Nursing Schools in Houston, TX: 2026 BSN Admissions Guide

Houston is home to the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical complex in the world, and its nursing school scene matches that scale. Our database tracks seven BSN programs inside the city itself, plus nearby options in Pearland and The Woodlands that many Houston applicants also target. The mix runs from a flagship academic health center to private universities and career-focused colleges with rolling start dates.

The numbers below are published minimums on file as of July 2026. Treat them as floors, not targets: competitive applicants usually land well above them, and schools update cutoffs every cycle, so always check the school's page for current numbers. You can browse every program on our Houston hub and the wider Texas hub, or check your odds free against the real requirements.

Public options in Houston

University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston (Cizik School of Nursing)

UTHealth Houston is the city's flagship academic nursing program, based in the Texas Medical Center. It lists a 3.0 minimum overall and science GPA. The HESI A2 or TEAS is required, but the exam is waived if you earn a B or better in each pre-nursing science course, which is a meaningful break for strong science students.

Prairie View A&M University

Prairie View A&M, a public HBCU, runs its College of Nursing in Houston. Published requirements: 3.0 cumulative GPA, 3.0 in support courses, and a HESI A2 with a minimum of 75 percent on each component. Applications go through NursingCAS with deadlines of March 1 for Fall and September 1 for Spring.

Private options in Houston

Houston Christian University

Houston Christian (formerly Houston Baptist) asks for a 3.0 overall and science GPA, plus your choice of entrance exam: TEAS with 75 percent in Reading, Math, and English (58.7 percent in Science) or HESI A2 with 85 percent in all sections. Deadlines are April 30 for Fall and September 30 for Spring.

University of St. Thomas

The Peavy School of Nursing at University of St. Thomas publishes a 3.0 overall and science GPA and one of the tougher exam bars in the city: HESI A2 at 80 percent per section or TEAS at 78 percent per section. All four prerequisites require a B or higher. Apply through NursingCAS by June 1 for Fall or November 1 for Spring.

Chamberlain University (Houston campus)

Chamberlain's Houston campus takes a different path: no prerequisite courses at all, since everything is built into its 3-year BSN. The published floor is a 2.4 GPA with a HESI A2 (TEAS, ACT, or SAT also accepted); no numeric exam minimum is published for this campus. Admissions are holistic with multiple start dates.

Denver College of Nursing (Houston campus)

Denver College of Nursing posts the lowest GPA floor in the city: a 2.0 minimum GPA with a C or higher in all prerequisites. Instead of the TEAS or HESI it uses the Wonderlic SLE with a minimum score of 22, and applicants who already hold a bachelor's degree are exempt from the entrance exam.

An online option based in Houston

Western Governors University runs a fully online pre-licensure BSN with clinical placements across Texas, including Houston. It publishes a 2.5 minimum GPA in required nursing sciences and a TEAS minimum of 60 percent total and 60 percent in reading (HESI A2 also accepted).

Worth a look just outside the city

These are suburban programs, not Houston proper, but they sit inside the metro and draw heavily from Houston applicants:

• Sam Houston State University in The Woodlands: public, 3.0 overall GPA, TEAS overall score of 70 with a 55 minimum in each subject. NursingCAS deadlines are April 1 for Fall and September 1 for Spring.
• Chamberlain University's Pearland campus: same national criteria as the Houston campus, with a 2.4 GPA floor and no prerequisite courses.

How admissions work in Houston

A few patterns stand out across the metro:

1. The 3.0 GPA line splits the market. UTHealth, Prairie View, Houston Christian, St. Thomas, and Sam Houston State all publish 3.0 floors. Chamberlain, Denver College of Nursing, and WGU sit well below that, which makes Houston one of the better metros for applicants rebuilding a GPA.
2. HESI A2 is the dominant exam here, unlike TEAS-heavy regions. Section minimums (not just composites) matter at Prairie View, St. Thomas, and Houston Christian.
3. Exam waivers exist. UTHealth waives the entrance exam for B-or-better science grades, and Denver College of Nursing waives it for degree holders.
4. NursingCAS deadlines cluster in early spring for Fall starts, while Chamberlain, Denver College of Nursing, and Galen-style programs admit on rolling cycles year round.

For a deeper look at statewide strategy, see how to get into nursing school in Texas, our list of the easiest nursing schools to get into in Texas, and what GPA you need for nursing school.

See where you stand in Houston

Every requirement above is already loaded into our free tool. Enter your GPA, science grades, and exam scores, and the chance calculator will show your fit for every Houston-area BSN program in seconds, no account required.

*This guide is for planning only, not official admissions advice; always confirm requirements with each school.*