Best Nursing Schools in Texas (2026): Rankings and Reviews

Texas has more nursing schools than almost any other state, with nearly 60 colleges producing BSN graduates for a fast-growing population. This guide ranks them using official federal data and reviews the top 5.

Imagine you want to become a nurse in Texas. You could study at a famous research university in Austin or College Station, a private university in Fort Worth or Waco, or one of many public universities across this huge state. Here is how they compare.

How we ranked these schools

We used the latest official data from the US Department of Education’s College Scorecard. We included colleges in Texas that award a bachelor’s degree in nursing (BSN), and ranked those producing at least 20 BSN graduates a year by their graduation rate. We also show how much their nursing graduates earn and what tuition costs. Graduation rates are for each college as a whole, not nursing students alone.

Texas nursing schools ranked (2026)

Rank	College	City	Type	Graduation rate	BSN graduates a year	BSN graduates’ median earnings (1 year)	In-state tuition
1	The University of Texas at Austin	Austin	Public	89%	117	$83,778	$11,656
2	Texas Christian University	Fort Worth	Private nonprofit	86%	230	$79,941	$63,590
3	Texas A&M University-College Station	College Station	Public	85%	235	$80,471	$13,154
4	Baylor University	Waco	Private nonprofit	82%	330	$78,845	$63,620
5	University of St Thomas	Houston	Private nonprofit	67%	297	$84,429	$35,754
6	University of Houston	Houston	Public	66%	84	$85,922	$9,717
7	Hallmark University	San Antonio	Private nonprofit	65%	56	$76,005	n/a
8	Sam Houston State University	Huntsville	Public	56%	147	$82,571	$9,228
9	Stephen F Austin State University	Nacogdoches	Public	55%	123	$80,909	$11,228
10	Texas State University	San Marcos	Public	55%	89	$78,884	$11,481
11	The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley	Edinburg	Public	55%	212	$75,580	$9,993
12	Abilene Christian University	Abilene	Private nonprofit	55%	45	$78,954	$45,800
13	University of the Incarnate Word	San Antonio	Private nonprofit	53%	161	$77,195	$38,650
14	Texas Lutheran University	Seguin	Private nonprofit	52%	101	$74,805	$37,800
15	The University of Texas at Arlington	Arlington	Public	51%	2465	$89,518	$11,950
16	The University of Texas at El Paso	El Paso	Public	51%	392	$75,043	$9,772
17	West Texas A & M University	Canyon	Public	51%	121	$79,258	$9,664
18	Lubbock Christian University	Lubbock	Private nonprofit	50%	46	$86,073	$30,220
19	Southwestern Adventist University	Keene	Private nonprofit	50%	70	$76,786	$26,120
20	Tarleton State University	Stephenville	Public	49%	159	$74,862	$8,302
21	Texas Woman’s University	Denton	Public	49%	456	$80,581	$9,000
22	Texas A & M International University	Laredo	Public	49%	119	$77,343	$7,893
23	Houston Christian University	Houston	Private nonprofit	48%	48	$85,242	$40,680
24	The University of Texas at Tyler	Tyler	Public	47%	647	$78,414	$9,736
25	University of Mary Hardin-Baylor	Belton	Private nonprofit	47%	135	$78,090	$33,140
26	Prairie View A & M University	Prairie View	Public	46%	98	$85,920	$11,299
27	University of Houston-Clear Lake	Houston	Public	45%	21	n/a	$7,770
28	East Texas Baptist University	Marshall	Private nonprofit	45%	36	$74,928	$31,760
29	Angelo State University	San Angelo	Public	45%	47	$76,886	$8,460
30	Schreiner University	Kerrville	Private nonprofit	45%	22	$82,926	$40,850
31	Hardin-Simmons University	Abilene	Private nonprofit	44%	22	$81,769	$34,260
32	Concordia University Texas	Austin	Private nonprofit	43%	203	$79,085	$25,000
33	Midwestern State University	Wichita Falls	Public	42%	193	$81,333	$10,580
34	The University of Texas Permian Basin	Odessa	Public	41%	76	$86,141	$9,236
35	East Texas A&M University	Commerce	Public	41%	67	$84,703	$10,026
36	Lamar University	Beaumont	Public	39%	167	$80,261	$8,905
37	Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi	Corpus Christi	Public	38%	194	$75,707	$9,748
38	Grayson College	Denison	Public	33%	60	$94,159	$3,052
39	University of Houston-Downtown	Houston	Public	30%	53	$99,177	$7,708
40	Trinity Valley Community College	Athens	Public	26%	36	$75,780	$2,640
41	South Texas College	McAllen	Public	23%	27	n/a	$4,920
42	San Antonio College	San Antonio	Public	22%	39	n/a	$3,412
43	Texas A&M University-Victoria	Victoria	Public	22%	29	$90,119	$7,149
44	Collin County Community College District	McKinney	Public	21%	57	n/a	$2,014
45	Lone Star College System	The Woodlands	Public	19%	70	n/a	$3,330
46	Austin Community College District	Austin	Public	19%	60	$93,631	$2,550
47	Weatherford College	Weatherford	Public	15%	43	n/a	$5,250

Also offering a BSN in Texas (not ranked: either a comparable graduation rate isn’t reported, often because they mainly enrol transfer, upper-division or adult students, or they’re for-profit career colleges whose college-wide rates aren’t comparable with universities):

