New York · Practical Nursing

Best colleges for Practical Nursing in New York

Ranked by graduate earnings

Transitions Career Institute School of Nursing, AMG School of Nursing and Rockland County BOCES-Practical Nursing Program are the top Practical Nursing programs in New York by graduate earnings. Transitions Career Institute School of Nursing leads with median earnings one year after graduation (often called starting salary) of $65,992, College Scorecard. Access Careers, Access Careers - Islandia and New Age Training award the most Practical Nursing degrees and certificates in New York: 821, 633 and 181 graduates a year (IPEDS 2024–25). 47 New York colleges offer Practical Nursing and award 3,918 degrees and certificates a year in all.

The Practical Nursing program, also known as Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants, prepares students for a career as a licensed practical nurse (LPN). This program is designed for individuals who want to provide direct nursing care to…

Institutions
47
offering CIP 51.39
States & territories
56
with a program page
Degrees / yr
3,918
IPEDS completions 2024–25
Median starting salary
$55,424
1 yr after graduation, College Scorecard
With earnings data
33
College Scorecard
Median net price
$24,492
IPEDS 2024–25
Avg graduation rate
62%
IPEDS 2024–25
State pay · Nursing Assistants
$48,800
BLS OEWS May 2025

Top 10 institutions, ranked by graduate earnings

Ranked by median earnings one year after graduation (often called starting salary), College Scorecard. Programs with fewer than 20 graduates a year, a graduation rate under 30%, or online, degree-completion or graduate-only status rank after the rest.

Starting salary (1 yr): median earnings one year after graduation (often called starting salary), College Scorecard.
#InstitutionStarting salary (1 yr)Graduates / yrGrad rateNet priceMedian debt
1Transitions Career Institute School of Nursing
College Point Private for-profit · Certificate
$65,9929079%$38,748$11,750
2AMG School of Nursing
Brooklyn Private for-profit · Certificate
$64,8788579%$33,363$14,167
3Rockland County BOCES-Practical Nursing Program
West Nyack Public · Certificate
$60,11421100%—$11,600
4Veeb Nassau County School of Practical Nursing
Hicksville Public · Certificate
$56,14217448%—$12,406
5Mildred Elley-New York Campus
New York Private for-profit · Certificate
$55,42413432%$24,850$24,459
6Hunter Business School
Levittown Private for-profit · Certificate
$53,61416685%$27,954$17,166
7Eastern Suffolk BOCES
Sayville Public · Certificate
$53,54717577%—$9,500
8Delaware Chenango Madison Otsego BOCES-Practical Nursing Program
Norwich Public · Certificate
$50,0122350%——
9Dutchess BOCES-Practical Nursing Program
Poughkeepsie Public · Certificate
$49,0124097%—$9,859
10Orange Ulster BOCES
Newburgh Public · Certificate
$46,63251100%—$13,905

Colleges awarding the most Practical Nursing degrees in New York

Top 10 by graduates a year (IPEDS 2024–25 completions). Online, degree-completion and graduate-only schools, and schools with a graduation rate under 30% are listed in full below.

