Nursing Schools in Albany, NY

New York's BSN in 10 law gives nurses licensed in the state ten years from initial licensure to finish a bachelor's degree. That deadline makes the ADN-versus-BSN decision more consequential here than in most states.

For readers commuting from Albany, Troy, Schenectady, Saratoga Springs, or Rensselaer, the question is practical: an associate degree that reaches the NCLEX-RN sooner and for less money, or a four-year BSN that satisfies the requirement up front.

The schools below are ordered mainly by first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate. Within a 40-mile radius, the real constraints are cost, seat availability, and prerequisite science coursework, not geography.

Albany-Area Nursing Schools With the Top NCLEX-RN Pass Rates

Below are the top nursing programs serving Albany students, ranked by first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate, with completion and accreditation breaking any close calls. Every entry sits within roughly 40 miles of downtown Albany, so each one is a realistic commute or a short move from the city. Each card names the credential (ADN or BSN), the institution-wide net price after aid, the graduation rate, and the program length you should budget for.

ADN vs. BSN in the Capital Region: Which Path Fits You

An ADN gets you licensed sooner and usually for less money, but in New York it now comes with a BSN deadline attached. The figures below are typical ranges. Confirm exact credits and costs with each school, since published 2026 details vary.

Side by Side

• Time to licensure: ADN programs, such as those at Hudson Valley Community College, SUNY Schenectady, Belanger School of Nursing and Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing, typically take about two years. A BSN at Siena University or Russell Sage College typically takes four.
• Total credits: ADN degrees generally run in the 60s, while a traditional BSN is usually around 120.
• Typical cost: Community college tuition is generally well below private four-year tuition. Check the affordability table on this page for current numbers.
• Clinical setting: Both paths place students in hospitals and community sites. Hospital-based schools tend to center clinicals on their affiliated systems.
• Magnet hiring: Many Magnet-designated hospitals favor BSN-prepared nurses, though preference varies by employer and unit.
• BSN in 10 obligations: ADN graduates have a deadline.¹ BSN graduates have already met it.

How New York's BSN in 10 Law Works

New York requires RNs first licensed in the state after June 18, 2020 to earn a baccalaureate or higher nursing degree within 10 years of licensure.¹ Without it, they cannot continue registering and practicing as an RN. The first cohort reaches that point at the registration renewal on or after June 18, 2030.

Nurses who held an unrestricted RN license on or before June 18, 2020 are grandfathered.¹ So are some graduates who had applied to take the NCLEX by that date and can document eligibility. The state can also grant a temporary educational exemption or conditional registration to nurses who need more than 10 years. An education-regulation amendment took effect April 29, 2026 and clarifies the rules for nurses who don't meet an exemption, so check current NYSED guidance before planning around a date.¹

The ADN-First Route

An ADN followed by an RN-to-BSN program can be the cheapest way to a bachelor's degree. You earn RN wages while you complete it, and many employers offer tuition help. The tradeoff is that you study while working shifts, which takes steady discipline.

The ADN suits a career changer who needs income fast. A recent high school graduate with family support and no rush to earn is often better served by a four-year BSN.

Quick Answers for Albany Nursing Applicants

These answers cover three questions Capital Region applicants ask most often. Use them alongside the ranking and program details on this page to narrow your shortlist.

Most Affordable Nursing Programs Near Albany

The figures below are each college's average annual net price after grants and scholarships, measured across the whole institution rather than for nursing alone (IPEDS and College Scorecard, 2024), so treat them as approximate estimates, not a quote. Because net price is per year, an associate degree costs roughly twice the listed figure and a four-year BSN roughly four times it, while Empire State University's online BSN is an RN to BSN for already licensed nurses whose total depends on transfer credit. Beyond that, budget for nursing-specific costs each college sets itself (uniforms, clinical compliance and health screenings, background checks, and entrance exam fees such as the TEAS at Columbia-Greene and Fulton-Montgomery or the HESI A2 at Hudson Valley), confirm current amounts with each program, and add fixed licensure costs: $200 to Pearson VUE for NCLEX-RN registration and $143 to NYSED for New York licensure and first registration, plus $35 if you request a limited permit and $73 at each later registration renewal, with all state fees subject to change.

What Albany Nursing Programs Ask for: TEAS, GPA, and Science Prerequisites

Admission rules vary across Capital Region programs. University BSN tracks focus on GPA and high school or college coursework, while hospital-based and community college ADN programs often add an entrance exam. Confirm current requirements with each school before you apply.

1. Entrance exam

   Many ADN and hospital-based diploma programs use the TEAS or HESI, and minimum scores differ by school. Siena University's Belanger/Baldwin dual degree treats standardized test scores as optional.
2. Minimum GPA

   Russell Sage College expects at least a 3.0 overall GPA and a 3.0 in nursing classes, and a 3.0 does not guarantee a seat. Siena's dual degree lists a high school average of 86 or higher.
3. Science and math coursework

   Test-optional Siena applicants need 19 academic units, including four years of math with pre-calculus and four years of science with chemistry and biology. College-level Anatomy & Physiology and Microbiology are common prerequisites. Russell Sage lets you finish required courses before upper-level nursing, and you must earn a C or higher in nursing courses.
4. Application materials

   Siena asks for an official high school transcript, a counselor recommendation and a nursing-specific essay.
5. Health clearances and background check

   Clinical placements typically require immunization records, a health screening and a background check. Ask each program for its list.
6. Deadlines

   Belanger School of Nursing requires all materials by January 31, 2027, at 4:00 PM for Fall 2027 entry. Siena's deadline is November 1. Russell Sage admits first-year students on a rolling basis, and transfer applicants face deadlines of October 1 for spring and March 1 for fall.

