Compare NYC college certificates and private training centers by length, cost, and clinical practice
New York does not license phlebotomists, so in NYC the national certification exam, not a state card, is what hiring managers check. Training is a certificate or diploma program, typically 4 to 16 weeks and 40 to 200 hours, run by CUNY continuing education units and private career schools.
For a commuter, the deciding questions are practical. Can you finish fast, afford the full cost and reach class by subway or bus? Will you leave eligible for the NHA CPT, ASCP PBT, AMT RPT or NCCT NCPT?
Speed and price only pay off if the course ends with supervised live draws and a seat at one of those exams.
New York City's phlebotomy jobs cluster in three settings: hospital systems, commercial reference labs and blood centers. Each one shapes your workday differently.
NYC Health + Hospitals, Mount Sinai, NYU Langone, NewYork-Presbyterian and Northwell Health are the region's major hospital employers. Hospital phlebotomists usually start with early-morning inpatient draws on the floors, then handle urgent requests through the shift. Some postings want experience. A 2026 NYU Langone opening in Mineola asked for one to two years in a hospital or nursing home.1 Northwell's postings accepted completion of a phlebotomy or medical assistant program in place of a year of experience, and one listed $24.00 to $30.00 an hour.2 Northwell also posts per-diem roles, which can fit around school or another job.3
Quest Diagnostics and Labcorp staff patient service centers across the city. In 2026, Quest advertised Phlebotomist I openings in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Staten Island, Forest Hills and South Richmond Hill.4 Expect a steady stream of walk-in and scheduled patients. These sites often open early for fasting blood work, and some keep weekend hours, useful if you are still juggling another job. One Quest posting asked for a high school diploma and preferred medical assistant or paramedic training.5
New York Blood Center hires for donor collection. The work centers on screening donors, performing the draw and watching for reactions, rather than drawing sick patients.
New York does not license phlebotomists, and Quest's own posting noted that certification is required only in California, Nevada and Washington.5 Even so, 2026 postings from Quest, NYU Langone and Northwell all listed phlebotomy certification as preferred. When several applicants want the same opening, a national credential is often what separates you from the rest.
A CUNY continuing education certificate is built like a college course. A private career school course is often built for speed. Both can lead to the same national exam, but they package time and cost very differently.
Yes, though not as a single uniform program. Several CUNY colleges run their own continuing education phlebotomy courses, and each sets its own hours, price and fees. The published details for the ones below are not directly comparable.
I could not confirm current phlebotomy details for LaGuardia, so check with the college directly.
New York Institute in Queens lists a $475 in-person program with three schedules: two weeks of weekday mornings, three weeks of weekday afternoons, or six weeks of Saturdays. It qualifies graduates for the national exam, but the published page does not say whether the exam fee, hours, externship or supplies are included. A market guide puts NYC tuition at roughly $1,200 at community colleges up to $3,500 at private vocational schools, with books, scrubs, supplies and exam fees adding about $400 to $600. That is a typical range, not a rule. Some programs bundle an exam voucher, and the NHA CPT exam itself runs $117 (ASCP is $135).
A two-day or two-week intensive is not a semester-length course, and some short courses assume you already have clinical experience. Ask each provider whether the exam fee, CPR card, supplies and externship are in the tuition or billed on top.
A phlebotomy class schedule is simply when and how the course meets: nights, Saturdays, a compressed run of weeks, or a mix of online theory and in-person practice. New York City providers publish these formats for upcoming terms.
No 4-week or other accelerated format turned up in the NYC listings we reviewed, so verify any such claim with the school.
In a hybrid course, theory may be delivered online, but venipuncture practice and the clinical portion happen in person. City College of New York's 60-hour program fits this pattern: Monday through Wednesday sessions run by Zoom, and Thursday clinicals are in person.2 Lehman College also uses a hybrid structure, with Phlebotomy I and II at 36 hours each. Neither listing gave a class time or firm start date, so ask.
Not entirely. You can complete lectures online, but no legitimate path to certification is fully online, because every national exam requires documented hands-on blood draws. A program promising certification with no in-person practice should raise a flag.
Cohorts fill and dates shift each term. Before you plan around a schedule, contact the provider directly to confirm the next start date, class times and the in-person requirements.
