Two universities serving the greater Houston area will each receive $750,000 as part of a statewide investment in nursing education announced Friday by Gov. Greg Abbott.
The University of Houston and Sam Houston State University were among the recipients of more than $5.6 million awarded through the Texas Nursing Innovation Grant Program. For Cypress-area students, Sam Houston State’s inclusion is especially notable: its upper-level nursing courses are offered at the university’s campus in The Woodlands. The University of Houston also operates nursing programs and clinical partnerships throughout the Houston region.
The grants may be used to expand nursing school capacity by creating new curricula, adding clinical training sites and preceptors, or developing educational pathways that allow students to earn increasingly advanced nursing credentials.
That could eventually mean more training opportunities for residents interested in nursing careers—and a larger pipeline of nurses entering hospitals, clinics and other healthcare facilities across the Houston area. However, the state’s announcement did not specify how each university will use its individual award.
The grants are administered by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Funding for the 2026 recipients will cover projects running from Sept. 1, 2026, through Aug. 31, 2028.
The University of Houston and Sam Houston State University were each awarded $750,000.