Graduates / yr: degrees and certificates awarded in a year, IPEDS completions. Starting salary (1 yr): median earnings one year after graduation (often called starting salary), College Scorecard.
#InstitutionGraduates / yrStarting salary (1 yr)
1Access Careers
Hempstead Private for-profit
821Not reported
2Access Careers - Islandia
Islandia Private for-profit
633Not reported
3New Age Training
New York Private for-profit
181$22,308
4Eastern Suffolk BOCES
Sayville Public
175$53,547
5Veeb Nassau County School of Practical Nursing
Hicksville Public
174$56,142
6Hunter Business School
Levittown Private for-profit
166$53,614
7Erie 1 BOCES
West Seneca Public
139$45,021
8Mildred Elley-New York Campus
New York Private for-profit
134$55,424
9Albany BOCES-Adult Practical Nursing Program
Albany Public
130$40,828
10Transitions Career Institute School of Nursing
College Point Private for-profit
90$65,992
Show the other 37 New York colleges offering Practical Nursing
InstitutionCityControlGraduates / yr
Suffolk County Community CollegeSeldenPublic100
AMG School of NursingBrooklynPrivate for-profit85
Broome Delaware Tioga BOCES-Practical Nursing ProgramEndicottPublic59
Onondaga Cortland Madison BOCESLiverpoolPublic58
Mildred Elley School - Albany CampusAlbanyPrivate for-profit57
Madison Oneida BOCES-Practical Nursing ProgramVeronaPublic57
Isabella Graham Hart School of Practical NursingRochesterPrivate not-for-profit55
Austin Medical Assistant TrainingForest HillsPrivate for-profit53
Schuyler Steuben Chemung Tioga Allegany BOCESElmiraPublic51
Orange Ulster BOCESNewburghPublic51
CUNY LaGuardia Community CollegeLong Island CityPublic47
Genesee Valley BOCES-Practical Nursing ProgramBataviaPublic43
North Country Community CollegeSaranac LakePublic41
Dutchess BOCES-Practical Nursing ProgramPoughkeepsiePublic40
Maria College of AlbanyAlbanyPrivate not-for-profit37
Washington Saratoga Warren Hamilton Essex BOCES-Practical Nursing ProgramHudson FallsPublic31
Herkimer County BOCES-Practical Nursing ProgramHerkimerPublic29
Orleans Niagara BOCES-Practical Nursing ProgramLockportPublic29
Cayuga Onondaga BOCES-Practical Nursing ProgramAuburnPublic28
Wayne Finger Lakes BOCES-Practical Nursing ProgramNewarkPublic27
CUNY Hostos Community CollegeBronxPublic26
Jefferson Lewis BOCES-Practical Nursing ProgramWatertownPublic26
Monroe UniversityBronxPrivate for-profit23
Otsego Area BOCES-Practical Nursing ProgramOneontaPublic23
Delaware Chenango Madison Otsego BOCES-Practical Nursing ProgramNorwichPublic23
Cattaraugus Allegany BOCES-Practical Nursing ProgramOleanPublic22
Erie 2 Chautauqua Cattaraugus BOCES-Practical Nursing ProgramAngolaPublic21
Rockland County BOCES-Practical Nursing ProgramWest NyackPublic21
SUNY College of Technology at CantonCantonPublic20
Clinton Essex Warren Washington BOCESPlattsburghPublic20
Marion S Whelan School of Nursing of Geneva General HospitalGenevaPrivate not-for-profit14
Trocaire CollegeBuffaloPrivate not-for-profit13
Western Suffolk BOCESNorthportPublic13
Samaritan Hospital School of NursingTroyPrivate not-for-profit12
Niagara County Community CollegeSanbornPublic10
CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community CollegeNew YorkPublic9
CUNY Medgar Evers CollegeBrooklynPublic1

Career outlook

What this program leads to: Nursing Assistants (SOC 31-1131).

Projected growth (2024–2034)
+2.3%
About as fast as average
Openings / yr (US)
~204,100
BLS Employment Projections
US median wage
$39,530
typically Postsecondary nondegree award

Top skills

Active ListeningMonitoringReading ComprehensionSpeakingCritical ThinkingActive Learning

What Nursing Assistants earn in New York

Jobs in New York
87,990
BLS OEWS May 2025
State average pay
$48,800
median $48,590
Best-paying metro
$50,810
New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ

Related careers

Nursing Assistants
$48,800 avg · 87,990 jobs
Licensed Practical and Licensed Vocational Nurses
$69,170 avg · 39,400 jobs

Common questions

Answers for students comparing Practical Nursing programs in New York.

Which New York colleges award the most Practical Nursing degrees?+

Access Careers (821 graduates a year), Access Careers - Islandia (633 graduates a year) and New Age Training (181 graduates a year) award the most Practical Nursing degrees and certificates in New York, per IPEDS 2024–25 completions. In all, 47 New York colleges offer Practical Nursing.

What is the best college for Practical Nursing in New York?+

By graduate earnings, Transitions Career Institute School of Nursing leads among Practical Nursing programs in New York, with median earnings one year after graduation (often called starting salary) of $65,992, College Scorecard. AMG School of Nursing and Rockland County BOCES-Practical Nursing Program follow. By degrees awarded, Access Careers is the largest, with 821 graduates a year (IPEDS 2024–25).

Which Practical Nursing program in New York has the highest-earning graduates?+

By median earnings one year after graduation (often called starting salary), College Scorecard, Transitions Career Institute School of Nursing tops the list at $65,992. Compare it against graduates a year, graduation rate, cost, and debt in the ranked table above.

How much do Nursing Assistants earn in New York?+

The average annual wage for Nursing Assistants in New York is $48,800 (median $48,590), across about 87,990 jobs. Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.

What is the focus of the Practical Nursing program?+

The Practical Nursing program, also known as Vocational Nursing and Nursing Assistants, prepares students for a career as a licensed practical nurse (LPN). This program is designed for individuals who want to provide direct nursing care to…

What skills will I develop in this program?+

You will develop active listening, monitoring, reading comprehension, speaking, and related professional skills.

What is the job outlook for Nursing Assistants?+

The national job outlook is about +2.3% growth with around 204,100 annual openings (BLS Employment Projections 2024–2034).

What is the typical education requirement?+

A Postsecondary nondegree award is the typical entry-level education for this field (BLS).

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDSFall 2025–26 release, published July 28, 2026
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
PSEO graduate earnings2019–21 graduation cohorts (release V4.13.0)
Earnings and employment outcomes of graduates by institution, degree level, and field of study, measured from state wage records.
BLS wages & outlookOEWS May 2025 release
Occupational employment and wage estimates plus 10-year job outlook, used to connect programs to real-world earnings.
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.

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