Best Health Science Schools Near Harlingen, TX (2026)

Updated August 25, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Harlingen, Texas is home to about 71,669 residents. Median household income is $55,891 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 21.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX metro area, the top-earning health science-related role is Medical and Health Services Manager at a median $99,360 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Health Science Schools to Harlingen

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer health science programs near Harlingen, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Harlingen city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Harlingen. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Houston, TX 280.1 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
96.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $88,757
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 3

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Texas Southern University

Houston, TX 282.5 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
32.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 36%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,924
Avg net price $16,590/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 61%
  • Programs offered: 13

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

The University of Texas at Austin

Austin, TX 282.9 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
84.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $75,121
Avg net price $19,857/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 16

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

University of Houston-Clear Lake

Houston, TX 282.9 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
65.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,004
Avg net price $15,563/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 75%
  • Programs offered: 10

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

University of Houston-Downtown

Houston, TX 285.2 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
56.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 55%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $53,551
Avg net price $10,542/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 67%
  • Programs offered: 8

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Texas A&M University-College Station

College Station, TX 316.1 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
81.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,097
Avg net price $21,315/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 28

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

Baylor University

Waco, TX 371.7 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
  • Accredited
70.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 51%
Graduation rate 80%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $65,793
Avg net price $41,104/yr
Tuition
In‑state$58,100
Out‑of‑state$58,100
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 91%
  • Programs offered: 15

Source:Accreditor: Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on CollegesIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

University of North Texas Health Science Center

Fort Worth, TX 453.5 miles from Harlingen
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $93,615
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 2

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Texas schools on the Texas health science page.

Health Science Wages Near Harlingen

Harlingen is part of the Brownsville-Harlingen, TX metro area (BLS area code 15180). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Texas statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
Medical and Health Services Manager$99,360Brownsville-Harlingen, TX$115,535
Health Education Specialist$48,490Brownsville-Harlingen, TX$56,384
Health Information Technologist$76,820TX statewide$89,326
Health Technologist and Technician$43,800Brownsville-Harlingen, TX$50,930

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Harlingen at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population71,669Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$55,891Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+21.7%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)86.0 (below U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Harlingen-Area Cities With Health Science Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the highest-paying health science roles near Harlingen?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying health science-related roles near Harlingen are: Medical and Health Services Manager ($99,360), Health Information Technologist ($76,820), Health Education Specialist ($48,490). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Texas statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in San Benito instead of Harlingen?

San Benito, TX is 5.4 miles from Harlingen and has its own set of local health science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Harlingen an affordable place to study health science?

Harlingen’s median household income of $55,891 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Harlingen while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Texas public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Health Science Programs

Other Programs Available in Harlingen

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Harlingen:

Data verified: August 25, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Health Science Schools in Texas: Online Programs (2026)