HOUSTON METRO

Best Nursing Programs in Houston (2026)

Train where Texas Medicine runs.

RN wage

$96.7k

Mean · BLS MSA

Jobs

+2.2%

Payroll YoY

Campuses

15

Metro-scoped

Explore programs

Partner matches

Sponsored · Disclosure

Local signal

Chips only · no pamphlets

TMC gravity

Harris HealthMethodistMemorial HermannMD Anderson

$97.8k median

BLS OEWSMay 2024

65.3k RNs

+2.2% CES

School-sourced

Metro-scopedNo invented

Pick a campus

NCLEX when published

15 catalog nursing-school campuses map to this metro (CBSA 26420) — cities include Alvin, Baytown, Galveston, Houston, Kingwood, Pasadena, Prairie View, Texas City. This is a metro-scoped list, not a Texas statewide dump.

Sources & methodology

BLS wages and jobs

Metro mean and median wages are BLS OEWS May 2024 (SOC 29-1141), the same survey as the national RN mean of $98,430. This is the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX MSA, not Texas as a whole.

Employment May 2024: 65,300 RNs in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX. Mean wage May 2024: $96,730. CES NAICS 62 Health Care and Social Assistance payrolls changed 2.23% over June 2025–June 2026 (series SMU48264206562000001).

Hospital partners in Houston

Names below are copied from school clinical-partnership sources. No hospital is invented. Multi-state chain lists that are not metro-scoped are omitted.

  • Harris Health System source
  • Houston Methodist Hospital source
  • Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center source
  • The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center source

School partnership sources

Named systems are copied from school clinical-partnership sources for this CBSA. A school name without a link has no live profile page in our catalog.

NCLEX chips

Campus cities are sourced campus geography for CBSA 26420. NCLEX chips are the newest display-eligible first-time rate from state-board rows (cohort ≥ 10), scoped to the school’s home state — a dash means none published, not 0%. A year with a quarter range is that board’s partial window, not a full exam year. Each rate links to that school’s NCLEX history when a live school NCLEX page exists. Degree labels overlay live program rows for these school slugs when the database is available; otherwise they read ADN, BSN, or LPN from the same board program name.

How to choose a nursing program in Houston

Steps to compare metro-campus nursing schools in Houston, TX against statewide online options, NCLEX, cost, and Texas licensure.

  1. Decide campus vs statewide-eligible

    Use this page for the 15 physical campuses in the Houston metro. Online and hybrid programs that accept TX residents are on /nursing-programs-in/texas — they are not “in” the city.

  2. Compare local campuses and published NCLEX

    Read the metro campus list (city + NCLEX when published). A dash means unpublished, not zero. Full board series with cohort sizes: /nclex-pass-rates/texas.

  3. Check clinical hospital partners

    Named hospital systems on this page come from school sources for this CBSA only. Confirm current placement sites with the school before you enroll.

  4. Match cost and speed on statewide spokes

    Cheapest and fastest lists stay on /affordable-nursing-programs/texas and /fastest-nursing-programs/texas so this city URL does not clone those rankings.

  5. Confirm licensure for the state you will live in

    Texas is a Nurse Licensure Compact state — an RN license issued here can authorize practice in other compact states. Board details: /nursing-license-requirements/texas.

