Upstate, Cayuga College launch nursing pathways to speed workforce entry

Upstate Medical University and Cayuga Community College have teamed up on a nursing partnership that could move more Central New York students from the classroom to the hospital floor faster, at a time when health systems across the region still need nurses.

The schools said they will open two new pathways in Fall 2026. One is an Accelerated Bachelor of Science in Nursing track for people who already hold a bachelor’s degree. The other is a three-year dual-degree route for students coming straight from high school or transferring from another college. Both are designed to keep the door open to a bachelor’s degree while trimming the time and complexity it can take to enter the profession.

Under the accelerated pathway, students would start with foundational nursing coursework at Upstate, continue with additional coursework at Cayuga Community College to earn an Associate in Applied Science in Nursing, sit for the NCLEX-RN exam, and then return to Upstate to finish a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The dual-degree route follows a different sequence, but it is built around the same idea: give students a faster, more structured way into nursing without lowering academic standards.

The partnership comes as Upstate says demand for nurses is rising in Central New York and across New York State. Mantosh Dewan, Upstate’s president, described the university as the region’s only academic medical center and said it has a central role in addressing the healthcare staffing shortage. Brian Durant, president of Cayuga Community College, said the bridge between the two schools should have a long-term impact on the region’s healthcare community.

For Onondaga County, the significance is practical. A stronger pipeline could help local hospitals, outpatient clinics and long-term care facilities recruit more workers trained nearby, rather than competing in an already tight labor market. The two schools are betting that a more flexible model, one that recognizes both second-career students and recent high school graduates, can widen access while producing nurses sooner for a workforce that is still under strain.