Public · Community college

College of Southern Nevada

Las Vegas, Nevada · Large city

#1 best value in Nevada
15%
Transfer rate
$6,615
Avg net price
19%
Grad / completion
$38,087
Median earnings

College of Southern Nevada is a public associate-granting institution in Las Vegas, Nevada (large city setting), enrolling 27,252 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicLarge · 27,252 undergradsLarge cityNJCAA Division I

About Las Vegas, Nevada

Las Vegas, colloquially shortened to Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. Nomadic Paleo-Indians traveled to the Las Vegas area 10,000 years ago, leaving behind petroglyphs. Ancient Puebloan and Paiute tribes followed at least 2,000 years ago. The primary drivers of the Las Vegas economy are tourism, gaming, and conventions, which in turn feed the retail and restaurant industries. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
5 miles to Las Vegas, NV
To the ocean
232 miles
Nearest airport
7 miles to Harry Reid (LAS) · major hub

How College of Southern Nevada compares

Graduation rate19%

Higher than 4% · #23 of 23 in Nevada

Earnings, 10 years after entry$38,087

Higher than 60% · #10 of 22 in Nevada

Average net price$6,615

Cheaper than 84% · #1 cheapest of 25 in Nevada

Median debt at graduation$8,000

Lower than 73%

Student–faculty ratio18 : 1

Lower than 39%

Undergraduate enrollment27,252

Larger than 99%

Percentiles compare College of Southern Nevada with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Nevada.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

27,252undergrads
  • Women16,75261%
  • Men10,50039%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White23%
  • Black10%
  • Hispanic43%
  • Asian9.2%
  • Other or multiracial14%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
27,252
Student–faculty ratio
18 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
30%
First-generation students
51%
Students over 25
35%
Median family income
$22,219
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$96,723
Endowment
$7,753,000

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 5,859 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Nevada99%
  • Other U.S. states0.8%

Most first-years stay in state — College of Southern Nevada draws overwhelmingly from Nevada.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition
$4,358
Out-of-state tuition
$13,024
Room & board
Books & supplies
$1,280
Total cost of attendance
$13,665
Average net price
$6,615

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated
19%
First-year retention
Transferred to another college
15%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$31,822
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$38,087
Median debt at graduation
$8,000
Students with federal loans
10%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
26%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
19%
Low-income (Pell)
13%
First-generation
13%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
No
Application fee
$20
Athletics
NJCAA Division I
Varsity athletes
178 (91 men · 87 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (6)

Soccer55
Baseball40
Basketball27
Cross Country21
Softball20
Volleyball15

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.4 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
2
Property offenses (2022–2024)
34

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 11 campuses (28,313 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

12reported offenses a year
0.7 violent a year11 property a year

By offense type, per year

Burglary
7.7
Motor vehicle theft
3.0
Arson
0.7
Robbery
0.7

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$5,627
$30–48k
$6,178
$48–75k
$7,793
$75–110k
$9,753
$110k+
$13,022

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

14%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,729
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 14% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,729. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 2,958 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$38,087
Typical debt at graduation
$8,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
21%
Out-earn a HS grad
51%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$36,203
Men
$40,772

Men out-earn women by $4,569 (13%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
104°F
Winter low
38°F
Annual rain
4″
Annual snow
0.2″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°70°110°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.00.40.8JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Las Vegas Air Terminal, NV US station (4.2 mi from campus).

What College of Southern Nevada graduates study — and earn

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to College of Southern Nevada

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare College of Southern Nevada side by side →

Colleges near College of Southern Nevada

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.