Become a Nurse in New York – Education, Licensure, Requirements

Obtain a Nursing License in NY

All four nursing professions in the state are credentialed and registered by the New York State Education Department (NYSED) — as a license for RNs and LPNs, or as a certificate for NPs and CNSs. While the first step toward credentialing is education, other requirements include profession-specific exams and possibly practicum hours, professional certification or specialized coursework.

To become credentialed and registered by NYSED, you'll need to fill out an application attesting that you meet the stated requirements and pay the applicable fee. The time it takes to receive your credential after applying will vary based on a number of factors, including whether you attended a NYSED program or a qualifying out-of-state school.

Maintain and Renew Licensure in NY

RN and LPN licenses, and NP and CNS certificates, are valid for life in New York unless surrendered, revoked, annulled or suspended. What must be renewed is the separate registration that authorizes you to practice: RN, LPN, NP and CNS registrations are all renewed every three years (per NYSED). NPs and CNSs must keep both their advanced-practice registration and their underlying RN registration current. You will receive a notice in the mail with instructions on renewing registrations five months before the deadline. To maintain your registration, you'll also need to update the licensing board if you change your name or address.

The following nurse licensure information for New York was retrieved from NYSED Office of the Professions for Nursing.

Nurse Practitioner (NP) in New York

Certification: (per NYSED) Current New York RN licensure and registration are required before NYSED will review an NP application. NYSED then recognizes NP certification through any of three pathways: completing an NYSED-registered NP education program, holding current national certification from an accepted certifying body, or holding a substantially equivalent out-of-state NP license or certification. All pathways require coursework on New York and federal prescription and recordkeeping law; the out-of-state-equivalency pathway also requires separate graduate-level pharmacotherapy coursework.

Fees: (per NYSED)

• $85 for the NP certificate and initial NP registration alone; $228 total when applying for RN and NP registration together
• National-certification exam fee (varies by certifying body, for applicants using that pathway)

Renewal: The NP certificate is valid for life; the NP registration that authorizes practice must be renewed every three years, alongside RN registration, for a combined $35 (per NP certificate) plus $73 (RN registration) renewal fee (per NYSED). NPs remain subject to the same infection-control training as RNs (see the Registered Nurse section below), and NPs with a DEA registration to prescribe controlled substances must also complete at least 3 hours of prescriber training in pain management, palliative care and addiction every three years (per NYSED).

Learn more about how to become a nurse practitioner.

Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) in New York

Certification: (per NYSED) Current New York RN licensure and registration are required before NYSED will review a CNS application. NYSED recognizes CNS certification through a master's-level clinical nursing program plus qualifying clinical practice hours, accepted national certification from bodies such as ANCC, AACN or ONCC, a substantially equivalent out-of-state license or certification, or graduation from an NYSED-registered CNS program.

Fees: (per NYSED)

• $80 for the CNS certificate and initial CNS registration alone; $223 total when applying for RN and CNS registration together
• National-certification exam fee (varies by certifying body, for applicants using that pathway)

Renewal: The CNS certificate is valid for life; the CNS registration that authorizes practice must be renewed every three years, alongside RN registration, for a combined $30 (per CNS certificate) plus $73 (RN registration) renewal fee (per NYSED). CNSs remain subject to the same RN infection-control training requirement described in the Registered Nurse section below.

Learn more on how to become a clinical nurse specialist.

Registered Nurse (RN) in New York

Education: (per NYSED) Completion of an NYSED-registered associate, bachelor's, master's or diploma nursing program (or an equivalent out-of-state or foreign program), plus infection control and child abuse coursework. RNs first licensed in New York on or after June 19, 2020 must also earn a baccalaureate or higher nursing degree within 10 years to continue their registration, unless exempt, under New York's BSN-in-10 law.

Examination: NCLEX-RN

Fees:

• $143 fee, covering the RN license and initial registration (per NYSED)
• $200 NCLEX examination fee (separate Pearson VUE charge)

Renewal: The RN license is valid for life; the separate registration that authorizes practice must be renewed every three years for a $73 fee (per NYSED). RNs must complete NYSED-approved infection control training every four years, attested at initial licensure and each registration renewal unless exempt (per NYSED).

Endorsement: Individuals with equivalent licensure in another state may apply for licensure through endorsement, subject to a $143 application fee. Applicants must also complete infection control and child abuse coursework.

Learn more about how to become a registered nurse.

Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) in New York

Education: (per NYSED) Completion of an NYSED-registered LPN program, an RN-qualifying program, a qualifying U.S. Armed Forces nursing program, or an equivalent out-of-state or foreign practical-nursing program, plus infection control coursework.

Examination: NCLEX-PN

Fees:

• $143 fee, covering the LPN license and initial registration (per NYSED)
• $200 NCLEX examination fee (separate Pearson VUE charge)

Renewal: The LPN license is valid for life; the separate registration that authorizes practice must be renewed every three years for a $73 fee (per NYSED). LPNs must complete NYSED-approved infection control training every four years, attested at initial licensure and each registration renewal unless exempt (per NYSED).

Endorsement: Individuals with equivalent licensure in another state may apply for licensure through endorsement, subject to a $143 application fee.

Learn more about how to become a licensed practical nurse.

New York Nursing Salaries

¹ The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish a separate wage series for Clinical Nurse Specialists; figures shown are BLS's Registered Nurses (SOC 29-1141) estimates, the closest published proxy.

² BLS did not publish a wage estimate for this area in the May 2025 release.

³ BLS does not separately publish a Nurse Midwife estimate for this metro area.

^{According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics' Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, in May 2025 median annual wages for nurses in New York varied by specialization and by region of the state, and were higher statewide than the U.S. median for every nurse type covered here. As with most professions, New York City-area pay is the main driver of that gap: outside the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area, wages in upstate metros such as Rochester and Syracuse tracked closer to — and for some nurse types slightly below — the national median. For example, the statewide median wage for a registered nurse was $109,440, compared with $119,720 in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area and $86,570 in Rochester, versus a U.S. median of $97,550.}

Nurse anesthetists had the highest earnings of the nurse types covered here across every New York geography for which BLS publishes a figure, with medians ranging from $247,970 in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga area to $321,030 statewide and in the New York-Newark-Jersey City metro area; BLS did not publish separate estimates for the Syracuse or Albany-Schenectady-Troy areas in the May 2025 release.

Compact State Status

New York is not a Nurse Licensure Compact state (per NYSED), and does not appear among the jurisdictions currently participating in the compact. This means nurses who live in another state and want to work in New York must take the steps to become a nurse in NY. A bill that would enact the interstate Nurse Licensure Compact in New York (S3916) remained pending in a State Senate committee as of January 2026.

Verifying a Nursing License in New York

Employers, patients and nurses themselves can confirm that a New York nursing license, certificate or registration is active and in good standing using NYSED's Office of the Professions license verification search.

Prescriptive Authority in New York

Nurse practitioners in New York must generally practice under a written practice agreement and written practice protocols with a collaborating physician qualified in their specialty area, per NYSED, unless and until they qualify for independent practice. To prescribe controlled substances, an NP must obtain a DEA registration number and use official New York State prescription forms.

However, an NP who has completed more than 3,600 hours of qualifying practice experience may practice independently, without a collaborating physician or written practice agreement, within their certified specialty, under New York Education Law § 6902(3)(b), currently in effect through July 1, 2030.

There are many things to consider before you become a nurse in New York. We've gathered some frequently asked questions to help you choose if New York nursing is right for you.