New York Board of Nursing NCLEX: Steps, Fees and Results

A calm guide to taking the NCLEX in New York: who licenses you (NYSED), the order of steps for RN applicants, fees as the state lists them, results, and what to confirm directly.

Who you apply to: NYSED's Office of the Professions

What "the New York board of nursing" means in practice

People search for the "New York board of nursing," but the pages that matter are NYSED's. NYSED says you must be licensed and registered by NYSED as a registered professional nurse to practise as an RN in New York or call yourself an "RN," "registered nurse" or "registered professional nurse." Your license is valid for life unless it is surrendered, revoked, annulled or suspended by the New York State Board of Regents.

The NCLEX itself is a separate piece. The NCLEX-RN is developed by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) and administered by Pearson VUE. NCSBN does not keep a list of each regulatory body's requirements, so NYSED is where you confirm what applies to you.

Who needs to apply as an RN and who as an LPN

The detailed steps below are the RN steps NYSED publishes. The pages we reviewed were RN-focused, so we do not state LPN fees, forms or step order here. If you are heading toward the NCLEX-PN, check the licensed practical nurse pages on op.nysed.gov or contact NYSED for LPN-specific fees and steps.

What we can say from nclex.com is that the NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN follow the same overall registration sequence: apply to your regulatory body, register with Pearson VUE, receive your ATT, schedule. The NCLEX-PN is used for U.S. licensure only.

The order of steps for a New York RN applicant

The short version of the order: apply to NYSED first, because that is what lets NYSED make you eligible. Then register with Pearson VUE. NYSED says that before you can take the NCLEX-RN you must apply for licensure and pay the $143 fee to NYSED and register directly with Pearson VUE. For explainers on the ATT, fees and retakes, see our NCLEX guides.

Step 1: Choose your pathway

NYSED publishes five RN pathways. Pick the one that matches you, then read its instructions fully, because NYSED says you are responsible for making sure all forms, information and documentation are complete and sent to NYSED.

1. Pathway 1: For graduates of New York State approved nursing schools who have never been licensed as an RN. The program must be registered by NYSED as licensure-qualifying for RN.
2. Pathway 2: For graduates of nursing schools in another state or U.S. territory who have never been licensed as an RN. This is the route if you studied elsewhere and want to test in New York.
3. Pathway 3: For RNs licensed in another state or U.S. territory who graduated from nursing school in the U.S.
4. Pathway 4: For recent Canadian BSN, BN or BScN graduates. The degree must have been granted after January 1, 2015 and the program needs a Canadian Program Code issued by NCSBN.
5. Pathway 5: For graduates of foreign nursing schools outside the U.S. and U.S. territories.

One exam note from NYSED: if you were licensed as an RN in another state, U.S. territory or Canada and passed the State Board Test Pool Examination or the NCLEX-RN, you have already met the examination requirement. In all other cases you must take and pass the NCLEX-RN.

Step 2: Submit Form 1 and pay the fee

Every pathway starts with the online Form 1, Application for Licensure - RN, and you pay the $143 license and first registration fee by credit card. If you started Form 1 within the past 30 days you can continue it with your Application ID, social security number and date of birth. To upload extra documents to a completed application you need your Application ID and date of birth.

NYSED also lists coursework. Applicants must complete infection control and child abuse identification and reporting coursework or qualify for an exemption. Two details help many graduates:

1. Infection control: If you graduated from a NYSED-registered, licensure-qualifying RN program within the past four years, NYSED says you already completed this coursework. Pathway 1 applicants who graduated more than four years ago must complete an approved course or qualify for an exemption.
2. Child abuse reporting: If you graduated from a NYSED-registered, licensure-qualifying RN program after September 1, 1990, NYSED says you have already completed this requirement as part of your studies.

Step 3: Get your nursing school to verify your education

Pathways 2, 3 and 4 add Form 2, Certification of Professional Education. You complete Section I and send it to your nursing school, which completes Section II and sends it with an official transcript directly to NYSED. Form 2 must be signed by the registrar, or come with a transcript signed by the registrar.

Pathway 5 uses either TruMerit's Credential Verification Service for New York State or Form 2F from your foreign school. NYSED says using TruMerit is not required but that applying without it is often more difficult and time consuming.

If you hold or held a nursing license elsewhere, NYSED needs it verified. It participates in Nursys for most other U.S. states. If your state does not participate, you use Form 3, Verification of Other Professional Licensure/Certification, which the licensing authority completes and sends to NYSED.

