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CNA Classes in New York: 467 State-Approved Programs (2026)

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CNA Classes in New York: Programs, Costs, and State Requirements

Published June 18, 2026 · Last updated June 18, 2026

New York gives you real room to choose: 467 state-approved CNA programs across 181 cities, which ranks the state #5 of 50 for program count. Every approved program meets the same 100-hour minimum, including 30 clinical hours, and sends you to the same Prometric exam, so you can finish well prepared for both the floor and the test. And the pay is among the strongest anywhere, a $23.36 median hourly wage that sits 15.6% above the national median and ranks #3 of 50.

Sourced from New York NYSDOH registrySourced from NYSDOHBLS salary dataBLS dataLast verified Jun 18, 2026Verified Jun 18
Illustration of a certified nursing assistant caring for an elderly patient, CNA classes in New York

AT A GLANCE

Your New York CNA path

Four steps from interest to certification. Most students complete this in 6–8 weeks.

  1. Step 1.Complete 100 hours of approved training.
  2. Step 2.Finish 30 supervised clinical hours.
  3. Step 3.Pass the Prometric written and skills exam.
  4. Step 4.Get listed with the New York State Nurse Aide Registry.
See the full How to Become guide →

Key numbers before you compare programs

Typical program length
3–19 weeks
Typical paid program cost
$630–$3,831
Average CNA salary
$48,590/yr (BLS, May 2025)
Reciprocity accepted
Yes, with conditions

All 467 state-approved New York CNA programs

Sort by cost, length, format, or city. Filter with the chips above the table. Click any row to expand full address, phone, clinical site, and next cohort.

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How this list works. Every program below is state-approved by the New York Nurse Aide Registry (NY NYSDOH). Cost, length, and format come directly from each program’s published materials. Blanks (“N/A”) mean the program hasn’t published that detail yet. Programs with a linked name have a verified profile we maintain. Last verified June 18, 2026.
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Showing 1–25 of 467
ProgramCityFormatLengthTotal CostSponsored

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Showing 1–25 of 467

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Fastest CNA programs in New York

The shortest New York programs wrap up in about 3 weeks, a group that includes Elderwood at Lockport, Elderwood at Williamsville, and SUNY College of Technology at Alfred. The longest run closer to 19 weeks. Whichever pace you pick, every approved program still meets New York’s same 100-hour minimum, including 30 clinical hours, and sends you to the same Prometric exam. A 3-week program is a denser one, not a lighter one.

ProgramCityLengthTotal CostSponsored

Schedules verified June 18, 2026, sourced from each program’s published calendar.

Is a 3-week CNA program in New York long enough?

A 3-week course like Elderwood at Lockport meets New York’s 100-hour minimum on a compressed calendar. The speed comes from intensity, not from cutting content, because the 100-hour minimum and the 30 clinical hours do not bend for a shorter schedule.

Be honest with yourself about that pace. Three weeks of full days, classroom theory and clinical practice stacked together, asks a lot of any single week. A longer cohort runs that same minimum over more weeks and leans on you less day to day.

There is also a New York quirk worth knowing: many hospital and high-school CTE programs do not publish a week count and list “Contact school” instead. That is why the honest answer to “how long does it take” anchors on the 100-hour minimum, not on a marketing number. The minimum is the same statewide; only the calendar that delivers it changes.

So the fast track fits if you can give it concentrated time now. If you are balancing other commitments, a longer schedule gets you to the same Prometric exam with less risk of burning out mid-course.

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Online, hybrid, weekend & evening CNA programs in New York

If your week is already full, New York runs CNA programs built around that. Approved courses come in evening, weekend, and hybrid formats, so you do not have to clear a standard weekday schedule to get certified. In Brooklyn, the state’s busiest metro with 53 approved programs, those flexible formats are worth asking for by name when you compare seats. Be clear on what flexible means here, though: the theory portion can move online or onto nights and weekends, but New York’s 30 clinical hours and the skills lab always happen in person. No New York program is fully online, because the clinical hours must be completed in person.

ProgramCityFormatLengthTotal CostSponsored

Format and schedule options verified June 18, 2026. Confirm current online, hybrid, evening, and weekend availability with each program.

Which flexible format is right for working adults?

