Public · Community college

Western Nevada College

Carson City, Nevada · Small city

#4 best value in Nevada
12%
Transfer rate
$12,732
Avg net price
41%
Grad / completion
$41,987
Median earnings

Western Nevada College is a public associate-granting institution in Carson City, Nevada (small city setting), enrolling 1,910 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicSmall · 1,910 undergradsSmall cityCold winters

About Carson City, Nevada

Carson City is an independent city and the capital of the U.S. state of Nevada. The Washoe people have inhabited the valley and surrounding areas for about 6,000 years. Carson City has never hosted any professional team sports. However, a variety of sports are offered at parks and recreation. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Small city
Highest degree offered
Bachelor's
Nearest big city
24 miles to Reno, NV
To the ocean
121 miles
Nearest airport
21 miles to Truckee Tahoe (TKF)

How Western Nevada College compares

Graduation rate41%

Higher than 27% · #20 of 23 in Nevada

Earnings, 10 years after entry$41,987

Higher than 76% · #6 of 22 in Nevada

Average net price$12,732

Cheaper than 59% · #4 cheapest of 25 in Nevada

Median debt at graduation$10,500

Lower than 42%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 56%

Undergraduate enrollment1,910

Larger than 81%

Percentiles compare Western Nevada College 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

1,910undergrads
  • Women1,11859%
  • Men79241%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White50%
  • Black1.8%
  • Hispanic34%
  • Asian2.6%
  • Other or multiracial11%

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

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
1,910
Student–faculty ratio
15 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
18%
First-generation students
54%
Students over 25
26%
Median family income
$20,639
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$88,947
Endowment
$341,000

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 507 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Nevada99%
  • Other U.S. states1.0%

Most first-years stay in state — Western Nevada College 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
$4,168
Out-of-state tuition
$12,834
Room & board
Books & supplies
$940
Total cost of attendance
$20,248
Average net price
$12,732

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
41%
First-year retention
Transferred to another college
12%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$36,917
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$41,987
Median debt at graduation
$10,500
Students with federal loans
3%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
26%

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
41%
Low-income (Pell)
20%
First-generation
20%

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
$15

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%.

Campus safety

Safety grade
A
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.2 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
0
Property offenses (2022–2024)
2

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (4,284 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.

0.7reported offenses a year
0 violent a year0.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
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
$11,678
$30–48k
$11,828
$48–75k
$14,359
$75–110k
$15,074
$110k+
$13,645

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.

34%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$1,615
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 34% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,615. 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 285 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)
$41,987
Typical debt at graduation
$10,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
25%
Out-earn a HS grad
47%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.5 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
$36,565
Men
$48,505

Men out-earn women by $11,940 (33%) 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
90°F
Winter low
24°F
Annual rain
9.3″
Annual snow
14″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.00.81.7JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Carson City, NV US station (4.4 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 Western Nevada College

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

Colleges near Western Nevada College

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.