Cost & financial aid brief
University of Nevada-Las Vegas Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid
How much does UNLV cost after financial aid?
At University of Nevada-Las Vegas, the average aid recipient sees about 47% of the published cost covered by aid. The federal net price bands are $8,526, $8,537, $10,606, $13,513, and $15,905 from lowest to highest income.
That tight range means low net prices extend across most income bands. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported first-year aid figures for the 2024-25 academic year.
Students determined to have need received an average need-based grant of $7,128 and an average total package of $15,719. On average, those packages met 65% of need.
Of the 3,051 first-year students with need, 232 had their need fully met. In the 2024-25 academic year, 766 students received merit aid averaging $3,209.
The published cost of attendance at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas is $19,638. For families earning under $30,000 the average net price is $8,526, and for those in the $30,001–$48,000 band it is $8,537.
The average net price reaches $10,606 for families earning $48,001–$75,000, $13,513 for the $75,001–$110,000 band, and $15,905 for families earning over $110,000. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,379.
Azimuth ranks the university #157 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. That places it in the 89th percentile.
Aid covers about 47% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, an average savings of $9,279 against the sticker price. The average net price across all aid recipients is $10,359, which sits below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $5,275.
Median federal student debt at completion is $19,450, with about 63.5% of federal aid recipients borrowing. That median is below the peer median of $20,076 by $626.
The median Parent PLUS borrowing stands at $20,906. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $221 a month if repaid over ten years.
Student loans: what does repayment look like?
Among undergraduates at University of Nevada-Las Vegas, 63.5% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. For those who borrow and complete, the median federal student debt is $19,450.
That median sits below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size), by $626. For parent borrowers, a separate population, the median Parent PLUS loan is $20,906.
In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 38% of 2,723 bachelor's graduates borrowed from any source, with an average cumulative amount of $22,412 per borrower. Federal loans accounted for most of that: 37% of graduates held federal debt, averaging $20,022, while 4% held private loans, including some who also held federal loans, averaging $25,035.
Graduates of University of Nevada-Las Vegas earn about $9,843 more than expects for similar students, an outcome in the 83rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The median earnings four years after completion stand at $62,637, which places the public university in the 59th percentile nationally.
Earnings scenarios derived from the university's program mix point to a typical earnings level of $62,637, with a downside scenario of $48,517 and an upside scenario of $86,135. For those who borrow, the median federal student debt at completion is $19,450, a figure below the $20,076 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).
If repaid over ten years, that debt level corresponds to an estimated monthly payment of $221.
Median Parent PLUS borrowing, a separate federal parent-borrower population, stands at $20,906. The estimated monthly payment on the median federal student debt if repaid over ten years is $221.
Repayment figures are in the Financial GPS card below. Borrowing populations and model assumptions.
Parent loans: what can the family afford?
How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families
- Median Parent PLUS debt
- $20,906
- Estimated parent payment
- $266/mo
| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 15.7% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 7.0% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 3.3% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.2% | Safe |
The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. Open the parent tool for your own numbers. Read the assumptions and limits.
Student and parent loans: the monthly payments
Financial GPS
What does repayment look like?
- Institution median student debt
- $19,450
- Institution Parent PLUS debt
- $20,906
Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.
- Estimated student payment · monthly
- $221/mo
- Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
- $266/mo
- Modeled student + parent payments
- $487/mo
Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.
Student payment as a share of available income
At median graduate earnings of $62,637, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:
6.9% of income above the allowance · Excellent
- Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
- Good 8–under 12%
- Concerning 12–20%
- High risk Over 20%
How this estimate works
These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.
Payment assumptions
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.
Data & methodology
Sources and reporting periods: methodology.
Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.
Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.
Figure notes link to sources and limitations. About College Azimuth.
Net price and borrowing. The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. College Scorecard data and documentation.
A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.
Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.