Living in New York, training in another state
GW Nursing accepts New York applicants to its online programs only if they verify their willingness to complete the clinical portion in another state. New York insists that programs from other states register before placing students there, and GW's disclosures say its MSN NP, certificate and midwifery programs do not meet New York's requirements. Plan your clinicals across a state line from day one.
Get your placement plan
Tell us your GW program and where you live. A placement advisor replies with the preceptor and site options that fit your GW course.
GW's New York condition, program by program
GW's stance on New York has moved over the years. In 2017 it described itself as restricted in how many New York placements it could offer; a March 2025 page said it could neither accept New York applicants nor give them clinical assignments; today's page admits them on the out-of-state clinical condition.
| Program | New York applicants | New York in GW's disclosure |
|---|---|---|
| MSN FNP, AGPCNP, PMHNP | Accepted if clinicals happen in another state | Does not meet |
| Post-BSN DNP NP tracks | Same condition | Not yet determined |
| Post-master's NP certificates | Same condition | Does not meet |
| MSN Nurse-Midwifery | Same condition | Does not meet |
| Leadership MSN, post-MSN DNP | Same condition | Outside GW's disclosure pages |
| Acute Care NP options | Residents of DC, Maryland or Virginia only | Clinicals in DC, Maryland or Northern Virginia |
That last column matters for anyone aiming at a New York NP license after graduation. GW's other state limits are collected on state authorizations.
Why New York clinical sites are off the table
The New York State Education Department (NYSED) is blunt: before students from an online or out-of-state nursing school can rotate anywhere in New York, NYSED must have registered or approved that school's program. NP programs must themselves be registered, and NYSED warns that NP rotations without that registration "could also be illegal." NYSED posts no list of registered out-of-state programs; its Office of the Professions confirms status by email.
NYSED's education office adds that clinical placements create a physical presence needing prior approval, even for SARA members. Federal sites, meaning VA and military facilities, fall outside NYSED's rule, yet GW's condition is framed around another state, so ask GW before counting one.
A second license once clinicals cross the border
Because New York has not joined the Nurse Licensure Compact, NYSED gives a multistate license from another state no reach inside New York. The reverse holds too: living in New York, you hold a single-state license, and GW wants an RN license in every state where you rotate. The first task in any cross-border plan is a license from the state where the site is.
Three neighbors worth a look
- New Jersey: we found no approval step in New Jersey's rules for visiting programs, and GW's NP disclosures mark it as meeting requirements
- Pennsylvania: ยง 21.118 exempts RNs from other jurisdictions while they train in an accredited graduate program's clinicals, though GW's own license rule still applies
- Connecticut: its regulations deem a program approved by its home-state board to be approved when set conditions are met, with no separate filing stated
If you plan to practice in New York afterward
AANP rates New York full practice with one condition: until an NP logs 3,600 practice hours, they practice under a written agreement, with protocols, alongside a collaborating physician. Northwell Health and NewYork-Presbyterian rank among the state's big systems, along with Mount Sinai, the public NYC Health + Hospitals network and, upstate, the University of Rochester Medical Center. The New York City metro holds roughly 13 million of the state's residents, with Buffalo, Rochester and Albany far behind.
GW's disclosures say its MSN NP, certificate and midwifery programs do not meet New York's requirements, and the DNP's status is not yet determined. If a New York NP license after graduation is the goal, put that question to GW admissions before you enroll.
The condition covers every clinical hour, including in the certificates, where GW says most students start clinical in semester one.
Why New York GW students choose us
Cross-border clinicals are our specialty for New York students. Your placement advisor maps sites within reach of home in New Jersey, Pennsylvania or Connecticut, confirms that each preceptor's license and site fit that state, and flags the extra RN license early enough for you to hold it before GW's compliance review. Then we assemble a complete Site Prospector entry. Share your county and term on the contact form.
Questions GW students ask
How does GW verify that a New York applicant will train in another state?
GW's page says the student verifies their willingness to complete clinicals in another state, but it does not publish the form or the step involved. Ask GW admissions how the verification works for your program, and keep a copy of whatever you sign.
Can I do GW clinicals at a VA medical center in New York?
NYSED's rule carves out VA and military facilities run by the federal government, but GW's condition for New York applicants speaks of completing clinicals in another state. Ask GW admissions and the Clinical Placement Team before approaching a VA preceptor in New York, and get the answer confirmed for your program.
I live in New York City. Do I need a New Jersey license for a site in Newark?
Yes. New York is outside the compact, so your New York license does not reach New Jersey, and GW requires an RN license in each state where you rotate. Apply well ahead, because the license has to be active before GW's compliance review can clear you for that site.
Will a GW MSN let me practice as an NP in New York?
Do not assume so. GW's MSN NP disclosure lists New York as does not meet, and the post-BSN DNP disclosure says not yet determined. Ask GW admissions, and check with NYSED's Office of the Professions, before you enroll if a New York NP license is part of your plan.
Related pages
Last checked 2026-09-24
We check these pages against GW's Bulletin and GW Nursing's own program and clinical pages. Your course, CORE and GW's Clinical Placement Team have the final word.
GW asks you to find your own site and preceptor. Hand that search to us.
Tell us your GW program, where you live and which clinical course is next. We find preceptors who fit the course and prepare the license, bio and site details GW's review asks for, so your Site Prospector goes in complete.
- Preceptors matched to the course: family practice for
NURS 6230toNURS 6232, older-adult primary care for AGPCNP, psychiatric care for PMHNP - License, bio or CV and the site's agreement signatory ready for your CORE submission
- Close to home, in DC, Maryland, Virginia or wherever you live and hold your RN license
Start your placement plan
Your program, city and next clinical term is all we need to begin.