Public · University

University of Nevada-Reno

Reno, Nevada · Large city

#4 for grad earnings in Nevada
73.7%
Admit rate
$15,927
Avg net price
61%
Graduation rate
$60,614
Median earnings

University of Nevada-Reno is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Reno, Nevada (large city setting), enrolling 15,599 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicLarge · 15,599 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 74% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Mountain West ConferenceCold winters

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against University of Nevada-Reno's admitted students.

Admit rate
73.7%
SAT (mid 50%)
1060–1290
Avg GPA
3.44

Enter a test score to see where you land against University of Nevada-Reno's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and University of Nevada-Reno's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Reno, Nevada

Reno is a city in the northwest section of the U.S. state of Nevada, along the Nevada–California border. Archaeological finds place the eastern border of the prehistoric Martis people in the Reno area. As early as the mid-1850s, a few pioneers settled in the Truckee Meadows, a relatively fertile valley through which the Truckee River made its way from Lake Tahoe to Pyramid Lake. Reno has several museums. The Nevada Museum of Art is the only American Alliance of Museums accredited art museum in Nevada and the largest collection of Land art. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
1 mile to Reno, NV
To the ocean
137 miles
Nearest airport
4 miles to Reno Tahoe (RNO) · major hub

How University of Nevada-Reno compares

Selectivity73.7%

More selective than 57% · #1 most selective of 5 in Nevada

SAT average1132

Higher than 41%

Graduation rate61%

Higher than 62% · #2 of 6 in Nevada

First-year retention80%

Higher than 61%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$60,614

Higher than 69% · #4 of 8 in Nevada

Average net price$15,927

Cheaper than 68% · #3 cheapest of 5 in Nevada

Median debt at graduation$18,922

Lower than 80%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment15,599

Larger than 93%

Percentiles compare University of Nevada-Reno with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Nevada.

University of Nevada-Reno campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

19,506students
  • Undergraduate15,59980%
  • Graduate3,90720%

Undergraduates by gender

15,599undergrads
  • Women8,79556%
  • Men6,80444%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White50%
  • Black3.4%
  • Hispanic25%
  • Asian8.0%
  • Other or multiracial14%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
15,599
Graduate enrollment
3,907
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
23%
First-generation students
38%
Students over 25
8%
Median family income
$48,103
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$119,637
Endowment
$560,059,383

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 3,421 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Nevada76%
  • Other U.S. states24%
  • International0.5%

Most first-years stay in state — University of Nevada-Reno draws overwhelmingly from Nevada.

1% came from outside the U.S. 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.

Admissions

Admission rate
73.7%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1060–1290
SAT average
1132
SAT reading
540–650
SAT math
520–640
ACT composite
19–26
Average GPA
3.44

Cost

In-state tuition
$9,578
Out-of-state tuition
$27,720
Room & board
$14,496
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$25,786
Average net price
$15,927

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 (within 6 years)
61%
Graduated on time (4 years)
42%
First-year retention
80%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$49,182
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$60,614
Median debt at graduation
$18,922
Students with federal loans
24%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
62%

About 19% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
42%
Low-income (Pell)
56%
First-generation
56%

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
Yes
Dorm capacity
3,291
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
21%
Housing charge (year)
$7,444
Meal plan (year)
$6,297
Application fee
Free
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Mountain West Conference
Varsity athletes
446 (211 men · 235 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 (12)

Football117
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)101
Baseball39
Soccer32
Basketball30
Swimming and Diving (combined)24
Softball20
Volleyball19
Tennis18
Golf16
Skiing15
Cross Country15

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

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
43
Property offenses (2022–2024)
179

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 4 campuses (23,024 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.

74reported offenses a year
14 violent a year60 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
45
Burglary
15
Rape
9.3
Aggravated assault
3.3
Fondling
1.0
Robbery
0.7
Arson
0.3

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
$12,674
$30–48k
$13,125
$48–75k
$14,537
$75–110k
$18,317
$110k+
$21,646

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.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$65,041

$14,537/year × about 4.5 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

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.

83%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$2,991
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 83% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $2,991. 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 3,257 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)
$60,614
Typical debt at graduation
$18,922
Debt vs. one year's pay
31%
Out-earn a HS grad
67%

Typical debt would take roughly 3.1 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
$56,443
Men
$66,766

Men out-earn women by $10,323 (18%) 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
93°F
Winter low
27°F
Annual rain
8.1″
Annual snow
29.7″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.00.71.3JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Reno Wfo, NV US station (2 mi from campus).

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 University of Nevada-Reno

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

Colleges near University of Nevada-Reno

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.