours meet the state minimum, including the supervised clinical hours, and it tells you where the clinical training happens.
- The price is complete: tuition, textbooks, uniform, background check and the exam fee.
- It explains how you register for the exam and when you can test after you finish.
- It doesn’t promise 100% online certification. Supervised hands-on training is required, so a course with none can’t lead to certification.
Georgia approves both nursing home-based and non-nursing home programs, and each must go through re-approval every two years. All 85 required hours must be spent on the Federal/State Core Curriculum, and any extra subjects add hours on top. Lab and clinical training must be face to face, while theory can be taught through blended learning. The active-program list is sorted by state region and gives each program’s address and phone number.
The Georgia CNA exam
Credentia develops, scores and reports Georgia’s nurse aide registry test, in partnership with the state. The written exam has 70 multiple-choice questions in English. If you have difficulty reading English, you can take the oral exam instead: 60 multiple-choice questions plus 10 reading comprehension and word recognition questions.
In the skills evaluation, you have 30 minutes to demonstrate 5 skills, and you must complete all 5 successfully to pass.
You’re allowed three attempts to pass the skills test and the written or oral exam; if you fail three times, you must retrain and retake both parts. New graduates (Credentia’s E1 and E1-A eligibility routes) must pass within 12 months of their graduation date, and other eligibility routes allow 12, 24 or 36 months, depending on the route.
The Georgia nurse aide registry and renewal
The Georgia Department of Community Health keeps the Georgia Nurse Aide Registry, and its contractor, Alliant Health Solutions, runs it. Employers and aides can search the registry online to confirm whether a certified nurse aide is active or inactive.
Your listing expires 24 months after your last passed competency exam or your last recertification. To renew based on work, you must have worked for pay, performing nursing-related services, for at least 8 hours every 24 consecutive months under a nurse’s supervision; DCH’s training manual specifies a registered nurse. There’s no renewal fee, and the Certified Nurse Aide Renewal Form is on the Nurse Aide Program’s forms page. If you can’t meet the work requirement, you must take and pass the written or oral exam and the skills exam again.
Moving to Georgia with a CNA from another state
If you’re certified in another state, file the Application for Nurse Aide Registry Listing by Reciprocity (the Reciprocity Form) by mail with Alliant Health Solutions; it can’t be faxed. You must be listed on the other state’s registry with an active status and no discipline or encumbrance, and you must have worked as a CNA for at least 8 hours, for pay, under RN supervision within the past two years. Include your Social Security card and a photo ID. The registry reviews your application and the other state’s verification, then adds you without the Georgia written/oral and skills exams, though the state contractor can require transferring aides to take the exams. If you didn’t pass the competency exam within one year of finishing your other state’s training program, Georgia won’t extend reciprocity. Processing takes about 14 business days when your state offers online verification.
More CNA guides
Sources
- Part II Policies and Procedures for Nurse Aide Training Program Manual (Georgia Department of Community Health (via Alliant Health Solutions); Q3 2026 edition)
- Active Training Programs By Regions (Georgia Nurse Aide Program (Alliant Health Solutions for DCH); last updated Nov. 4, 2026 (generated on request))
- Introduction (Georgia Nurse Aide Handbook) (Credentia; undated)
- Exam Overview (Georgia Nurse Aide Handbook) (Credentia; 2024 NNAAP edition)
- The Skill Evaluation (Georgia Nurse Aide Handbook) (Credentia; undated)
- Exam Results (Georgia Nurse Aide Handbook) (Credentia; undated)
- The Registry (Georgia Nurse Aide Handbook) (Credentia; undated)
- Search for a Certified Nurse Aide (Georgia Nurse Aide Program (Alliant Health Solutions for DCH); undated)
- Forms (Georgia Nurse Aide Program (Alliant Health Solutions for DCH); undated)
- State of Georgia Nurse Aide Registry Listing by Reciprocity: General Information and Application (Georgia Nurse Aide Program (Alliant Health Solutions for DCH); form version 10-2025)
- 42 CFR 483.152: Requirements for approval of a nurse aide training and competency evaluation program (eCFR, current text)
- 42 CFR 483.154: Nurse aide competency evaluation (eCFR, current text)
- 42 CFR 483.156: Registry of nurse aides (eCFR, current text)
- IPEDS 2024–25 Completions (C2025_A) and Institutional Characteristics (HD2025) (National Center for Education Statistics, provisional release)
Last reviewed November 2026.