In the New York-Newark-Jersey City area, phlebotomists earned a median of $46,540 a year ($21.70 an hour) in BLS's May 2022 estimates, and a mean of $50,450 in May 2023. The national median was $45,230 ($21.75 an hour) in May 2025, though these figures come from different years and are not a direct comparison. BLS does not report a full percentile breakdown for the metro, so the bar below shows the national May 2025 spread: new graduates usually start near the lower end, and pay tends to climb with experience, hospital roles and night shifts.
Most NYC phlebotomy programs prepare you for one specific national exam, so ask each school which credential its course targets and whether the exam fee is included in tuition before you enroll. Lehman College's Phlebotomy Technician Program, for example, prepares students for the NHA CPT exam, and the exam fee is not included in tuition. Use the fees and renewal rules below to budget for both your first attempt and keeping the credential active.
| Credential | Certifying Body | Exam Fee | Eligibility Route | Recertification |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| NHA CPT (Certified Phlebotomy Technician) | National Healthcareer Association (NHA) | $117 member pricing; non-member pricing is higher | High school diploma or GED (or earning one within 18 months), plus either a phlebotomy training program completed within the last 5 years or supervised work experience (1 year within the last 3 years, or 2 years within the last 5 years). Must document at least 30 successful venipunctures and 10 capillary or finger sticks on live individuals. | Every 2 years: 10 continuing-education credits plus a recertification fee |
| ASCP PBT (Phlebotomy Technician) | American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Certification (ASCP BOC) | $155 application fee | N/A | Maintained through ASCP's Credential Maintenance Program; an expired credential carries a $135 reinstatement fee on top of the program application fee |
| NCCT NCPT (National Certified Phlebotomy Technician) | National Center for Competency Testing (NCCT) | $90 to $135, depending on student status | N/A | Every year: 14 continuing-education credits plus an annual fee |
Below are the top phlebotomy programs serving New York students, ranked by IPEDS completion data, cost, and program fit. Every entry sits within commuting distance of the five boroughs, and the mix runs from CUNY continuing-education certificates to private career schools and fully online options. Prices shown are approximate institution-wide averages after aid, so treat them as a rough cost signal rather than a program price.
| Rank | School | Location | Net price | Best for | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | CUNY Kingsborough Community College | Brooklyn, NY | ~$6,000/yr (est.) | Brooklyn students wanting live-stick practice | |
CUNY Kingsborough Community College in Brooklyn offers the most hours of hands-on instruction on this list, a 127-hour Certified Phlebotomy Technician program built around live needle sticks. Students cover anatomy, safety protocol and patient interaction, and the curriculum maps to the NHA certification exam. SNAP recipients may attend at no cost, including textbooks, uniforms and exam fees, and a bridging seminar connects the course to college credit.
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| #2 | CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College | New York, NY | ~$5,000/yr (est.) | Manhattan commuters blending online and lab | |
CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College runs its phlebotomy training through the Manhattan Educational Opportunity Center in Lower Manhattan, using a hybrid model that pairs online coursework with in-person lab practice. The certificate prepares students for the Certified Phlebotomy Technician exam and covers blood collection, patient interaction and lab procedures. Admission requires a high school diploma plus TABE placement scores and student malpractice insurance. Graduates move into hospitals, clinics, labs and blood banks.
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| #3 | CUNY Queensborough Community College | Bayside, NY | $4,500/yr (est. net price) | Queens students needing Saturday-only classes | |
CUNY Queensborough Community College in Bayside offers a 44-hour phlebotomy technician certificate spread across 11 sessions, teaching blood collection methods and safety procedures. The program prepares students for the NHA Certified Phlebotomy Technician credential and includes free career counseling and job search assistance. Instruction runs in a hybrid online and in-person format, with a scheduled cohort running Saturday afternoons.
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| #4 | Austin Medical Assistant Training | Forest Hills, NY | ~$23,000/yr (est.) | ||
Austin Medical Assistant Training in Forest Hills runs a compact 60-hour Phlebotomy Technician course with morning, afternoon and night sessions on campus. Instruction covers butterfly and needle syringes and the evacuated tube system, plus the terminology used to order lab tests, with practice first on mannequin arms and then on live patients under certified instructors. Total cost including books, uniform and registration is modest, and admission needs only a high school diploma, GED or TASC.