Step 4: Register with Pearson VUE

Register at pearsonvue.com/nclex or by calling Pearson VUE at 1-866-496-2539. Pearson VUE handles registration, payment, the ATT email, scheduling and acceptable ID questions. For Pathways 4 and 5, NYSED notes Pearson VUE will not let you test until NYSED has completed its review of your application and education credentials. Pathway 4 also needs the Canadian Program Code at registration.

You can take the NCLEX year-round at any Pearson Professional Testing location, regardless of where you are applying for licensure. You do not have to test in New York to be licensed there.

Step 5: Receive your ATT and schedule your exam

Once NYSED declares you eligible and your Pearson VUE registration is complete, Pearson VUE emails your ATT to the address you registered with. You cannot schedule without it. If more than two weeks have passed since Pearson VUE acknowledged your registration and you have no ATT, nclex.com suggests contacting your regulatory body to check that everything was received, or to find out why eligibility has not been granted. That means NYSED for you.

The ATT carries an expiration date. The length is set by the regulatory body, with an average of 90 days, and it cannot be extended for any reason. First-time test takers are offered an appointment within 30 days of trying to schedule, and repeat candidates after 45 days, so schedule early.

Fingerprints and background checks: what the New York pages say

The NYSED and nclex.com pages we reviewed do not mention fingerprinting. We will not guess. If you want to know whether fingerprints are required for your situation, ask NYSED directly before you apply.

Good moral character questions

NYSED does state a good moral character requirement. At application and at renewal you answer five questions:

1. Criminal history: Whether you have been found guilty after trial, or pleaded guilty, no contest or nolo contendere, to a felony or misdemeanor in any court.
2. Pending charges: Whether criminal charges are pending against you in any court.
3. Licensing history: Whether any licensing or disciplinary authority has refused, revoked, suspended, restricted or otherwise disciplined a professional license or certificate you hold or held.
4. Pending misconduct charges: Whether charges for professional misconduct are pending in any jurisdiction.
5. Facility actions: Whether a hospital, licensed facility or clinical laboratory restricted or terminated your training, employment or privileges, or whether you resigned or withdrew to avoid that.

A "yes" does not automatically disqualify you. NYSED says it decides case by case. If a question applies to you, answer honestly and ask NYSED what documentation it expects.

What to ask NYSED directly

Topics the pages we reviewed do not settle include fingerprinting, LPN fees and steps, how long a license takes to issue, and any online status tool. Write your questions down and ask the Nurse Unit (contact details are near the end of this guide) instead of relying on forum posts.

New York fees, exactly as the board states them

Fees are listed as the sources state them at the time of writing. NYSED says fees are subject to change, so check the live pages.

NYSED fees

1. Licensure and first registration: $143. The online application is paid by credit card.
2. Limited permit: $35, with Form 5 (more below).
3. Fee that applies: NYSED says the fee due is the one in law when your application is received, and you will be billed the difference if fees have increased.
4. Payment rules: Do not send cash. Other payments go by personal check or money order payable to the New York State Education Department. Payments from outside the U.S. must be by credit card, or a check or draft on a U.S. bank in U.S. currency.
5. Withdrawing: You may be entitled to a partial refund. Contact the Nurse Unit at opunit4@nysed.gov or 518-474-3817 ext. 280. If you withdraw and reapply later, you are treated as a new applicant.
6. Outside agencies: NYSED is not responsible for fees paid to an outside testing or credential verification agency. TruMerit, Nursys and Pearson VUE are separate payments.

Pearson VUE's NCLEX registration fee

The NCLEX registration fee for U.S. licensure is $200 USD (excluding local taxes). It is paid to Pearson VUE, not NYSED, and nclex.com says there are no refunds for any reason, including duplicate registrations or failing to show up. Changing your regulatory body after registration costs $50, and so does changing exam type (RN/PN).

Fee changes to watch

nclex.com states that effective Feb. 1, 2027 the NCLEX registration fee becomes $350 in the United States. The date you complete your registration determines the fee, not your exam date, and the same fee applies to retakes. Other fees, including international scheduling and change fees, are not changing. Our guides hub covers fees and retakes in more detail.

Limited permits and the "Graduate Nurse" option for RNs

Who can apply

NYSED issues limited permits to nursing school graduates who have applied for licensure and a limited permit and have met every requirement except the NCLEX-RN. If you have ever taken the NCLEX-RN, you are not eligible. You apply with Form 5: complete Section I, ask your prospective employer to complete Section II, and mail it with the $35 fee.