LPN to RN Pathways at Capital Region Community Colleges

Can an LPN in the Capital Region skip part of an ADN and go straight into the second year? In many New York programs that is the idea behind advanced placement: prior LPN coursework earns credit, a transition or bridge course may fill gaps, and the student joins the ADN sequence partway through instead of at the start. The details differ by school, so confirm each one before you plan your calendar.

What the Research Confirms Locally

Columbia-Greene Community College runs a 54-credit LPN certificate over four terms (about 15 months, including summer).¹ It has 42 program credits plus 12 liberal-arts credits, and it prepares graduates for the NCLEX-PN or for continuing into the school's Registered Nursing A.S. program.¹ That is a ladder, not a published fast-track. The sources I reviewed do not spell out LPN-specific admission rules or how long the RN portion takes afterward.

For Hudson Valley Community College, SUNY Schenectady, Belanger School of Nursing and Samaritan Hospital School of Nursing, I could not verify a currently offered LPN-to-RN bridge, its entry requirements, or its 2026 completion time. Contact each admissions office directly and ask whether LPN advanced placement is open for your intended start term.

The Online Option: Excelsior University

Excelsior's online Associate in Applied Science in Nursing is built for active, unencumbered LPN or paramedic license holders. Its 2026 catalog lists 65 total credits, with 30 to 33 semester hours of nursing credit for prior learning validated by nursing education and NCLEX-RN success, 42 to 45 prerequisite credits, and 38 major-core credits. Excelsior says an associate degree is possible in two years, but it does not promise an LPN-specific timeline.

Online does not mean clinical-free. Expect clinical and performance-exam requirements, plus clinical documentation and a Verification of Health Care Experience form signed by a clinical supervisor.

Eligibility Items to Gather Now

• License: An active, unencumbered New York LPN license.
• Experience: Documented health care work history, since some programs ask for it.
• Prerequisites: Transcripts for science and liberal-arts courses.
• Placement exams: Ask whether a school requires one for LPN applicants.

LPN to RN Programs Near Albany

LPNs in the Capital Region can reach the RN license without starting an associate degree from scratch, but the options differ in how they award credit for a current license and clinical hours. Before applying, confirm the school's advanced placement policy, whether your LPN coursework and work experience count toward the 65 credits, and that the program holds ACEN accreditation so you stay eligible for further degrees. The programs below handle that differently.

Accelerated BSN and Entry-Level MSN Options for Second-Degree Students

Albany's accelerated second-degree BSNs take two shapes: a full-time in-person cohort or a hybrid schedule built around online coursework. Both compress the same licensure curriculum into roughly 16 months, so the choice matters more than it sounds.

The two accelerated options in Albany

• Russell Sage College Accelerated BSN: 16 months across four full-time semesters, including one summer, with 54 nursing credits and 760 clinical hours. Instruction is in-person, cohorts begin in the fall and finish at the end of the following fall term, and up to 60 credits from a prior bachelor's degree may apply toward the degree.
• Utica University ABSN, Albany site: also 16 months, delivered as a hybrid of online coursework plus in-person simulation labs and clinical rotations. It is not a fully online degree; students need to live in the Albany area to attend labs and clinicals. Starts are offered in January, May, and August.

Bryant & Stratton College in Albany offers an on-campus BSN of about 32 months and 125 credits with a January start, but it is a full-length bachelor's program rather than a second-degree accelerated track.

Who qualifies

Both accelerated programs are built for applicants who already hold a bachelor's degree in a field other than nursing. Beyond the degree itself, expect to complete prerequisite and support coursework before the nursing sequence begins: anatomy and physiology, microbiology, chemistry, statistics, and related sciences are the usual gatekeepers. Each school sets its own minimum cumulative and science GPA, and those thresholds are published in the program's current catalog or admissions page, so confirm them before you register for a prerequisite you may need to repeat.

Be realistic about the pace

An accelerated BSN is a full-time commitment in the most literal sense. Packing 54 nursing credits and 760 clinical hours into four consecutive terms leaves little room for outside employment, and most students who try to hold a job scale back to something minimal and flexible. Clinical placements are assigned, not chosen, and rotations can land at hospitals and community sites anywhere in the Capital Region, with shifts that may include early mornings, evenings, or weekends. Plan your childcare, finances, and commute around that reality rather than hoping the schedule bends.

No direct-entry MSN nearby

For second-degree students hoping to skip straight to a master's, there is no confirmed direct-entry or entry-level MSN within commuting distance of Albany. The practical route is one of the accelerated BSNs above, licensure as an RN, and then a graduate program afterward.

First-Year Earnings for Local Nursing Graduates

Among Capital Region nursing programs with federal earnings data, the top median salary one year after completion comes from a bachelor's-level program.

RN to BSN/MSN Programs in Albany, NY

Licensed registered nurses in the Capital Region can complete a bachelor's degree without starting over. The programs below accept associate-degree coursework and license credits, then add upper-division nursing and general education. Formats range from fully online to hybrid and on-campus options in Albany, Troy, Loudonville, and Saratoga Springs.

APRN & Nurse Practitioner Programs in Albany, NY

Graduate nursing study in the Capital Region leans heavily on online and hybrid formats, which suits working RNs who need to protect their schedules while adding a credential. The options below cover nurse practitioner tracks as well as educator, administrator, and informatics pathways for nurses who want to stay in practice while they move into teaching, leadership, or systems work. Each entry notes the degree level and how the program is delivered.

Comprehensive List of Nursing Schools Near Albany, NY

15 schools within 40 miles, grouped by city. Select a program to see its highlights, and use the Website link for the school's own program page.

Related Articles