NYPD Police Officer requirements: what the notice actually asks

By the date of appointment you need a four-year high school diploma or its educational equivalent, and then one of two things: 24 college semester credits at an accredited college or university with at least a 2.0 cumulative index, or two years of honorable full-time United States military service.

Twenty-four credits is roughly one academic year. It is a substantial reduction from the sixty credits earlier notices required, and it is the single change that most widens the pool of people who can apply. Education obtained outside the United States must be evaluated for equivalence, and the notice says the Police Department issues instructions on approved evaluation services during pre-employment screening — so it is handled after the test, not before you file.

You must be at least 17 by the date you take the multiple-choice test. You must have attained 20 years and 6 months to be appointed. And only persons who are less than 43 years of age on the date of filing an application for the examination may be appointed.

That last one is measured on the day you file, not at the test or the appointment, so 42 is the oldest you can be when you submit. If you have qualifying military service you may deduct up to six years of it from your age when the ceiling is applied; the notice cites Civil Service Law section 58 and Administrative Code section 14-109 for that.

The ceiling is new. Editions of this notice up to the one for exam 7312 said you must not have reached your 35th birthday by the first date of the application period, with up to seven years deductible for military duty. The edition DCAS posted when 7313 opened for filing replaced both, so a guide or video that still says 35 predates it.

Proof of good character and satisfactory background is an absolute prerequisite. The notice names the factors that would ordinarily disqualify: an arrest or conviction record indicating a lack of good moral character or a disposition toward violence or disorder, repeated arrests or convictions indicating disrespect for the law, discharge from employment indicating poor behaviour or an inability to adjust to discipline, a dishonorable discharge from the Armed Forces, and conviction of petit larceny.

Separately and more firmly: persons convicted of a felony or a domestic violence misdemeanor are not eligible for appointment as a Police Officer. This is where the notice differs sharply from the School Safety Agent notice, which sets out certificate-of-relief routes through a conviction. There is no equivalent route here.

A valid, unrestricted New York State motor vehicle driver license is required on the date of appointment and must be maintained for the duration of employment. Unlike Traffic Enforcement Agent, where the licence requirement arrives at fifteen months in the position, this one bites at appointment.

Residency is governed by the New York State Public Officers Law: an NYPD police officer must live in New York City or in Nassau, Westchester, Suffolk, Orange, Rockland or Putnam county. Living in the five boroughs matters separately, because it is what qualifies you for the ten-point residency credit.

Screening covers a character and background investigation with an $82.75 fingerprint-screening fee (the edition published September 30, 2026 raised it from $75), medical and psychological assessment, a qualifying physical test, and a drug screening before appointment. The probationary period is 24 months.