Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
Paying for college in Nevada
What the state and its colleges give families, who gets it, and how to apply.
From the state
- Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship: Nevada high school graduates with a 3.25 GPA, or a 21 ACT or 1070 SAT
- Silver State Opportunity Grant: low-income undergraduates at a Nevada community or state college
From the colleges
Merit scholarships. No college here publishes a scholarship by grades that a student is sure to get. The terms of each are in the table below.
Across state lines
Students from the other western states pay no more than 150% of resident tuition at UNLV, UNR and Nevada State. A Nevada student can do the same in those states. The Western Undergraduate Exchange ↓
What would each college cost your family?
See all 3 Nevada colleges priced for your income, and the aid your student could get.
See costs at your income →Already have a list? Put your schools side by side →
Get reminders for the dates that matter
We'll email you on the dates that matter: when the FAFSA opens, when award letters arrive, and before you choose a college and pay the first bill. If college is two or more years away, we'll also email you when the tax year that counts begins and when it has a month left.
From the state
Nevada's programs. Most come through the FAFSA or the state's own aid application; a few have their own.
Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship
For Nevada high school graduates with a 3.25 GPA, or a 21 ACT or 1070 SAT, and four years of English and math and three of science and history. It pays $80 a credit at UNLV and UNR and $60 at Nevada State, up to $10,000 in all. A Nevada high school graduate does not apply.
Source: Nevada State Treasurer, NVigate — Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship
“Graduate with an overall GPA of 3.25 (weighted or unweighted) or earn a qualifying test score on the SAT (1070 or higher) or ACT (21 or higher).”
“Complete while in high school, 4 years of English, 4 years of Math (including Algebra II or higher), 3 years of science, and 3 years of history.”
“Paid on a per credit hour basis, up to 15 credits each semester: $40 (lower division courses)/$60 (upper division courses) per credit at NSHE community colleges $60 per credit at Nevada State University $80 per credit at all other eligible institutions”
“$80 per credit at all other eligible institutions (University of Nevada, Las Vegas, University of Nevada, Reno, Roseman University, Sierra Nevada College).”
“Provides up to $10,000 in tuition to qualified Nevada students at eligible in-state institutions.”
“There is no application process for students graduating from a traditional high school in Nevada.”
Silver State Opportunity Grant
For low-income undergraduates at a community college or state college in the Nevada System of Higher Education, such as Nevada State University, with a Student Aid Index of 8,500 or less. Students need to take 15 or more credits a semester. Funds are limited and go first come, first served, so file the FAFSA early.
Source: Nevada State University, Financial Aid
“The SSOG Program was established by the Nevada Legislature in 2015 to provide grants to eligible low-income undergraduate students ( Student Aid Index (SAI) of 8,500 or less) who are college-ready to assist with funding a portion of the cost of attending a community or state college within the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE).”
“Limited funds are awarded to students enrolled in 15 or more financial aid-eligible credits † in a semester on a first-come, first-served basis according to a formula established by the NSHE Board of Regents.”
From the colleges
What each college gives for grades, what it promises on aid, and its full price.
| College | Merit scholarships | Promise on aid | Full price a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nevada State University public |
| — | $25,785 |
| University of Nevada-Las Vegas public |
| — | $26,748 |
| University of Nevada-Reno public |
| — | $29,081 |
* The finder and our college comparison show this scholarship when you enter your student's GPA.
Each college's page has a promise's conditions, in the college's own words. “Worth asking about” marks a program the college describes in words that stop short of a promise.
Full price: tuition and fees, housing and food, and books; in state at a public university. What your family would pay after grants depends on your income: the finder shows it.
3 more Nevada colleges have no page here. For 2 of them, the federal data has no cost or no price by income. The rest mainly teach graduate students or run online programs. Show them
- Roseman University of Health Sciences
- Touro University Nevada
- Wongu University of Oriental Medicine
Across state lines
The Western Undergraduate Exchange, run by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.
Coming to Nevada from another western state
Students from the other western states pay no more than 150% of resident tuition at the public colleges that take part. Each college sets its own rules: a minimum GPA, majors it leaves out, early deadlines, or a limit on how many students get the rate.
In Nevada, UNLV, UNR and Nevada State take part, and the table shows what each gives. Nevada's community colleges and Great Basin College are on the list too, and this page covers four-year colleges.
Going from Nevada to another western state
A Nevada student can use it the other way, at public colleges in the other western states. The group that runs the exchange has a savings finder that lists each college and what the exchange saves there.
Source: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE)
“pay no more than 150% of the institution’s resident tuition rate”
“Residents of the following states and territories are eligible to apply for WUE: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawai’i, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, as well as American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam.”
“Each school administers WUE differently: Institutions may require a minimum GPA, exclude selected majors, have early application deadlines, and/or limit the number of students awarded the WUE rate.”
Paying the rest
Our $99 plan works out which money pays each bill, semester by semester: your savings, your 529 and your loans, in the order that costs least.
Build your plan →Best once your award letter arrives. No letter yet? Get a reminder when it does.
How we worked these out
Costs: each college's own published price where it has one, otherwise the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, carried forward to fall 2027. Grants: each program’s own page. Scholarships: each college's own page, read by us and checked against it. SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any institution named here.