College	City	Type	Graduation rate	BSN graduates a year	BSN graduates’ median earnings (1 year)	In-state tuition
West Coast University-Texas	Richardson	Private for-profit	0%	972	$100,459	$17,482
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center	Lubbock	Public	n/a	931	$81,994	n/a
Chamberlain University-Texas	Houston	Private for-profit	40%	674	$89,974	$22,000
The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio	San Antonio	Public	n/a	319	$74,627	n/a
The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston	Galveston	Public	n/a	312	$84,918	n/a
The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston	Houston	Public	n/a	276	$85,981	n/a
Galen College of Nursing-San Antonio	San Antonio	Private for-profit	70%	212	$78,918	$18,740
Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso	El Paso	Public	n/a	147	$77,672	$14,978
Arizona College of Nursing-Dallas	Dallas	Private for-profit	0%	44	$85,460	$24,600
Western Technical College	El Paso	Private for-profit	68%	41	$78,712	n/a
South University-Austin	Round Rock	Private for-profit	8%	29	$79,957	$18,145
Galen Health Institutes-Austin Campus	Round Rock	Private for-profit	n/a	21	$78,918	$18,740

Top Texas nursing schools reviewed

1. The University of Texas at Austin

The University of Texas at Austin is the state’s flagship public university, and its School of Nursing has the highest graduation rate on our Texas list.

• Graduation rate: 89%, number 1 in Texas on our list
• Programme size: about 117 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year
• Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $83,778 one year after graduating
• Cost: $11,656 in-state tuition ($44,816 out of state)
• Acceptance rate: 27%

2. Texas Christian University

Texas Christian University in Fort Worth is a private university with a large and highly regarded nursing programme.

• Graduation rate: 86%, number 2 in Texas on our list
• Programme size: about 230 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year
• Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $79,941 one year after graduating
• Cost: $63,590 tuition a year before financial aid
• Acceptance rate: 44%

3. Texas A&M University-College Station

Texas A&M University in College Station offers a BSN through its College of Nursing, with campuses in several Texas cities.

• Graduation rate: 85%, number 3 in Texas on our list
• Programme size: about 235 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year
• Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $80,471 one year after graduating
• Cost: $13,154 in-state tuition ($39,974 out of state)
• Acceptance rate: 57%

4. Baylor University

Baylor University is a private Christian university whose Louise Herrington School of Nursing is based in Dallas, close to a major health system.

• Graduation rate: 82%, number 4 in Texas on our list
• Programme size: about 330 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year
• Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $78,845 one year after graduating
• Cost: $63,620 tuition a year before financial aid
• Acceptance rate: 51%

5. University of St Thomas

The University of St Thomas in Houston is a private Catholic university with a large BSN programme serving the Texas Medical Center area.

• Graduation rate: 67%, number 5 in Texas on our list
• Programme size: about 297 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year
• Early earnings: nursing graduates earned a median of $84,429 one year after graduating
• Cost: $35,754 tuition a year before financial aid
• Acceptance rate: 90%

Studying nursing in Texas: what to know

Texas has some of the largest health care systems in the world, including the Texas Medical Center in Houston, and rapid population growth means demand for nurses keeps rising. The University of Texas at Arlington produces more BSN graduates than any other college in the state, many through online and RN-to-BSN routes. Texas also has a large number of community college ADN programmes and accelerated BSN options. Before applying, check each programme’s NCLEX pass rate, which the Texas Board of Nursing publishes for all approved schools.

Ways to become a registered nurse in Texas

• Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN): a four-year degree, the route covered in this guide, preferred by many hospitals and required for most leadership and advanced roles.
• Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN): a two-year programme, often at community colleges, leading to the same NCLEX-RN exam. Many nurses later complete an RN-to-BSN degree, often online and part-time while working.
• Accelerated BSN (ABSN): for people who already hold a bachelor’s degree in another subject, usually 12 to 18 months of intensive study.
• Direct-entry master’s (MSN): offered by some universities for graduates of other fields.

Whichever route you choose, you must graduate from an approved programme and pass the NCLEX-RN exam to be licensed by the Texas Board of Nursing. Texas is a member of the Nurse Licensure Compact, so a multistate licence lets you practise in other compact states.

Frequently asked questions

How many colleges in Texas offer a BSN?

Based on the latest College Scorecard data, 59 colleges in Texas produce at least 20 bachelor’s nursing graduates a year, together awarding around 12,483 BSN degrees annually. Some smaller programmes are not included.

Which Texas nursing school has the highest graduation rate?

The University of Texas at Austin has the highest college-wide graduation rate on our list, at 89%.

Which is the largest nursing programme in Texas?

The University of Texas at Arlington produces the most bachelor’s nursing graduates in the state, about 2465 a year.

How much do new BSN graduates earn in Texas?

Across the colleges listed, the median first-year earnings of bachelor’s nursing graduates range from $74,627 to $100,459, with a typical (median) figure of about $80,261. Earnings depend on where graduates work, their shift patterns and whether they were already working as nurses.

How much does a public nursing degree cost in Texas?

In-state tuition at the public universities on our list ranges from $2,014 to $13,154 a year, before fees, housing and financial aid.

But is a ranking enough to choose a school?

No ranking can tell you everything. Before you apply, also check:

• NCLEX pass rates: the Texas Board of Nursing publishes first-time NCLEX-RN pass rates for approved programmes. Look for consistently high rates over several years.
• Accreditation: make sure the BSN is accredited by CCNE or ACEN.
• Getting into the nursing major: many universities admit students as “pre-nursing” first. Ask what share progress into the nursing programme.
• Clinical placements: where students train and how placements are arranged.
• Total cost: use each college’s net price calculator to see your likely cost after financial aid.

Related: US nursing schools with the highest graduation rates · How to get into nursing school

Sources: US Department of Education College Scorecard (accessed November 2026), Texas Board of Nursing, Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing. Figures change every year; always confirm with the college.