The University of Houston Andy & Barbara Gessner College of Nursing has been ranked No. 1 in the nation — in several categories — by the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, the world leader in nursing regulatory knowledge and advancement.
The nursing board assessed the first-time pass rates of the 2023-24 National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses standardized test that nursing graduates must pass to become a registered nurse in the United States and Canada.
At the Gessner College of Nursing, the first-time pass rate was 100% in 2023-24, marking the fifth time the College has achieved the 100% first-time pass rate on the NCLEX-RN exam.
Based on that passing rate, the NCSBN ranked Gessner College first out of 123 programs in Texas, first out of 1,124 bachelor of science programs in nursing nationwide and first out of 2,228 nursing programs nationwide.
“The rankings highlight our strong curriculum, dedicated staff, outstanding clinical programs, effective administration and generous donors,” said Kathryn Tart, founding dean, professor and Humana Endowed Dean’s Chair in Nursing.
Being ranked No. 1 in those categories is not new for Gessner College. It has been first across the board in 2019-20, 2016-17, 2015-16 and 2014-15, the first year the college existed.
A look at this graph, depicting the percentage of graduates passing the exam by group, tells the story of the UH Gessner College in relation to its peers. The Gessner College is depicted in orange.
It takes a nursing village
Dean Tart acknowledges that the college’s success is a collective achievement.
“I want to thank our nursing faculty, adjunct faculty, staff, and administration, clinical affiliates, clinical preceptors, donors, University administration, UH faculty who teach the CORE and sciences, those who tell our stories and market our program, Financial Aid, the Registrar, Student Services and the families who support their students,” said Tart. “It takes each one of us to help support our students in the classroom, simulation centers, clinical, one-on-one and through students’ multiple questions as they matriculate and then graduate from our program,” said Tart.
Helping resolve the nursing shortage
A significant portion of Gessner college graduates who contribute to the high scores choose to stay close by, furthering the college’s mission to help address the nursing shortage.
Our graduates are choosing to stay in Texas, which means the college is making an impact on the nursing shortage in the state,” said Dean Tart.
Other goals of the Andy & Barbara Gessner College of Nursing are serving educational needs, supporting lifelong learning and advancing excellence in regional and global health care.
In 2025, the College will be celebrating its tenth year at the University of Houston.
Learn more about the Andy and Barbara Gessner College of Nursing