The best college in Nevada for 2027 is the University of Nevada, Reno, followed by Nevada State University and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Nevada is the seventh-largest state by area but has few four-year, degree-granting universities, most of which are public. Reno and Las Vegas are home to campuses of the University of Nevada system, and Las Vegas hosts a prominent hospitality school.

The Western Undergraduate Exchange lets Nevada residents attend schools in 14 states, including California, Arizona, Utah, Idaho and Oregon, paying no more than 150 percent of in-state tuition. This list covers 11 Nevada schools.

Our order follows the UM World University Rankings methodology and our university rankings. Use it to compare costs, majors and campus life before you apply

The Best Colleges In Nevada 2027

1. University of Nevada, Reno

The University of Nevada, Reno was founded on October 12, 1874, in Elko as the State University of Nevada. It is the state’s public land-grant flagship and a Carnegie R1 research university, with about 21,000 students in fall 2022. It has carried its current name since 1969.

The campus sits just north of downtown Reno and includes a medical school, the Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism, which has produced six Pulitzer Prize winners, and a Basque studies center that reflects the region’s Basque population. The Wolf Pack play NCAA Division I football in the Mountain West Conference and meet UNLV each year for the Fremont Cannon.

2. Nevada State University

Nevada State University opened on September 3, 2002, as Nevada State College, the first state college in Nevada. It became a university on July 1, 2023. The public school sits on a 509-acre campus in Henderson and enrolled about 7,300 students in fall 2023.

Academic schools cover Liberal Arts, Sciences and Business, Education, and Nursing, with graduate degrees in school psychology, speech-language pathology and nursing leadership. In 2008, it launched Nevada’s first bachelor’s degree in deaf and hard of hearing education. Occupational therapy students finish their last two years through a partnership with Touro University. It was Nevada State College for more than two decades, and the bill to rename it passed in June 2023.

3. University of Nevada, Las Vegas

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas started in 1957 as the Southern Division of the University of Nevada and has been UNLV since 1969. It is a public land-grant R1 research university in Paradise, about 1.6 miles east of the Las Vegas Strip, with more than 31,000 students in 2020.

The William F. Harrah College of Hospitality is the standout, which fits a city built on tourism, and the William S. Boyd School of Law is the only law school in the state. The Runnin’ Rebels men’s basketball team won the 1990 NCAA title, and the Rebels play in the Mountain West. Alumni include Jimmy Kimmel, chef Guy Fieri and governors Steve Sisolak and Joe Lombardo.

4. Great Basin College

Great Basin College in Elko opened in 1967 as Elko College and later became Northern Nevada College before taking its current name. It joined the University of Nevada system in August 1969 and is a public college in the Nevada System of Higher Education.

It awards bachelor’s degrees, Associate of Applied Science degrees and certificates in career and technical and academic areas, and high school students can earn dual credit. The Elko campus has residence halls, and branch campuses in Battle Mountain, Ely, Pahrump and Winnemucca, plus satellite centers in nearly 20 rural communities,s reach students across a huge state. The mascot is the Bighorn sheep.

5. Arizona College of Nursing – Las Vegas

Arizona College of Nursing – Las Vegas is the Las Vegas campus of a nursing school that has served Southern Arizona for more than two decades. It sits in central Las Vegas and offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Nursing is the only field of study, so students get a focused path rather than a broad menu. The college is institutionally accredited by the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools, and the Las Vegas BSN program has received programmatic accreditation from the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. It is a good fit if you already know you want to be a nurse and want a school built around that goal.

6. Roseman University of Health Sciences

Roseman University of Health Sciences enrolled its first class in January 2001. It is a private, healthcare-focused university with its main campus in Henderson and other campuses in Summerlin and South Jordan, Utah. It was first called the Nevada College of Pharmacy and later the University of Southern Nevada.

Programs include the Doctor of Dental Medicine, advanced education in orthodontics, the Doctor of Pharmacy and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities accredits the university, while pharmacy, nursing and dental programs also hold their own specialized accreditation. Healthcare has been the focus since the school began as a college of pharmacy, and every program prepares graduates for clinical careers.

