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Career outcomes brief

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# University of Nevada-Las Vegas Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/university-of-nevada-las-vegas/)[Cost & aid](/school/university-of-nevada-las-vegas/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/university-of-nevada-las-vegas/admissions/)[Majors](/school/university-of-nevada-las-vegas/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/university-of-nevada-las-vegas/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much do UNLV graduates earn?

The reported median is $62,637 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is \-$2,973 per year.

Four years after completing a degree at University of Nevada-Las Vegas, the median earnings stand at $62,637, which places the university in the 59th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That median runs below the peer median of $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,973.

Graduates earn about $9,843 more than the model expects for similar students, a result in the 83rd percentile nationally. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $11,218.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $1,375. The STEM component of the measured factors adds $1,266.

[Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) the return pillar for University of Nevada-Las Vegas in the 72nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

At University of Nevada-Las Vegas, Electrical Engineering graduates earn $100,765 four years after completion, Mechanical Engineering completers earn $97,901, and Nursing graduates earn $94,600. These figures illustrate the upper end of program-level outcomes.

Azimuth's earnings scenarios for the university's program mix run from a downside of $48,517 to a typical outcome of $62,637 and an upside of $86,135, a range that captures the earnings variation across fields.

Derived from program mix rather than observed enrollment, the graduate-school continuation estimate stands at 28.9%. Because four-year earnings cover only completers who are working and not enrolled, that proportion signals a large subset is missing from the earnings snapshot while pursuing advanced degrees.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$62,637

**Rank for difference from expectations**
83rd percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**UNLV reported median**
$62,637

**Peer schools comparable schools · $2,973 above UNLV**
$65,610

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $9,843 below UNLV**
$52,794

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. [How the model works](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

## How many UNLV students return and finish their degrees?

First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2024-25

**Completed within six years**
50.5%

**Pell recipients completed within six years**
47.6%

Source: University of Nevada-Las Vegas Common Data Set 2024-25, B4–B11 six-year completion.

## How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $48,517 to $86,135, around the reported median of $62,637. Compare the lower scenario with [UNLV borrowing and monthly payments](/school/university-of-nevada-las-vegas/cost/) to see how a smaller income could change your plan.

Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate.

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

**Lower estimate**
$48,517

**Median · reported**
$62,637

**Higher estimate**
$86,135

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

[Why the downside matters](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. [Read about the move to four-year earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/).

## Do UNLV graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls [value added](/methodology/#value-added).

UNLV graduates’ reported earnings are $9,843 above that expectation, the 83rd percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending UNLV caused a student to earn. [Read how expected earnings are estimated](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

What explains value-added earnings?

**Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.**
+$11,218

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
\-$1,375

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
+$9,843

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

## Which fields at UNLV report the highest earnings?

University of Nevada-Las Vegas fields 40 ranked bachelor's programs, and the highest-earning among them reach six-figure medians four years after completion. Electrical Engineering leads at $100,765, though it awarded only 38 degrees.

Mechanical Engineering follows at $97,901 with 98 degrees awarded. Among the largest programs, Nursing stands out: its median of $94,600 coincides with an Azimuth national field rank of #95 and 232 degrees awarded.

Hospitality Administration/Management, the largest program by degrees at 462 awarded, reports a more moderate $58,719 and ranks #13 nationally. Criminal Justice earns $57,556 with 330 degrees awarded and an [Azimuth rank](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) of #41 in its field.

[Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) 40 of the university's bachelor's programs nationally, with earnings data published for 45 fields. The university's top-ranked program is Human Services, which holds the #6 spot in its field and awarded 32 degrees.

Nursing graduates earn a median of $94,600 on 232 degrees awarded and the program ranks #95 nationally. Criminal Justice ranks #41 and shows median earnings of $57,556 on 330 degrees awarded.

Special Education and Teaching ranks #7 nationally with 29 degrees awarded and a median of $60,958 four years after completion.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering**
$100,765

**Mechanical Engineering**
$97,901

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
$94,600

**Computer Science**
$94,475

**Computer Engineering**
$93,830

**Civil Engineering**
$90,474

**Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions**
$85,095

**Data Processing**
$84,099

[Explore UNLV program cohorts and field ranks](/school/university-of-nevada-las-vegas/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Earnings vary widely by field, as earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix show. The typical earnings scenario lands at $62,637, the downside scenario at $48,517, and the upside scenario at $86,135.

Anchoring that range in named programs, the highest-earning field, Electrical Engineering, reaches $100,765, while among the largest programs Psychology sits at $51,200.

The four-year earnings cohort at University of Nevada-Las Vegas includes 4,722 completers. For federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings four years after completion reach $62,637, placing the university in the 59th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

That median runs below the $65,610 median of comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,973. Those completers earn about $9,843 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 83rd percentile.

Azimuth's earnings scenarios for the university's program mix run from a downside of $48,517 to a typical outcome of $62,637 and an upside of $86,135. The program mix implies that an estimated 28.9% of graduates continue to graduate study; this is a modeled estimate, not observed enrollment.

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), 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](/about/).