Frequently asked questions
Are there nursing programs in Houston?
Yes. This catalog lists 15 nursing-school campuses in the Houston metro (CBSA 26420). Open a school page for program mix. Statewide directories live on Texas hub pages — this URL is metro-only.
What are the best nursing programs in Houston?
“Best” here means metro campuses with sourced local signals: BLS OEWS wages/employment, CES health-care job growth, and named hospital partners from school pages — not a statewide ranking clone. Compare NCLEX and tuition on the Texas NCLEX and affordable-program spokes linked from this page.
Are there nursing schools in Houston?
Yes. 15 catalog nursing schools have a primary campus mapped to the Houston metro. “Nursing schools in Houston” and “nursing programs in Houston” are the same metro inventory on this URL.
What do registered nurses earn in the Houston metro?
BLS OEWS reports 65,300 RNs in Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands, TX at a mean annual wage of $96,730 (employment May 2024, wage May 2024). Sources: https://www.bls.gov/oes/2024/may/occ_area_emp_chart/occ_area_emp_chart.htm and https://www.bls.gov/oes/tables.htm.
Is health-care employment growing in Houston?
BLS CES NAICS 62 Health Care and Social Assistance payrolls grew 2.23% over June 2025–June 2026 (series SMU48264206562000001, not seasonally adjusted). Source: https://www.bls.gov/ces/
Which hospitals partner with nursing schools in Houston?
Named hospitals on this page come from school clinical-partnership sources (not invented): Harris Health System (Cizik School of Nursing Uthealth Houston (Houston, TX)); Houston Methodist Hospital (Cizik School of Nursing Uthealth Houston (Houston, TX)); Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center (Cizik School of Nursing Uthealth Houston (Houston, TX)); The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (Cizik School of Nursing Uthealth Houston (Houston, TX)).
How is this different from Texas nursing program pages?
This URL is the Houston metro hub. Texas affordable programs are at /affordable-nursing-programs/texas and NCLEX pass rates at /nclex-pass-rates/texas. Titles and H1s stay city-specific so this page does not cannibalize those statewide templates.
What is the cheapest nursing school in Houston?
This metro hub does not invent a cheapest-school ranking. Tuition tables live on the Texas affordable-programs spoke (/affordable-nursing-programs/texas), which is the canonical cost URL. Use that list, then match campuses back to the metro table here.
Are there accelerated BSN or ABSN programs in Houston?
Second-degree / accelerated BSN inventory is maintained on the Texas ABSN spoke (/accelerated-bsn-programs/texas), not as a thin city clone. Campuses in this metro that offer a BSN still appear in the campus list; confirm ABSN vs traditional BSN on the school page.
Which nursing schools near Houston have the highest NCLEX pass rates?
Campus NCLEX cells are the newest display-eligible first-time rate from state-board rows (cohort ≥ 10), scoped to the school’s home state — never the denormalized school column. A year with a quarter range is a partial board window, not a full exam year. Do not treat a blank cell as 0%, and do not average mixed years. Full series and cohort sizes live on /nclex-pass-rates/texas and each school’s NCLEX page.
Are there LPN to RN programs in Houston?
LPN-to-RN bridge programs serving Texas residents are listed at /lpn-to-rn/texas. Some metro campuses in the table also offer ADN or LPN tracks — open the school page rather than assuming every campus is a BSN.
Can I complete an online nursing program from Houston?
Yes. Accredited online and hybrid programs that accept TX residents are a separate statewide eligibility list — not the 15 physical campuses in this metro. Start at /online-nursing-programs/texas or /nursing-programs-in/texas.
Is Texas a Nurse Licensure Compact state?
Texas is a Nurse Licensure Compact state — an RN license issued here can authorize practice in other compact states.
Are there nursing schools in Greater Houston?
Yes. This hub lists 15 nursing-school campuses in the Houston metro (CBSA 26420), the same inventory used for “nursing schools in Houston.” Statewide Texas directories live on separate URLs — this page is metro-only.
Are there nursing schools in Bayou City?
Yes. This hub lists 15 nursing-school campuses in the Houston metro (CBSA 26420), the same inventory used for “nursing schools in Houston.” Statewide Texas directories live on separate URLs — this page is metro-only.
Are there nursing schools in Sugar Land?
Sugar Land sits in the Houston, TX metro (CBSA 26420). Campuses whose primary city is Sugar Land appear in the campus list on this page when they are in the catalog. This URL is the metro hub — not a thin Sugar Land-only doorway page.
Are there nursing schools in The Woodlands?
The Woodlands sits in the Houston, TX metro (CBSA 26420). Campuses whose primary city is The Woodlands appear in the campus list on this page when they are in the catalog. This URL is the metro hub — not a thin The Woodlands-only doorway page.
Statewide pages and other metros

Texas statewide pages (not this metro list)

Tuition rankings and NCLEX tables stay on their own state URLs so this city page does not cannibalize those hubs.

Studying online from Houston?

230+ accredited online and hybrid nursing programs accept TX residents — including options not based in the metro. That statewide eligibility list is separate from the 15 campuses in the list above. See every program available in TX →

Related Texas program pages (high-intent pathways)

Outcomes and licensure

Other Texas metros

Other metro nursing hubs

Each hub is a Census CBSA campus list with BLS MSA wages — not a statewide dump with the city name swapped in.

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