The New York metro area’s accelerated second degree nursing program market spans 14 to 18 months and ranges from approximately $10,395 (Hunter College, NY resident) to $131,244 (NYU Rory Meyers) in total program cost.
All 11 programs reviewed here are CCNE- or ACEN-accredited. They draw from the same dense clinical market — one of the world’s largest concentrations of hospitals, academic medical centers, and specialty facilities — but differ sharply in cost structure, admissions selectivity, clinical access model, and scheduling flexibility.
Best Programs
- Best value (public): Hunter College (~$10,395) and SUNY Downstate (~$15,800)
- Best value (private): Monroe University (~$38,048)
- Best clinical network: LIU Brooklyn (50+ named affiliates)
- Best hospital integration: Mount Sinai Phillips (faculty and clinicals fully inside the health system)
- Best for working adults: Mercy University (weekend-only track available)
- Best for older academic histories: Manhattanville University (no prereq expiration, rolling admissions)
- Best employment pipeline: Iona University (co-branded NYP partnership, 100% six-month placement)
- Best for advanced practice goals: NYU Rory Meyers (BS/MS dual degree pathway available in semester three)
Program Comparison Table
| School | Location | Est. Cost | Duration | GPA Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Manhattan | $11K | 18 months | – 3.2 cumulative – B or higher per prereq science – no repeated prereqs | |
Brooklyn | $16K | 15 months | – C or better per prereq – TEAS required – physical sciences in-person only | |
New Rochelle & Bronx | $39K | 4 semesters | – 2.75 cumulative – C+ or higher per science prereq – TEAS 70%+ or Accuplacer – 77.5% min per nursing course | |
Brooklyn | $55K–$65K | 16 months | – 3.3 cumulative – 3.3 per science prereq – C or higher for Dev Psychology | |
Purchase | $61K | 14 months | – 3.0 preferred – C+ or higher per prereq; | |
Manhattan | $64K | 4 semesters | – 3.25 cumulative – 3.0 prereq GPA | |
New Rochelle | $64K | 16 months | – 3.0 cumulative – B or better per science prereq | |
Bronx | $75K | 18 months | – 2.8 GPA (program) – 3.0 preferred (catalog) – C+ or better per prereq – no TEAS | |
Riverdale, LIC, Brooklyn, Yonkers | $76K | 16 months | – 3.0 cumulative – B or better per science prereq – no TEAS | |
Staten Island | $85K–$90K | 15 months | – 3.2 bachelor’s GPA – B- or better per prereq | |
Manhattan | $132K | 15 months | – No stated minimum GPA – “strong academic performance” |
Choosing the Best ABSN in the NY Metro Area
TLDR: Quick Selection Guide
Manhattan
Choose Hunter College if you want Manhattan’s most affordable CCNE-accredited ABSN and can meet the 3.2 GPA and NLN NEX admissions requirements.
Choose Mount Sinai Phillips School of Nursing if you want clinical training inside the Mount Sinai Health System from the start.
Choose NYU Rory Meyers if you want the NYU brand, NYU Langone clinical access, and a BS/MS pathway with no standardized exam.
Brooklyn
Choose SUNY Downstate if you want the most affordable ABSN in New York City and a health sciences campus environment.
Choose LIU Brooklyn if you want a large clinical network, three start dates a year, and a direct path into NYC healthcare settings.
Bronx
Choose Mercy University if you need a weekend-only ABSN that fits around weekday work.
Choose Monroe University if you want the most affordable private ABSN in the New York metro area with a culturally focused curriculum.
Staten Island
Choose Wagner College if you want a short prerequisite list, NYC clinical access, and no need for Chemistry or Statistics coursework.
Westchester, Hudson Valley & Multi-Borough
Choose Iona University if you want a NewYork-Presbyterian partnership and strong job placement opportunities.
Choose Manhattanville University if you want a fast ABSN with no TEAS, rolling admissions, and flexible prerequisite rules.
Choose University of Mount Saint Vincent if you want access to major NYC clinical partners across multiple campuses.
Program Length and Format
Manhattanville University is the shortest program in this group at 14 months across four consecutive semesters — fully in-person in Purchase, with classes scheduled Monday through Saturday and clinicals any day including Sunday.
Four programs run 15 months:
- NYU Rory Meyers (four terms, Fall or Spring entry)
- SUNY Downstate (four terms including a Summer session)
- Wagner College (four modules: Fall, Spring, Summer, Fall)
Mount Sinai Phillips runs four semesters but does not publish a specific month count — confirm timeline directly with the program.
Most Affordable Programs
Hunter College is the most affordable second degree nursing program in the New York metro area for state residents — approximately $10,395 in tuition over 18 months at CUNY rates. Winter and Summer sessions are billed separately at per-credit rates.
The tradeoff is the most demanding admissions process in this review:
- a 3.2 GPA floor
- the NLN NEX entrance exam
- no repeated prerequisites accepted under any circumstances
- admissions awarded purely by composite score
SUNY Downstate is the second most affordable option for NY residents at approximately $15,800 all-in over 15 months (most affordable ABSN program located within NYC limits).
Among private programs, Monroe University is the most affordable in the metro area at approximately $38,048.
