How to Become a Nurse in New York (RN, LPN or CNA)

Three nursing roles, two state agencies

New York licenses registered professional nurses (RNs) and licensed practical nurses (LPNs) through the State Education Department's Office of the Professions (NYSED), not a separate board of nursing, and certifies nurse aides (CNAs) through the Department of Health's Nursing Home Nurse Aide Registry. All three paths run school, then exam, then a state record, but the schools, exams, fees and agencies differ, and New York adds two rules most states do not have: a one-time child abuse reporting course and an infection control course repeated every four years for nurses, and a law that gives new RNs ten years to earn a bachelor's degree. This guide walks through each path as the state agencies describe it, then covers nurses moving in from another state, the compact, pay and renewal.

How to become a registered nurse in New York

1. Graduate from a registered nursing program

NYSED accepts graduates of a nursing education program it has registered as license-qualifying for RN, whether that program awards an associate degree (ADN), a bachelor's degree (BSN), a master's degree or a hospital diploma. Graduates of programs in other states approved by that state's licensing authority also qualify, as do graduates of foreign programs of at least two academic years that the home country certifies as preparing registered nurses. The Bureau of Labor Statistics lists a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for registered nurses, and in New York the degree carries legal weight too (step 2). NYSED publishes the list of registered New York nursing programs, which is the place to confirm a school before enrolling.

2. Know the BSN in 10 law before you choose a degree

New York writes a degree deadline into its nursing law. Under Chapter 502 of the Laws of 2017, as amended by Chapter 380 of the Laws of 2018, an RN first licensed on or after 18 June 2020 must earn a baccalaureate or higher degree in nursing within 10 years of becoming licensed in New York. Nurses who held an unrestricted RN license in New York, another state, a U.S. territory or Canada on or before that date are exempt, as are those who were already enrolled in a qualifying program then. The first cohort of RNs covered by the law reaches its deadline at the registration renewal falling on or after 18 June 2030, and a nurse who has not met it cannot renew except through the conditional registration or temporary educational exemption NYSED allows in limited cases. An amendment to the Commissioner's regulations that took effect on 29 April 2026 further defines those requirements. If you start with an ADN, plan the RN-to-BSN bridge from day one; details are on NYSED's BSN in 10 page.

3. Complete New York's mandated coursework

Before NYSED issues a license or a limited permit you must complete two state-approved courses or qualify for an exemption. The child abuse identification and reporting course is taken once; if you graduated from a NYSED-registered RN program after 1 September 1990 it was part of your studies and you have already met it. The infection control course is repeated every four years; new graduates who finished school within the last four years have it covered by their program, and anyone who graduated more than four years ago takes it from an approved provider before applying.

4. Apply to NYSED

Applications are filed online as Form 1, Application for Licensure, with the $143 fee paid by credit card; that figure is the $70 license fee plus the $73 first registration fee from NYSED's fee chart. You must be at least 18 and of good moral character, and NYSED reviews any criminal history or past discipline case by case. Your nursing school certifies your education directly to the Department (graduates of programs outside New York have the school complete the Certification of Professional Education, Form 2, with an official transcript). If you hold an LPN license or any other professional license in another state, that licensing authority verifies it through Nursys or Form 3. A partially completed online application can be resumed within 30 days.

5. Register for the NCLEX-RN

Register directly with the exam vendor, Pearson VUE. The NCLEX registration fee is $200 in the United States, and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing has announced that it rises to $350 on 1 February 2027. New York has no separate state law or jurisprudence exam. Once NYSED has your application, fee and education on file it makes you eligible to test and Pearson VUE sends the Authorization to Test. A candidate who fails re-registers with Pearson VUE for the next attempt.

6. Optional: work on a limited permit while you wait

A graduate who has applied for licensure but has not yet taken the NCLEX-RN can work as a graduate nurse on a limited permit. You complete Section I of Form 5 and your prospective employer completes Section II; the fee is $35 and the form is mailed to the Office of the Professions. The permit is valid for up to one year or until 10 days after you are notified that you failed the NCLEX-RN, whichever comes first, and you practice only under the direct supervision of an RN who is on the patient care unit with you. If you have ever taken the NCLEX-RN, in any state, you are not eligible for a limited permit.

7. Pass the exam and register to practice

A passing NCLEX-RN result completes the file and NYSED issues the license. The license is issued once; the registration that authorizes you to practice runs for three years at a time and is renewed with NYSED (see "Keeping your New York license" below). Open positions for new graduates and experienced nurses are listed by employer on our registered nurse jobs in New York hub.

How to become an LPN in New York

The LPN path is the RN path with a shorter school, a different exam and a slightly lower age limit:

1. Finish a registered practical nursing program. NYSED accepts a program it has registered as license-qualifying for LPN, a program registered for RN licensure, a U.S. Armed Forces nursing program of at least nine months, an out-of-state program approved by that state, or a foreign program of at least nine months certified by its government. The Bureau of Labor Statistics notes practical nursing programs typically take about one year. You must be at least 17, a high school graduate or the equivalent, and of good moral character.
2. Apply online as Form 1 with the same $143 license and first registration fee. Graduates who finished school more than four years ago complete the infection control course first; recent graduates have it from their program.
3. Register for the NCLEX-PN with Pearson VUE ($200, rising to $350 on 1 February 2027).
4. Work on a limited permit if you want to start early. Form 5 with your employer's section, $35, valid for up to one year or until 10 days after notice of a failed NCLEX-PN, whichever comes first.
5. Pass, get licensed, register every three years. The LPN renewal fee is $73, the same as the RN fee.

