HOUSTON – Beginning Spring 2026, UTHealth Houston’s Cizik School of Nursing will roll out the Future Nurses Fund, a tuition-support initiative aimed at mitigating Texas’s widespread nursing shortage .

🎓 What It Covers:

Eligible students in the school’s 15-month Pacesetter accelerated BSN program will have their full in-state tuition and mandatory fees covered. These grants—available on top of existing financial aid—will automatically fill in any remaining cost gaps en.wikipedia.org+4click2houston.com+4nursing.uth.edu+4.

Who Qualifies:

To receive the award, new applicants must:

• Be Texas residents
• Not already hold a bachelor’s degree
• Add UTHealth’s code (013956) on their FAFSA
• Have adjusted gross income ≤ $100,000
• Enroll full‑time in the Pacesetter BSN track reddit.com+9click2houston.com+9nursing.uth.edu+9nursing.uth.edu

Current students who already qualify must maintain:

• Texas residency
• A GPA of 2.5 or higher
• Full-time enrollment
• Good academic standing in the Pacesetter program uth.edu+2click2houston.com+2nursing.uth.edu+2

How It Works:

• The grant kicks in after all other financial aid and scholarships—local, state, federal, and institutional.
• Awards continue for four consecutive semesters, provided the student remains in good standing and full timenursing.uth.edu+1click2houston.com+1uth.edu+1nursing.uth.edu+1.
• No separate application is needed, simplifying the process significantly .

Why It Matters:

• UTHealth Houston’s BSN program is ranked #1 in Texas and among the top 4% nationallyen.wikipedia.org+7uth.edu+7nursing.uth.edu+7.
• Diane Santa Maria, the Dean of Nursing, emphasized that this fund aims to break down financial barriers and support future nurses reddit.com+4uth.edu+4nursing.uth.edu+4.
• Interim UTHealth President LaTanya J. Love highlighted the initiative’s role in addressing the statewide nursing shortfall by promoting access to quality education uth.edu+1nursing.uth.edu+1.

Important Timelines:

• Applications for Spring 2026 are open until September 15, 2025 .