Start with the part of New York CNA training that genuinely flexes: the lecture hours. In a metro like the Bronx, with 33 approved programs, a hybrid format can shift the classroom theory onto evenings or online. That is what “online CNA classes” actually refers to in New York.

What does not flex is the clinical side. New York requires 30 clinical hours, and every one of them happens in person in a facility. Those hours put you at the bedside under a real evaluator, not behind a screen. A program can move your reading online; it cannot move your hands-on training online.

Hybrid is one route; evening and weekend cohorts are the other. Those keep the coursework in a classroom but meet outside standard daytime hours, which is why New York lists evening, weekend, and hybrid among its available formats. Both still send you to the same in-person skills lab and clinicals.

So when a New York listing advertises “online CNA classes,” read it as online or hybrid coursework paired with in-person clinicals. You will find these listings statewide, from Brooklyn’s 53 programs to Buffalo’s 15. Before enrolling, ask each program which hours are online and which require you on site, then lock in the fixed in-person blocks first.

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Cheapest CNA programs in New York

Of New York’s 467 programs, 176 publish a verified price, and they run from $0 up to $3,831. The lowest paid tuition starts at $630, at ADL Institute in Brooklyn. With a field this deep, the question worth asking is not “what is the lowest sticker price” but “what does this price actually buy me toward New York’s 100-hour minimum, its 30 clinical hours, and a Prometric pass.”

ProgramCityLengthTotal CostSponsored

Costs verified June 18, 2026, sourced from each program’s published tuition materials.

Is the cheapest CNA program always the best value in New York?

A low price tag tells you what you pay, not what you get. New York holds every approved program to the same 100-hour minimum, including 30 clinical hours, and the same Prometric exam, so a $630 course at ADL Institute in Brooklyn and a $3,831 course point you at the identical certification.

What changes is the terms behind the number. A $0 seat, like the ones at Elderwood at Williamsville or Northgate Health Care Facility in Buffalo, carries its own eligibility rules, or a commitment in return, so the program holds the specifics worth confirming. A paid program like ADL’s $630 simply charges tuition, with no eligibility rules or work commitment attached.

So weigh sticker price against terms. If you qualify for a no-cost seat and its conditions fit your plans, that is real money saved. If you want maximum freedom afterward, a low paid tuition like $630 can be the better buy.

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Free & employer-sponsored CNA training in New York

New York has 65 free CNA programs, paid for through government grants or scholarships and by employers, and 21 of those are specifically employer-sponsored. That is a deep no-cost field for a state this size, which means free here is common enough to shop carefully rather than grab the first seat you find.

Free programs you can enroll in directly

ProgramCityLengthTotal CostSponsored

Government-funded & scholarship-eligible programs

Funding sourceEligible programsEligibility notesApply
Residential health care facility training/exam payment or reimbursementApply →

One New York-specific note on the free seats: the terms differ from one program to the next, so before you count on a $0 tuition, confirm exactly what it covers, the training, the $115 exam fee, or both, and get the conditions in writing. Picking the single program whose terms fit your plans beats assuming every free seat works the same way.

What’s the catch with free CNA training in New York?

New York’s 65 free seats split into two kinds, and they behave differently. Most are funded through government grants or scholarships, which carry their own eligibility rules but, unlike the employer-sponsored seats, do not come with a work commitment.

The other 21 are employer-sponsored. Here a hospital or care facility covers your training, and some ask for a work commitment in return, so read the terms. The training is free; that trade is where you spend your first stretch of employment. That can be a fair deal if you already know you want to work at that employer, and a poor fit if you want to stay unattached.

Either way, free does not mean lighter. A no-cost program such as Northgate Health Care Facility in Buffalo or Elderwood at Williamsville still meets the same 100-hour minimum, including 30 clinical hours, as any paid course in the state.

Two practical notes. First, eligibility rules on grant-funded seats vary, so the program, or the New York State Nurse Aide Registry, is the place to confirm the specifics. Second, New York lets a residential health care facility pay for or reimburse training and exam costs for aides it brings on, so ask any facility about that before assuming the bill is yours.

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CNA salary in New York

BLS wage data for New York and its top 3 metros.

New York CNAs earn a median of $23.36/hr, about $48,590 a year, which lands 15.6% above the national median of $20.21 and ranks #3 of 50, per BLS OEWS data. The entry end, the 10th percentile, sits near $18.49/hr, while the 90th percentile reaches about $28.79/hr. So there is meaningful spread between where pay starts and the 90th percentile across the state.