Many New York LPNs later bridge to RN through an LPN-to-ADN or LPN-to-BSN program; NYSED treats that graduate as a new RN applicant by examination, and the BSN in 10 clock starts at the RN license. Current openings are on our LPN jobs in New York hub.

How to become a CNA in New York

Nurse aides are not licensed by NYSED. Federal law requires every nurse aide a nursing home uses to complete a state-approved training program and pass a competency evaluation, and the New York State Department of Health keeps the Nursing Home Nurse Aide Registry of everyone who has. Nursing homes must verify an aide's standing on the registry before employment.

1. Complete a state-approved nurse aide training program. New York's mandated program is a minimum of 100 clock hours: at least 70 hours of classroom and laboratory training plus 30 hours of supervised clinical training with residents in a nursing home. Programs run inside nursing homes, approved by the Department of Health, and at career and technical schools, proprietary schools and colleges approved by the State Education Department; the Department of Health's Nurse Aide Registry page links the lists. A nursing-home-sponsored program is provided free of charge to the trainee, and the nursing home pays the testing fees for the first attempt at both parts of the exam.
2. Pass the two-part certification exam. The New York State Nursing Home Nurse Aide Certification Examination has a clinical skills test and a written test (an oral version is available), given by registered nurses through the state's testing contractor. Your training program schedules your first test date within 10 days of the program's last day. You get three opportunities to pass the skills test and three to pass the written test, and a trainee working in a nursing home must pass both within 120 days of the first day of training or employment to keep working in a resident-contact role.
3. Get listed on the Nurse Aide Registry. Passing both parts places your name on the New York State Nursing Home Nurse Aide Registry, which is the credential employers check. The registry publishes a renewal form for keeping the listing current; follow the Department of Health's instructions on the registry page when your certification period approaches its end.

Openings across nursing homes, hospitals and home care are on our CNA jobs in New York hub.

Licensed in another state? New York is not a compact state

New York is not a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact, and the National Council of State Boards of Nursing's compact map shows no compact legislation pending in the state. A multistate license issued by another state does not authorize practice in New York, so an RN or LPN moving in, or taking a travel assignment here, needs a New York license first. See our compact nursing states list for the states that have joined.

Nurses licensed elsewhere apply to NYSED through the pathway for nurses licensed in another state (Pathway 3 on the RN and LPN requirement pages):

• Coursework first: the NYSED-approved infection control course and, for RNs, the child abuse identification and reporting course, or an exemption.
• Form 1 and the $143 fee, the same application and fee as a new graduate.
• Education verification: your nursing school completes Section II of Form 2 and sends an official transcript signed by the registrar directly to NYSED.
• License verification: through Nursys where your state participates, otherwise Form 3 completed by that state's licensing authority; every other professional license you hold is verified the same way.
• Exam: a passing NCLEX from another state counts, and nurses licensed before the NCLEX existed may qualify on the State Board Test Pool Examination. The limited permit is only for nurses who have never taken the NCLEX, so most endorsement applicants wait for the license itself before starting work.

What nurses earn in New York

The figures below are the Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics for May 2025, the most recent state wage data the government publishes. New York pays all three roles above the national median, and the gap is widest for nurse aides.

Pay varies a great deal inside the state by region, employer and shift, and night, weekend and specialty differentials add to the base. For posted pay by city and employer, see nurse jobs and pay in New York; for how New York ranks against other states, see the highest-paying states for nurses.

Job outlook

The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects national employment of registered nurses to grow 6 percent from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average for all occupations, with about 180,800 openings a year once retirements and career changes are counted. Licensed practical and vocational nurses are projected to grow 3 percent with about 51,800 openings a year, and nursing assistants and orderlies 3 percent with about 203,300 openings a year. New York employs more than 200,000 registered nurses, and its academic medical centers and hospital systems are among the most active employers on our board; see where hospitals are hiring nurses now.

Keeping your New York license or certificate

• RNs and LPNs renew their registration every three years; the fee is $73 for either license, and NYSED mails the renewal application about four months before the registration expires. The infection control course must be repeated every four years, and an RN covered by the BSN in 10 law must hold the bachelor's or higher degree by the renewal that falls on or after the ten-year mark. Details by state are in our nurse CE requirements by state guide.
• CNAs keep their listing on the Nurse Aide Registry current through the registry's renewal process, published on the Department of Health's registry page.

Sources

• New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions, Registered Professional Nursing: License Requirements, RN Pathway 1 and RN Pathway 3, read 2 October 2026.
• New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions, Licensed Practical Nursing: License Requirements, LPN Pathway 1 and LPN Pathway 3, read 2 October 2026.
• New York State Education Department, Office of the Professions, Registered Professional Nursing: Frequently Asked Questions, BSN in 10, Fees Chart and Online Registration Renewal, current schedule, read 2 October 2026.
• New York State Department of Health, Nurse Aide Registry and Nursing Home Nurse Aide Training Program and Certification, January 2017 edition, read 2 October 2026.
• National Council of State Boards of Nursing, NCLEX Fees and Payment and Nurse Licensure Compact, read 2 October 2026.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses and Nursing Assistants, national and New York estimates, read 2 October 2026.
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2025-35 projections: Registered Nurses, Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses and Nursing Assistants and Orderlies, read 2 October 2026.