A permit holder, called a "Graduate Nurse" or "GN," can temporarily practise under RN supervision at the health care facility named on the permit. The supervising RN must be on the care unit when the GN provides care.

How long a permit lasts

A permit is valid for up to one year or until 10 days after you are notified that you failed the NCLEX-RN, whichever comes first. A GN who fails must stop practising when the permit expires, and a GN who changes employers needs a new permit. Graduates of NYSED-registered programs who applied for licensure and a permit may be legally allowed to practise for 90 days immediately after graduation under the same supervision conditions. For how this applies to you, ask NYSED or your employer.

Accommodations, ID and test-day logistics tied to your New York application

Requesting testing accommodations

Submit the Request for Reasonable Testing Accommodations Form to NYSED and note on Form 1 that you are requesting accommodations. NYSED tells you in writing whether the request is approved, and you cannot take the NCLEX-RN until it has been processed. You can request the form by calling 518-474-3817 ext. 320. The candidate bulletin adds that you should not schedule until you have written confirmation and an ATT listing the granted accommodations.

Names must match exactly

The first and last names on your ID must match exactly the first and last names on your ATT. If they do not, you will be turned away and must reregister and pay another exam fee. Name, address and email changes go through your regulatory body, not the test center, so contact NYSED early if your name has changed.

Registration and ATT validity windows

An NCLEX registration stays open for 365 days while the regulatory body decides eligibility. If you are not made eligible in that time, you forfeit the registration and fee. Once you have an ATT, you must test within its dates. Missing them means reregistering and paying again.

Results and your New York license: what is stated and what to check

How results reach you

Official results come only from the regulatory body. Pearson VUE, the test center and NCSBN do not release them, so do not call them. nclex.com says results are sent within six weeks, with the timing varying across regulatory bodies. If more than six weeks pass, contact NYSED. If you do not pass, NYSED's Nurse Unit is where to ask about your Candidate Performance Report, and to retake you must reregister with Pearson VUE.

Does New York offer Quick Results?

Quick Results gives unofficial results after two business days for a fee, but only where the regulatory body participates. The sources we used do not say whether New York does, and we have not confirmed it here. Check the Quick Results page on nclex.com before paying for it.

License, registration and renewal

After you qualify, NYSED issues a license parchment and a registration certificate. Registration authorizes practice for three years, and you must renew every three years. Your second registration is shortened to align with your birth month, with a prorated renewal fee. You are not legally allowed to practise as an RN while registration is expired.

The pages we reviewed give no processing time for issuing a license, so ask NYSED. NYSED also points to an amendment to the Regulations of the Commissioner of Education, effective April 29, 2026, about the BSN in 10 requirement. We do not interpret it here, so read NYSED's page on it.

Contacting New York and checking your status

NYSED contact details to use

For RN applicants the sourced contacts are the Nurse Unit at opunit4@nysed.gov, 518-474-3817 ext. 280 for withdrawals and fax 518-474-3398, and ext. 320 for the accommodations form (fax 518-473-8222). We could not confirm an online application status tool, a license lookup or a renewal portal from the sources, so look for those on op.nysed.gov rather than trusting third-party pages.

Pearson VUE versus the board: who answers what

1. Contact Pearson VUE: registration, payment methods, the ATT email, scheduling and rescheduling, and acceptable ID, at 1-866-496-2539 (Monday to Friday, 7 am to 7 pm Central).
2. Contact NYSED: licensure, your application, name or address changes, name corrections on your ATT, and your results if six weeks have passed.
3. Contact NCSBN: general NCLEX development and exam administration questions, not your results.

Can a New York nurse work in another state? The sources say to ask the regulatory body in that jurisdiction, because each one sets its own rules.

Where your NCLEX study plan fits

Use the test plan to organise your weeks

The NCLEX uses Client Needs categories as the framework for both the RN and PN test plans, and the test plans are free on nclex.com. Our 2026 NCLEX-RN® test plan guide and NCLEX-PN test plan guide turn those categories into a study order. Your ATT window can be as short as an average of 90 days, so it helps to plan backward from when you expect NYSED to make you eligible.

Next steps

Write down your pathway, gather what each form needs, and send your first NYSED question this week. If you spot a New York rule or fee here that has changed, please contact us so we can correct it.

PreceptIQ, an NCLEX® coach that studies your mistakes, is coming to iPhone and Android at https://preceptiq.app. It is a study aid, not a guarantee, and it is not in the app stores yet.

Common questions

NCLEX®, NCLEX-RN® and NCLEX-PN® are registered trademarks of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, Inc. (NCSBN®). PreceptIQ is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by NCSBN.