Entry-level (10th)
$18.49/hr
$38,459/yr
Median (50th)
$23.36/hr
$48,590/yr
Top end (90th)
$28.79/hr
$59,883/yr

Pay by setting in New York

SettingMedian hourlyNotes
Hospitals$24.53/hrEstimated from the state wage distribution
Skilled nursing / SNF$23.36/hrEstimated
Assisted living / residential$21.72/hrEstimated

Setting figures are estimated from the verified New York wage distribution (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS (Nursing Assistants, 31-1131), New York, May 2025); actual pay varies by employer.

Where you work moves the number. In New York, hospitals pay CNAs a median of $24.53/hr, skilled nursing facilities $23.36/hr, and assisted living closer to $21.72/hr, so the setting can swing your hourly rate by roughly $3. For a metro-by-metro breakdown of New York CNA pay, see our New York CNA salary guide. If you are thinking past the CNA role, our CNA-to-RN and CNA-to-LPN bridge guides map the next steps.

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (May 2025), occupation 31-1131. Cost-of-living differential: Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (2024).

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New York SNAPSHOT

What makes CNA training in New York different

State-specific context (hours, exam vendor, and funding density) now that you’ve seen the options.

TRAINING HOURS

100 hours, incl. 30 clinical

New York requires 100 training hours, including 30 clinical, above the federal floor of 75 and 16 (OBRA '87 / 42 CFR 483.152).

PROGRAM COUNT

467 programs, #5 of 50

Spread across 181 cities, from Brooklyn's 53 down to upstate hubs like Buffalo and Rochester.

MEDIAN PAY

$23.36/hr, #3 of 50

New York's median CNA wage runs 15.6% above the national median of $20.21, third-highest of any state.

Above-floor training
Programs in 181 cities
#3 CNA pay

100 hours, a third above the federal floor

New York sets its minimum at 100 training hours, including 30 clinical hours, against the federal floor of 75 training and 16 clinical (OBRA '87 / 42 CFR 483.152). That is why even New York's shortest options are not a lighter route. The 3-week intensives at Elderwood at Lockport or SUNY Alfred still clear that same 100-hour minimum; they compress the calendar, not the standard.

Prometric runs New York's competency exam

New York certifies through the Prometric-administered NYS Nursing Home Nurse Aide Competency Examination. It pairs a 60-question written or oral test with a clinical skills exam where you demonstrate 5 skills, for $115 total. You schedule it through Prometric after your program verifies your required hours.

A deep field and #3 pay in the country

With 467 approved programs across 181 cities and a $23.36 median hourly wage, New York gives you both a wide choice of where to train and one of the country's strongest CNA pay levels. Within the state, setting shapes the number: hospitals lead at $24.53/hr, skilled nursing sits at $23.36/hr, and assisted living at $21.72/hr.

Bottom line for New York students

New York asks for 100 above-floor training hours and rewards you with deep program choice across 181 cities and #3 CNA pay, so pick the format that fits your week and the metro that fits you.

CNA classes by city in New York

New York’s programs cluster where its people do: Brooklyn leads with 53, then New York City with 35 and the Bronx with 33, while upstate hubs like Buffalo (15), Rochester (11), and Albany (10) anchor strong fields of their own across 181 cities in all.

Top 10 New York metros by program count

  • Brooklyn53 programs
  • New York35 programs
  • Bronx33 programs
  • Buffalo15 programs
  • Rochester11 programs
  • Albany10 programs
  • Jamaica9 programs
  • Staten Island8 programs
  • Brentwood7 programs
  • Hempstead7 programs

New York Nurse Aide Registry: contacts & reference

The New York State Nurse Aide Registry, run by the New York State Department of Health, holds your certification record. For the full application, certification, and renewal steps, see our New York how-to-become-a-CNA guide.

Managing agencyNew York State Department of Health
Phone(877) 877-1827
Websitehealthweb-back.health.ny.gov
Typical processingN/A
Renewal windowEvery 24 months; At least 7 paid hours as a nurse aide
Fee structureNo separate first-time registry listing fee confirmed; recertification fee is $40 and must be paid by the operator for eligible current or former facility-employed nurse aides; reciprocity/CNA from another state application processing is $50; duplicate certificate is $15.