Prerequisite Courses
All 11 programs require Human Anatomy and Physiology I and II, Microbiology, and at least one Psychology course.
Chemistry is required at every program in this group except Wagner College, which explicitly lists no Chemistry requirement and has the shortest prerequisite list of any program reviewed — five courses total, with no Statistics required either.
A Developmental Psychology course covering the full human lifespan is specifically required at Hunter College, NYU Meyers, Manhattanville, and UMSV — general introductory psychology does not satisfy this requirement at those schools.
Statistics is required at Hunter, LIU, Manhattanville, SUNY Downstate, and NYU Meyers, among others.
Start Dates & Cohort Availability
| School | Start Date(s) | Starts/Year | Admissions Type |
|---|---|---|---|
Fall | 1 | Fixed — NursingCAS + CUNY app; deadline Feb 1 | |
Fall | 1 | Fixed — Fall only; TEAS 70%+ required | |
Fall, Spring | 2 | Fixed — Common Application | |
Fall, Spring, Summer | 3 | Fixed — contact program for deadlines by term | |
Summer, Fall, Spring | 3 | Fixed — NursingCAS; small cohort (125–130 FT seats) | |
January, May, September | 3 | Fixed — online portal; no TEAS required | |
Spring, Summer, Fall weekday, Fall weekend | 4 | Fixed — rolling review within each cycle | |
Multiple (NursingCAS) | Rolling | Rolling — closes when cohort fills; apply early | |
Confirm with program | Confirm | Fixed — AMP portal; TEAS deadline June 15 | |
Confirm with program | Confirm | Fixed — online portal; 2026 application open | |
Confirm with program | Confirm | Fixed — program interview required for all applicants |
Schools with a single annual start: Hunter College (Fall) and Wagner College (Fall) each admit one cohort per year. Applicants who miss these windows wait a full calendar year to reapply. Hunter’s February 1 deadline is the earliest strategic application window in this group.
Schools with two annual starts: NYU Rory Meyers offers Fall and Spring entry through the Common Application — giving applicants a second chance within six months if they miss the Fall cycle.
Schools with three annual starts: LIU Brooklyn (Fall, Spring, Summer), Mount Sinai Phillips (Summer, Fall, Spring), and University of Mount Saint Vincent (January, May, September) each offer three entry points — providing the most scheduling flexibility among programs with fixed admissions cycles in this group.
Schools with four starts or rolling admissions: Mercy University admits four times per year — Spring, Summer, weekday Fall, and weekend Fall — offering the most entry-point flexibility of any program in this review. Manhattanville uses rolling admissions with no fixed annual deadline; cohorts open continuously and close when filled, meaning early application is the only strategic advantage.
Clinical Training Structure
Every program in this group embeds clinical training throughout the full program sequence — no program concentrates all patient care in a final semester.
New York City’s healthcare market provides the clinical backdrop: academic medical centers, public hospital systems, community health agencies, and world-renowned specialty institutions are within reach of all 11 programs.
What separates them is the specificity of published clinical partnerships, the depth of institutional integration, and the scheduling model used for clinical placement.
Named clinical networks: LIU Brooklyn publishes the most extensive named clinical list of any program in this review — 50+ affiliates including the full NYC Health+Hospitals network (10+ facilities), three New York-Presbyterian campuses, NYU Langone, Northwell, Mount Sinai, Memorial Sloan Kettering, Hospital for Special Surgery, and dozens of community, home health, and specialty settings.
LIU explicitly notes that clinical rotations are structured to lead to permanent employment at affiliate sites.
University of Mount Saint Vincent names five institutional partners — Memorial Sloan Kettering, NYU Langone Health, Mount Sinai Hospital, NewYork-Presbyterian Weill Cornell, and NewYork-Presbyterian Columbia Irving — alongside a named Saint Joseph’s Medical Center partnership in Yonkers.
Mount Sinai Phillips places all students inside seven named Mount Sinai Health System sites — The Mount Sinai Hospital, Morningside, West, Brooklyn, Queens, South Nassau, and the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary — with faculty who are practicing Mount Sinai nurse educators.
Iona University’s co-branded NYP partnership places graduates directly in consideration for full-time NewYork-Presbyterian employment upon completion.
Hunter College’s proximity to Bellevue Hospital and the Weill Cornell Medical College Clinical and Translational Science Center consortium places students in a major academic health system research network from the first semester.
Scheduling model for clinicals: Mercy University is the only program in this group with a formally separated weekend clinical track — all clinicals are scheduled on Fridays, Saturdays, or Sundays for weekend track students, with the same clinical content and standards as the weekday track.
All other programs require standard scheduling flexibility, which in practice means day, evening, or weekend assignments depending on site availability — Hunter explicitly states full 7-day availability is required.
Employment outcomes: Iona reports 100% employment within six months and a 20+ named alumni employer network.
UMSV reports 90%+ of baccalaureate nursing graduates launched into nursing careers within one year.
LIU’s clinical affiliation agreements explicitly describe rotations as pathways to permanent employment at affiliate sites.
Mount Sinai Health System employees, spouses, and children qualify for a 10% tuition discount — a direct institutional signal of the employment relationship the program produces.