Best Nursing Schools Near Houston, TX (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Houston, Texas has 5 accredited schools offering nursing programs, with tuition ranging from $34,634 to $45,672 per year for indexed programs. Houston has a population of about 2,300,419. Median household income is $62,894 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 36.0% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area, the top-earning nursing-related role is Nurse Anesthetist at a median $275,310 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Nursing Schools to Houston

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer nursing programs near Houston, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Houston 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 Houston. 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

University of Houston-Downtown

Houston, TX 2.5 miles from Houston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
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: 48

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Houston Community College

Houston, TX 3.3 miles from Houston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
46.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 20%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $39,254
Avg net price $5,737/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 92

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

University of St Thomas

Houston, TX 3.5 miles from Houston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
63.0 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 90%
Graduation rate 69%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,224
Avg net price $19,359/yr
Tuition
In‑state$34,634
Out‑of‑state$34,634
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 76%
  • Programs offered: 62

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

#4

Baylor College of Medicine

Houston, TX 5.3 miles from Houston
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 20

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

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#5

University of Houston

Houston, TX 5.5 miles from Houston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
73.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 63%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $62,377
Avg net price $14,276/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 150

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

Houston, TX 5.8 miles from Houston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
96.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $88,757
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 35

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

The College of Health Care Professions-Northwest

Houston, TX 6.5 miles from Houston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
52.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 73%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $33,070
Avg net price $27,830/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 13

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Houston Christian University

Houston, TX 9.8 miles from Houston
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
47.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 49%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,933
Avg net price $20,629/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 69%
  • Programs offered: 78

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

Nursing Wages Near Houston

Houston is part of the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX metro area (BLS area code 26420). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Texas statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Registered Nurse $99,830 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $101,247
Licensed Practical Nurse $63,670 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $64,574
Nurse Anesthetist $275,310 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $279,219
Nurse Midwife $129,280 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $131,116
Nurse Practitioner $134,560 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $136,471
Nursing Assistant $37,970 Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX $38,509

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.

Houston at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 2,300,419 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $62,894 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 36.0% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 98.6 (below U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Nursing-related employment in Harris County 104,982 workers, 713 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Houston-Area Cities With Nursing Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited nursing schools are near Houston, TX?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering nursing programs near Houston. The closest is University of Houston-Downtown in Houston, TX (2.5 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is University of Houston (5.5 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying nursing roles near Houston?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying nursing-related roles near Houston are: Nurse Anesthetist ($275,310), Nurse Practitioner ($134,560), Nurse Midwife ($129,280). 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 Pearland instead of Houston?

Pearland, TX is 16.4 miles from Houston and has its own set of local nursing programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Houston an affordable place to study nursing?

Houston’s median household income of $62,894 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Houston 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 Nursing Programs

Other Programs Available in Houston

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

Data verified: September 6, 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 Nursing Schools in Texas: Online Programs (2026)