Always verify with the registry directly before enrolling. Approved-program lists update periodically.

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers to what New York CNA candidates ask most. For anything beyond these basics, the New York State Nurse Aide Registry has the current rules.

How do I get CNA reciprocity in New York?
New York accepts CNA reciprocity from other states, with conditions, through the New York State Nurse Aide Registry. The application processing fee for reciprocity is $50. Because the conditions depend on your situation, the registry is the place to confirm exactly what New York requires; you can reach it at +1-877-877-1827. For reference, New York’s own training standard is 100 hours, including 30 clinical hours.
How do I transfer my CNA license to New York State?
Transferring an out-of-state CNA certification to New York runs through the same reciprocity process at the New York State Nurse Aide Registry, and the processing fee is $50. The registry, part of the New York State Department of Health, will tell you which documents to submit and whether any conditions apply to your case. Start there early so your certification stays active through your move. You can reach the registry at +1-877-877-1827.
What can stop you from getting your CNA license?
To certify in New York, you must finish the state’s 100 training hours, including 30 clinical hours, and pass the NYS Nursing Home Nurse Aide Competency Examination through Prometric. Falling short on the hours or not passing the exam is the clearest thing that stops certification. Any other eligibility question is decided by the New York State Nurse Aide Registry, so confirm your specific situation directly with the registry at +1-877-877-1827 rather than relying on a general rule.
Can you be a CNA with a felony in NY?
New York’s verified requirements do not set a fixed rule that automatically answers this, because eligibility decisions of this kind are made by the New York State Nurse Aide Registry, not by a public checklist. The registry, part of the New York State Department of Health, is the only authority that can tell you how your specific record affects certification, so contact it directly at +1-877-877-1827. What New York does require of every candidate is its 100-hour training minimum and a passing score on the Prometric competency exam.
How many questions are on the CNA exam in New York?
New York’s written exam, the NYS Nursing Home Nurse Aide Competency Examination administered by Prometric, has 60 questions, and you can take it in written or oral format. Alongside it, you complete a clinical skills exam where you demonstrate 5 skills to an evaluator. The full exam costs $115, and you must complete New York’s 100 training hours before you are eligible to sit for it.
Is the NYS CNA exam hard?
That depends on your preparation, and New York’s 100 required training hours, including 30 clinical hours, are designed to get you ready. The exam has two parts: a 60-question written or oral test, and a clinical skills exam where you demonstrate 5 skills to a live evaluator through Prometric. Practicing the hands-on skills until they are second nature, not only reading about them, is the most direct way to prepare for both halves. New York does not publish an official pass rate.
How much is the NYS CNA exam?
New York’s CNA competency exam costs $115 total through Prometric, covering both the 60-question written or oral test and the 5-skill clinical exam. That fee is separate from program tuition, which across New York runs from $0 at no-cost programs up to $3,831. Budget the $115 exam as its own line item. For anything about scheduling or retakes, Prometric and the New York State Nurse Aide Registry have the current details.
What is the passing score for the CNA written exam in NYC?
New York uses one statewide standard, since the NYS Nursing Home Nurse Aide Competency Examination is administered uniformly across the state, including New York City. New York does not publish a single fixed passing percentage in its verified requirements, so confirm the current threshold with Prometric or the New York State Nurse Aide Registry. What is set is the structure: you must pass both the 60-question written or oral test and the 5-skill clinical exam to certify.
Can I renew my CNA license online?
New York requires CNA recertification every 24 months, and to stay eligible you must have worked at least 7 paid hours as a nurse aide within that window. Renewal is handled through the New York State Nurse Aide Registry; for whether you can complete it online and the current steps, confirm directly with the registry at +1-877-877-1827. Note that New York’s $40 recertification fee is paid by the operator for eligible facility-employed aides.
Can I still work if my CNA license expires?
New York certification runs on a 24-month cycle, and staying current requires at least 7 paid hours as a nurse aide within that window. Whether you can keep working once a certification lapses, and how to restore it, is governed by the New York State Nurse Aide Registry, so contact the registry directly at +1-877-877-1827 to confirm your status before any gap. Renewing on time is the simplest way to avoid the question entirely.
Guide

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