Nevada
Student Access & Success
Nevada receives a very low grade in this category for both four- and two-year institutions. The four-year institutions rank in the bottom 10 states in terms of completion rate and the percentage of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants. The two-year institutions, despite having a retention rate in the top 10 states, ranked near the bottom on completion rates, credentials produced per 100 full-time equivalent undergraduates, and the percentage of Pell recipients.
Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness
Nevada receives an average grade for four-year institutions and a low grade for two-year institutions in this area, with costs per completion ($73,706 for four-years and $76,483 for two-years) above the national medians of $68,140 and $57,210, respectively. State and local funding per completion for both four- and two-year sectors ($47,495 and $44,577, respectively) are also above the national medians of $41,198 and $35,476.
Meeting Labor Market Demand
The median wage of a Nevada bachelor’s degree holder is about $17,500 (or 54%) more than the median wage of a high school graduate; the overall unemployment rate for a bachelor’s degree holder is almost 5 points lower. The median wage of an associate’s degree holder is about $9,500 (or 29%) more than the median wage of a high school graduate; the overall unemployment rate is about 4 points lower.
Transparency & Accountability
Nevada receives a below average score for its consumer information and public accountability resources. The state does not measure student learning.
Policy Environment
The Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE) plan includes goals for student outcomes, including student learning, and particularly strong goals for system efficiency. However, the goals are not expressed with concrete targets. Nevada’s state articulation and credit transfer policy allows students to transfer an associate’s degree in full but is much less clear on individual courses. The state does not have an outcomes-based funding system.
Innovation
The NSHE used to have a clearinghouse for online learning offerings, but it has been closed down. Individual Nevada campuses—such as Nevada State College—are doing innovative work in online learning, but there is little coordination across the state. Regarding new providers, Nevada has low licensure fees but a sensitive regulatory trigger and a burdensome approval process, resulting in a below average grade.
Report Card
Compare with
Four-Year Institutions
NV Nat'l| Student Access & Success | F |
|---|
| Percentage of Pell Grant Recipients | 24.7 | 30.8 |
|---|---|---|
| Retention Rate | 76.2 | 77.9 |
| Completion Rate | 43.6 | 54.5 |
| Completions per 100 FTE Students | 18.7 | 19.7 |
| Risk-Adjusted Completion Points (5-point Scale) | 1 | |
| Complete College America | * |
| Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness | C |
|---|
| Cost Per Completion | $73,706 | $68,140 |
|---|---|---|
| State and Local Funding Per Completion | $47,495 | $41,198 |
| State, Local, and Tuition Funding Per Completion | $72,886 | $76,932 |
| Cost Per Completion and Public Funding Combined Measure (5-point scale) | 2 |
| Meeting Labor Market Demand | D |
|---|
| BA vs. HS Wage Gap (Overall) | $17,475 | $17,881 |
|---|---|---|
| BA vs. HS Wage Ratio (Overall) | 153.7 | 156.0 |
| BA vs. HS Wage Gap (25–34) | $10,272 | $12,703 |
| BA vs. HS Wage Ratio (25–34) | 133.8 | 149.9 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (Overall) | 5.0 | 4.0 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (Overall) | 1.8 | 2.1 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (25–34) | 6.1 | 7.1 |
| BA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (25–34) | 2.1 | 2.9 |
| Transparency & Accountability | D |
|---|
| Transparency—Public Accountability (5-point Scale) | 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency—Consumer Information (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Labor Market Outcomes? | true | |
| Labor Market Outcomes (4-point Scale) | 1 | |
| Does the State Report Student Learning Outcomes? | false | |
| Student Learning Outcomes (3-point Scale) | 0 |
Two-Year Institutions
NV Nat'l| Student Access & Success | F |
|---|
| Percentage of Pell Grant Recipients | 31.6 | 46.9 |
|---|---|---|
| Retention Rate | 62.1 | 58.6 |
| Completion Rate | 12.0 | 20.5 |
| Completions Per 100 FTE Undergraduates | 9.7 | 16.8 |
| Risk-Adjusted Completion Points (5-point Scale) | 1 |
| Efficiency & Cost-Effectiveness | D |
|---|
| Cost Per Completion | $76,483 | $57,210 |
|---|---|---|
| State and Local Funding Per Completion | $44,577 | $35,476 |
| State, Local, and Tuition Funding Per Completion | $63,095 | $52,512 |
| Cost Per Completion and Public Funding Combined MeasureCombined Measure (5-point Scale) | 2 |
| Meeting Labor Market Demand | C |
|---|
| AA vs. HS Wage Gap (Overall) | $9,475 | $8,545 |
|---|---|---|
| AA vs. HS Wage Ratio (Overall) | 129.1 | 126.1 |
| AA vs. HS Wage Gap (25–34) | $6,207 | $6,595 |
| AA vs. HS Wage Ratio (25–34) | 120.4 | 125.0 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (Overall) | 3.7 | 2.7 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (Overall) | 1.5 | 1.5 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Gap (25–34) | 5.8 | 4.9 |
| AA vs. HS Unemployment Ratio (25–34) | 2.01 | 1.84 |
| Transparency & Accountability | D |
|---|
| Transparency—Public Accountability (5-point Scale) | 3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Transparency—Consumer Information (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Report Labor Market Outcomes? | true | |
| Labor Market Outcomes (4-point Scale) | 1 | |
| Does the State Report Student Learning Outcomes? | false | |
| Student Learning Outcomes (3-point Scale) | 0 |
State
NV Nat'l| Policy Environment | C |
|---|
| State Goals (6-point Scale) | 4 | |
|---|---|---|
| Does the State Have Outcomes-Based Funding? | false | |
| Four-Year Outcomes-Based Funding (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Two-Years Outcomes-Based Funding (3-point Scale) | 0 | |
| Does the State Have a Credit Transfer Policy? | true | |
| Credit Transfer Policy (5-point Scale) | 3 |
| Innovation: Openness to Providers | D |
|---|
| Numerical Openness to New Providers Grade | 61% | |
|---|---|---|
| Regulatory Jurisdiction | 50% | |
| Financial Burden | 93% | |
| Approval Process Burden | 40% |
| Innovation: Online Learning | F |
|---|
| Numerical Online Learning Grade | 14.3 | |
|---|---|---|
| Online Learning Score (7-point Scale) | 1 |
State Facts at a Glance
- Number of Public Four-Year Institutions 3
- Number of Public Two-Year Institutions 4
- Number of Students Served by Public Four-Year Institutions 33692
- Number of Students Served by Public Two-Year Institutions 37361