7. Chamberlain University – Las Vegas

Chamberlain University – Las Vegas opened in October 2014 at 9901 Covington Cross Drive in northwest Las Vegas, as the 15th Chamberlain campus. The university traces its origins es to 1889, when Deaconess Central Hospital opened in St. Louis.

The campus offers a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in a three-year Fast Track format and an LPN to BSN option. Classes are hybrid, with online and in-person learning, and day, evening and weekend options. The campus has a simulated patient care center. Chamberlain is a private for-profit school and a subsidiary of Adtalem Global Education. The Higher Learning Commission accredits the university, and the BSN is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education.

8. DeVry University – Nevada

DeVry University began in 1931 as the De Forest Training School in Chicago, founded by Herman A. DeVry. It is a private university that has been owned by Cogswell Education since December 2018.

It offers associate, bachelor’s and graduate programs in accounting, business, healthcare, technology, liberal arts and media arts, on-site and online. DeVry started online graduate classes in 1998 and undergraduate classes in 2001, which suits Nevada students who work odd hours. The Higher Learning Commission accredits the university. It was DeVry Technical Institute in 195,3 and DeVry Institute of Technology in 1968, and its engineering technology programs are accredited campus by campus.

9. Touro University – Nevada

Touro University Nevada in Henderson was founded in 2004. This private, nonprofit, Jewish-sponsored university is a branch campus of Touro University California and part of the Touro College and University System.

Its College of Osteopathic Medicine and College of Health and Human Services offer programs in osteopathic medicine, nursing, physical therapy, occupational therapy, physician assistant studies, camp administration and education. Occupational therapy students complete their final two years there through a partnership with Nevada State University. Henderson sits just southeast of Las Vegas, near Nevada State University. Camp administration is an unusual program that sets it apart from most Nevada schools.

10. Great Basin College Online

Great Basin College Online extends Great Basin College beyond Elko. Nevada is the seventh-largest state by area, and many residents live hours from a campus.

Online students work toward the same bachelor’s degrees, Associate of Applied Science degrees and certificates as on campus, from a public college that joined the University of Nevada system in 1969. Branch campuses in Battle Mountain, Ely, Pahrump and Winnemucca and satellite centers in nearly 20 rural communities add in-person support when students need it. Enrollment across the college is listed at about 3,800, and students can also earn dual credit while still in high school.

11. UNLV Online

UNLV Online is the online arm of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, a public R1 research university founded in 1957. It offers 41 online degree and certificate programs at the bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and certificate levels.

More than 800 undergraduate and graduate online courses run each semester across fields such as business, healthcare, education and hospitality. Students earn a UNLV degree from the same university whose Harrah College of Hospitality and Boyd School of Law are known across the state, and schedules are flexible enough for people who work. UNLV has more than 31,000 students overall and is the largest university in Nevada.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best college in Nevada?

The University of Nevada, Reno is first on our 2027 list, followed by Nevada State University and the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. UNR is the state’s land-grant flagship and an R1 research university.

What is the largest university in Nevada?

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas, with more than 31,000 students in 2020. The University of Nevada, Reno follows with about 21,000 in fall 2022, and Nevada State University had about 7,300 in fall 2023.

Where can you study nursing in Nevada?

Nevada State University, Arizona College of Nursing in Las Vegas, Chamberlain University in Las Vegas and Roseman University of Health Sciences all offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing.

Is there a hospitality school in Nevada?

Yes. The William F. Harrah College of Hospitality at UNLV is a leading program in a city built on tourism and entertainment.

Can Nevada students attend college in other states at a discount?

Yes. The Western Undergraduate Exchange lets Nevada residents attend colleges in 14 western states, including California, Arizona, Utah, Idaho and Oregon, for no more than 150 percent of in-state tuition.

Can you study online at a Nevada public university?

Yes. UNLV Online offers 41 degree and certificate programs, and Great Basin College serves rural students through branch campuses, satellite centers and online study.

Top 11 Best Colleges in Nevada 2027: Ranked List

1. University of Nevada, Reno
2. Nevada State University
3. University of Nevada, Las Vegas
4. Great Basin College
5. Arizona College of Nursing – Las Vegas
6. Roseman University of Health Sciences
7. Chamberlain University – Las Vegas
8. DeVry University – Nevada
9. Touro University – Nevada
10. Great Basin College Online
11. UNLV Online

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