Nevada Higher Education Outcome Report

Nevada At A Glance

State-Level Intelligence

Institutions

16

77,354 students enrolled
Graduates / Year

~7,451

Estimated annual completers
Median Earnings
36th pct

$45,987

32nd of 50 states
Mobility Score

0.9%

Limited data (under 5 schools)
Talent Retention
24th pct

76%

First-year retention rate
Value Ratio
4th pct

1.9x

Earnings per net-price dollar

Top Industries Hiring Graduates:

Healthcare
Business
Social Sciences

Executive Summary

Nevada graduates earn a median of $45,987 a decade after entry, 6% below the national state average, ranking 32nd of 50 states.
Degree production is led by Healthcare and Business, which together account for 37% of graduates. That diversified mix sets what the state's labor pipeline can supply.
Healthcare is the standout sector: graduates earn $59,397, +15.2% versus the national median. That premium points to a real wage advantage rather than sheer volume.
Humanities shows oversupply pressure: graduate earnings run 22.4% below the national median, suggesting the field produces more graduates than the local market rewards.
On value, Nevada returns 1.9x earnings per dollar of net price, below average cost-to-outcome efficiency in the country.
The state's strongest mobility engine is College of Southern Nevada, which moves bottom-quintile students into the top quintile at a 1.5% rate, the highest in Nevada.

Key Insights

Earnings vs National

+2.5%

Median graduate earnings in Nevada are above the national average by 2%.
Cost vs National

+25.2%

Net price in Nevada is higher than the national average by 25%.
Mobility Rate

-0.52pp

Upward mobility rate is 0.5 percentage points below the national average.
Completion Rate

+4.5pp

Nevada's graduation rate is 4.5 percentage points above the national average.
Best Value

5.8x

Top value school: College of Southern Nevada ($38,087 earnings vs $6,615 net price).
Low-Income Access

10%

10% of students come from bottom-quintile households, a measure of how open the state's colleges are to low-income students.

Education Output Profile

Healthcare (20% of graduates) and Business (17% of graduates) dominate Nevada's higher education output. Graduates in the top field earn a weighted average of $64,671.

Healthcare

20%

$64,671 avg
Business

17%

$47,734 avg
Social Sciences

11%

$54,132 avg
Technology

10%

$47,103 avg
Humanities

9%

$43,169 avg

Concentration: diversified HHI: 12

Outcome Performance

Nevada's highest-ROI degree cluster is Social Sciences (Social Sciences), where graduates average $51,246 against a net cost of $10,967, a 4.7x return. That's -0.6% vs the national median.

Social Sciences
4.7x

$51,246 earnings $10,967 net -0.6% vs natl
Biology & Biomedical
4.4x

$51,726 earnings $11,742 net +0.3% vs natl
Psychology
4.4x

$51,726 earnings $11,742 net +0.3% vs natl
Communications
4.4x

$51,726 earnings $11,742 net +0.3% vs natl
English & Literature
4.4x

$51,726 earnings $11,742 net +0.3% vs natl
Engineering
4.4x

$57,826 earnings $13,143 net +12.1% vs natl

State Talent Profile

Three lenses on Nevada's talent pipeline: which fields produce the most graduates, which command the highest earnings, and where high-pay demand outruns local supply.

Dominant Fields

Health Professions 20%
Business & Marketing 17%
Computer Science & IT 10%
Humanities 8%
Psychology 7%

Highest-Earning Fields

Health Professions $64,671
Engineering $58,554
Biology & Biomedical $56,892
Social Sciences $56,469
Psychology $53,049

Opportunity Gaps

High earnings, low local production — fields where demand may outrun Nevada's graduate supply.

Engineering $58,554 4% of grads
Biology & Biomedical $56,892 5% of grads
Social Sciences $56,469 3% of grads

Mobility & Retention

Opportunity Insights

Nevada's colleges post an average mobility rate of 0.9%. 10% of students arrive from bottom-quintile households. Cross-class social connectedness averages 1.28, a proxy for the networks that help graduates convert a degree into mobility.

MOBILITY RATE

0.9%

▼ -0.74pp vs natl

Bottom 20% → Top 20%
LOW-INCOME ACCESS

10%

From bottom quintile
SUCCESS RATE

8%

If bottom 20% enroll
FIRST-GENERATION

48%

First-gen students
TALENT RETENTION

76%

First-year retention
SOCIAL CAPITAL

1.28

Economic connectedness

Mobility Leaders — Institutions Driving Upward Movement

Labor Market Alignment

Nevada's Healthcare programs produce graduates earning $59,397, +15.2% relative to the national median. Humanities graduates, however, earn 22.4% below the national median, a possible sign the state produces more of these degrees than its labor market absorbs.

Healthcare
20% of enrollment

$59,397 +15.2% vs natl

12 schools
Business
17% of enrollment

$49,146 -4.7% vs natl

6 schools
Social Sciences
11% of enrollment

$56,272 +9.1% vs natl

3 schools
Technology
10% of enrollment

$48,931 -5.1% vs natl

4 schools
Humanities
9% of enrollment

$40,037 -22.4% vs natl

2 schools
Sciences
8% of enrollment

$48,931 -5.1% vs natl

4 schools

Overperforming Sectors

Healthcare: +15.2% vs national earnings ($59,397)

Social Sciences: +9.1% vs national earnings ($56,272)

Potential Oversupply Signals

Humanities: -22.4% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Technology: -5.1% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Sciences: -5.1% vs national — wage pressure suggests oversupply

Institutional Landscape

Nevada's higher education system includes 2 research-oriented, 8 specialized, 1 access-oriented, 5 regional institutions. Each group plays a different role in the state's outcomes.