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| #5 | Monroe University | Bronx, NY | $15,000/yr (est. net price) | ||
Monroe University in the Bronx pairs phlebotomy with EKG training in a 7-week hybrid certificate, mixing virtual lectures with on-site clinical practice at the Bronx campus. Students learn to obtain and handle blood specimens, perform twelve-lead electrocardiograms and read cardiac rhythms such as atrial fibrillation. Completion makes graduates eligible for the NHA Certified ECG Tech exam, and the credential opens entry-level roles in hospitals, clinics and labs.
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| #6 | Mildred Elley-New York Campus | New York, NY | ~$25,000/yr (est.) | ||
Mildred Elley's New York City campus near the Financial District teaches a 105-hour phlebotomy technician course split into two consecutive courses, starting with medical terminology plus anatomy and physiology. Students finish in 8 weeks on campus and cover blood draws, sample labeling and transport, sterilization, difficult draws and adverse reactions, safe disposal and patient interaction. The school provides lifetime career assistance to graduates and has offered career education for over a century.
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| #7 | New York Medical Career Training Center | Flushing, NY | $28,000/yr (est. net price) | ||
New York Medical Career Training Center runs its phlebotomy technician course at Flushing in Queens, with additional instruction listed for Manhattan and a Garden City campus on Long Island. The course is grouped with the school's programs that finish in under 9 weeks and meets on campus. Financial aid is available for students who qualify. Admission steps, tuition and clock hours are arranged through the school's registration and financial aid offices.
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| #8 | Hofstra University | Hempstead, NY | $30,000 – $35,000/yr (est.) | ||
Hofstra University's Workforce Training Academy offers a phlebotomy technician bootcamp on a flexible online format, with video-based lectures, hands-on labs and instructor-led training. The program serves both beginners and experienced professionals and includes career counseling and job assistance. It suits students who want a recognized university name on the certificate and can handle lab practice on their own schedule rather than commuting to a fixed weekly class.
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| #9 | Wagner College | Staten Island, NY | $28,000/yr (est. net price) | ||
Wagner College on Staten Island delivers a non-credit Certified Phlebotomy Technician certificate entirely online and self-paced, with 200 course hours to complete within 12 months. The curriculum covers medical terminology, anatomy for phlebotomy, infection control, blood collection, dermal puncture, specimen handling and legal and ethical matters, and a lab kit with a realistic practice arm ships after enrollment. Tuition is paid up front or through monthly plans, rolling admissions let students start when ready, and an NHA exam voucher is included. A clinical experience is available through a placement process students arrange. Rolling admissionsMilitary benefitsFully online option
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| #10 | Berkeley College-New York | New York, NY | $34,000/yr (est. net price) | ||
Berkeley College's New York campus in Midtown lists a Phlebotomy Technician Training Program among its continuing education health certificates, alongside EKG technician, medical billing and community health worker offerings. The credential is a certificate rather than a degree. The college's public page gives no program length, tuition, start dates, admission requirements or delivery format, so applicants should confirm those details directly with the continuing education office before enrolling.
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9 schools in the state offer this course through an education partner, with open enrollment and a national certification exam voucher. Request information to hear from the school directly.
Certified Phlebotomy Technician course (vouchers and lab included)
Certified Phlebotomy Technician course (vouchers and lab included)
Certified Phlebotomy Technician course (vouchers and lab included)
Certified Phlebotomy Technician course (vouchers and lab included)
Certified Phlebotomy Technician course (vouchers and lab included)
Certified Phlebotomy Technician course (vouchers and lab included)
Certified Phlebotomy Technician course (vouchers and lab included)
Certified Phlebotomy Technician course (vouchers and lab included)
Certified Phlebotomy Technician course (vouchers and lab included)
Sponsored listings. These schools offer the course through an education partner and may compensate us when you request information. Compensation does not affect the rankings or the directory on this page.
10 schools within 20 miles, grouped by city. Select a program to see its highlights, and use the Website link for the school's own program page.
Program data from the schools and the National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS).
These answers cover the questions NYC students ask most about funding, CUNY, class length, and online options. Program details change, so confirm current terms with each school before you enroll.
