University Of Nevada-Reno

University of Nevada-Reno's program mix is anchored in Business, which accounts for 16% of graduates, followed by Engineering at 9% and Social Sciences at 7%. Across 61 programs serving roughly 4,009 students annually, 39 meet Azimuth's ranking threshold, reflecting a broad portfolio with depth in applied and professional fields.

The strongest earnings come from technically oriented programs. Azimuth ranks Nursing #143 among nonprofit four-year institutions for median earnings four years after enrollment, with graduates earning $97,949 from a cohort of 168.

Azimuth ranks Mechanical Engineering #143 among nonprofit four-year institutions for median earnings four years after enrollment, with graduates earning $88,460, and Azimuth ranks Finance #129 among nonprofit four-year institutions for median earnings four years after enrollment, with graduates earning $72,227. Among the most popular programs, Psychology, General program graduates 223 students and Azimuth ranks it #205 among nonprofit four-year institutions for median earnings four years after enrollment, while The Biology, General program graduates 177 students with median earnings of $59,715 four years out.

Public Health is the largest program by cohort at 353 graduates. Several of University of Nevada-Reno's high-earning programs — particularly in engineering and computing — are high-mobility pathways where graduates enter the national labor market directly and four-year earnings reflect actual workforce outcomes.

Programs in health and social sciences, by contrast, often serve as grad-school-dependent pathways where four-year earnings undercount the full trajectory for students continuing to medical, graduate, or professional school. The [supply-demand map for college graduates](/analysis/supply-demand-map-college-degrees/) provides context for how these program families align with national labor-market demand, and the [program-ranking methodology](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) explains how Azimuth evaluates individual programs.

The University of Nevada-Reno prices its education accessibly across the income spectrum. Low-income families pay approximately $12,674 per year in net price, middle-income families see annual costs around $14,537, and higher-income families pay approximately $21,646.

Azimuth ranks University of Nevada-Reno #355 for post-graduation affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. As a public institution, University of Nevada-Reno benefits from state-subsidized tuition that keeps the sticker price meaningfully below what comparable private institutions charge, and the gap between published cost and what most families actually pay reflects a broad financial aid reach.

Net prices by income band are medians within those bands; individual aid packages vary, so some families in each band pay more and some less than the figures shown. Need-based aid covers a meaningful share of costs for lower- and middle-income students, and the university participates in federal, state, and institutional aid programs.

The [net price illusion](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is worth keeping in mind: the published cost of attendance of $25,786 overstates what most families pay, particularly those who qualify for Pell Grants or institutional scholarships. Families weighing long-term affordability should explore the [Financial GPS tool](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/), which models monthly payment and scenario-specific projections by major and debt level.

Median federal student loan debt at graduation is $18,922, and families using Parent PLUS borrow a median of $26,150; private or institutional loans may add further borrowing that falls outside these federal-only figures — see the [Parent PLUS risk framework](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) for how household context shapes PLUS decisions. For a graduate at the institution's median four-year earnings of $67,498, median federal debt of $18,922 projects to a monthly payment of about $214 under standard ten-year repayment.

For personalized projections across earnings scenarios — including Parent PLUS planning — use Azimuth's [Financial GPS tool](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Graduates of University of Nevada–Reno earn a median of $67,498 four years after enrollment, placing the institution in the 71.4th percentile for median earnings among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $5,017 more than similar students at comparable institutions, placing Nevada–Reno in the 76.1st percentile for [earnings beyond expectations](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/) among nonprofit four-year institutions. Azimuth ranks Nevada–Reno #439 for return on investment among nonprofit four-year institutions — in the 70.4th percentile overall.

The earnings pattern reflects Business's dominant role in the program mix. Business represents 16% of graduates, while Engineering accounts for 9%. The Public Health program graduates 353 students annually, anchoring the institution's economic signature. Azimuth ranks Psychology, General #153 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions [per the program-ranking methodology](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/), with graduates earning a median of $51,553 four years after graduation — 1.0× the national CIP-4 benchmark for the field.