2

Research Universities
5

Regional Universities
1

Access-Oriented Institutions
8

Specialized Institutions

Research Universities

Access-Oriented Institutions

Galen Health Institutes-Las Vegas 56% Pell

Cost & Access Corridors

36% of Nevada's colleges charge under $15K net. Graduates of those schools average $47,069 at 10 years. At the premium end, 2 schools charge over $40K, with graduates averaging $40,225.

NET PRICE UNDER $15K

4

36% of schools
Avg earnings: $47,069
NET PRICE $15K–$25K

2

18% of schools
Avg earnings: $61,047
NET PRICE $25K–$40K

3

27% of schools
Avg earnings: $52,820
NET PRICE OVER $40K

2

18% of schools
Avg earnings: $40,225

Top Earners

Schools ranked by median graduate earnings 10 years after enrolling.

Higher education in Nevada

Nevada is home to 38 colleges and universities, from 7 public institutions to 3 private nonprofits. College of Southern Nevada anchors the public system, and graduates across the state earn a median of about $44,924 ten years after enrolling.

Higher education clusters around Las Vegas, Reno and Henderson, and the strongest programs by enrollment are Health Professions, Culinary & Personal Services and Business & Marketing. We rank every school here by what its graduates actually earn and how far they move up — not by reputation or sticker price.

What college costs in Nevada

The average net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — runs about $22,635 a year across Nevada. College of Southern Nevada stands out on return: strong graduate earnings against a comparatively low net price. Public universities and in-state tuition remain the clearest path to a low-debt degree, while need-based aid can make selective private schools surprisingly competitive.

Most Affordable Schools

Jobs & industries

Nevada's economy leans on tourism & gaming, logistics and mining, which shapes which degrees pay off fastest in-state. Programs in Health Professions, Culinary & Personal Services and Business & Marketing feed directly into those employers, and graduates who stay in-region benefit from established hiring pipelines and alumni networks.

Licensure & transfer

Licensure and articulation are state-specific: nursing, teaching, law, and the health professions are regulated at the Nevada level, so an in-state program is often the most direct route to practicing here. Community-college transfer agreements with public universities can also cut the cost of a four-year degree substantially.

Cost vs Return

What graduates in Nevada earn relative to what they pay for college.

MEDIAN EARNINGS (10YR)

$44,924

▲ +$1,087 vs natl

AVG NET PRICE

$22,635

▼ +$4,559 vs natl

EARNINGS / COST RATIO

2x

Return per dollar invested

Best Value Schools

Is Nevada Right for You?

Nevada is a strong fit if you want to build a career in tourism & gaming and logistics, value in-state tuition, or plan to work in the region after graduation. Use the rankings and filters below to weigh earnings, cost, and mobility for every school in the state.

Every figure on this page is derived from public federal data and read within its regional and economic context. Information Gain Policy →

FAQ

How many colleges are in Nevada?

There are 38 colleges and universities in Nevada in our dataset — 7 public, 3 private nonprofit.

What is the highest-earning college in Nevada?

By median graduate earnings 10 years out, Roseman University of Health Sciences leads, followed by schools like Touro University Nevada and Chamberlain University-Nevada.

How much does college cost in Nevada?

The average net price — tuition and living costs after grants — is about $22,635 per year. In-state public tuition is typically the lowest-cost path.

What are the best-paying career fields in Nevada?

Nevada's economy is anchored by tourism & gaming, logistics and mining, so degrees feeding those industries tend to pay off fastest in-state.

Is it worth going to college in Nevada?

For most students, yes — especially at in-state public universities and high-value private schools. College of Southern Nevada, for example, pairs strong earnings with a low net price. Weigh earnings against net price using the data on this page.

All 38 schools in Nevada

Data Behind This Page Updated 2026

38 institutions in Nevada

2026 Last updated

100% Public / federal sources

Source datasets

Methodology

States are graded on graduate earnings, social mobility, completion, and cost — each drawn from federal data and Opportunity Insights research, then normalized into a single Outcomes Index (0–100).

See the full methodology and weights →

Confidence notes

Earnings, completion, and debt figures come from federal administrative records — tax data and student-aid filings — not surveys or self-reports, the highest-confidence tier of education data available.
Social-mobility estimates are drawn from de-identified tax records covering more than 30 million students (Opportunity Insights).
Where an institution is missing a metric, it is excluded from that metric rather than imputed, so averages are never inflated by guesses.

Limitations

Federal earnings data primarily cover students who received federal financial aid; outcomes for non-aided students may differ.
Earnings are measured roughly ten years after enrollment, so they describe how earlier cohorts fared — historical outcomes, not guarantees of future results.
An institution's field-of-study mix affects raw earnings; scores reflect measured outcomes and are not fully major-adjusted unless explicitly noted.
Net price is an average; the actual cost a given student pays varies widely by family income.