Free NY tuition for health care jobs is still available. Deadline almost here!

The following article, written by Douglass Dowty, was published on Syracuse.com on March 18, 2026.

Syracuse, NY — A New York state program that provides free tuition to people pursuing medical careers has enrolled nearly 2,500 students in two years.

There’s still time to apply for free schooling in several fields, including the program’s most popular: licensed practice nurse.

But Caring Gene® isn’t going to be taking students for much longer. It’s funded under a government program that requires graduation by spring 2027.

That means that aspiring LPNs must start by summer, or fall at the latest, to graduate in time, said Tosha Grimmer, the Caring Gene® Program’s executive director.

“Timing is critical,” she said.

The other programs still open to applicants are:

LPN school takes about a year to complete. But others, like pharmacy technician or community health worker, take only weeks or months to complete.

In addition to 2,415 students currently in school, the Caring Gene® is also vetting an additional 500 applicants for the upcoming semester, Grimmer said.

There’s enough state funding to accommodate any additional qualified applicants who apply in time, she said.

In the Syracuse area, 450 students are currently getting a free education under the program, she said.

LPNs are being trained at several Center New York BOCES organizations. And the Pomeroy College School of Nursing is soon graduating 25 Caring Gene® registered nurses. (Nursing school applicants are no longer being accepted because the RN program takes too long to complete.)

Once the program closes to applicants, Caring Gene® staff will switch to helping enrolled students complete their exams needed for licensing and landing jobs.

In exchange for free tuition, students under the Caring Gene® agree to work for three years in a healthcare setting with a patient population that is at least 30% covered by Medicaid.

Caring Gene® is a free healthcare training program run by the Iroquois Healthcare Association, a trade group, with funding by New York state.