University of Nevada-Las Vegas

Quick Facts

Chance of Admission:
Location: Southwest
Setting: Large City Setting
Type: Public
Size: Very Large (+10,000 Undergrad)
Mascot: Rebels
Nickname: UNLV
University of Nevada-Las Vegas From Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia

The University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV) is a public, coeducational university located in Las Vegas, Nevada, USA, known for its programs in History, Engineering, Environmental Studies, Hotel administration, Fine Arts, and Management Information Systems. The university is ranked in the category of Doctoral/Research Universities–Intensive by The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The Atlantic Monthly recognized UNLV's English department as having one of the nation's most innovative MFA programs and one of the top five doctoral programs in creative writing .

The 337-acre (1.4-km²) UNLV campus is located on Maryland Parkway, a heavily-traveled north-south arterial street, in southeastern Las Vegas about 2.5 km (1.5 mi) east of the Las Vegas Strip. Ground breaking on the original 60 acre site was in April, 1956. UNLV has purchased a site in North Las Vegas for future expansion. In addition, there is a Shadow Lane Campus, located just east of UMC Medical Center on Charleston and Shadow Lane. A project called Midtown UNLV is examining options of revamping Maryland Parkway to better serve the campus community.

UNLV also houses and manages the National Supercomputing Center for Energy and the Environment, a supercomputer facility sponsored by the National Science Foundation.

History and status

The first college classes which would eventually become the classes of UNLV were offered as the southern regional extension division of the University of Nevada, Reno, in 1851 in a classroom at Las Vegas High School. UNLV was officially founded by the Nevada Board of Regents as the Southern Division of the University of Nevada in 1957. The first classes were held on the current campus on the now historic post and beam Mid Century Modern Maude Frazier Hall designed by the award winning local architectural firm, Zick and Sharp. Twenty-nine students graduated in the first commencement ceremonies in 1964. In 1965, the Nevada Legislature named the school Nevada Southern University, and the Board of Regents hired the campus's first president, William Carlson. In 1968, Nevada Southern was given equal status with its former parent institution in Reno, and the present name was approved by the Regents in January 1969. Today UNLV is becoming one of the nation's leading metropolitan universities. Since its founding, the university has grown rapidly, expanding both its academic programs and campus facilities. UNLV now offers more than 190 undergraduate, master's, and doctoral degree programs.

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Students & Campus Life
Undergraduate Enrollment: 20,680
On Campus Housing: Available
Full Time Students: 95%
Athletic Programs: Available
> More Students & Campus Life
Expenses
Average Tuition: $ 13,033
Students Receiving Aid: 86%
> More Expenses & Financial Aid
Admissions
Application Fee: $ 60
Selectivity: Selective
> More Admissions

Students

General
Full-Time vs. Part-Time
Full-Time 95%
Part-Time 5%
Men vs. Women
Women 57%
Men 43%
Race/Ethnicity
Caucasian 58%
Other 13%
Asian 12%
Hispanic 10%
African-American 7%
Geography
In State vs. Out-of-State
In-State 75%
Out-of-State 25%
Top States for Incoming Freshman
Nevada 75%
California 6%
Hawaii 3%
Washington 1%
Colorado 1%
Percent of Students International: 4%

Housing

On-Campus Housing Available: Yes
Percent of Students Living On-Campus: 9%
Freshman Students Required to Live on Campus: Yes

Athletics

Member of: NAA, NCAA
Sports Include: Football (Mountain West Conference)
Basketball (Mountain West Conference)
Baseball (Mountain West Conference)
Track (Mountain West Conference)
Tuition & Fees (undergraduate) In-State Out-of-State  
Published Tuition and Fees:
$ 3,566 $ 13,033  
Average Tuition for Full-Time Undergrads:
$ 3,060 $ 12,527  
Required Fees for Full-Time Undergrads:
$ 416 $ 416  
Financial Aid Avg. Amount Received % of Students Receiving Aid  
Federal Grants:
$ 2,853 19%  
State and Local Grants:
$ 1,932 70%  
Institutional Grants:
$ 1,402 10%  
Student Loans:
$ 2,832 20%  
Any Aid:
  86%  

Selectivity (Undergraduate Only)

Acceptance Rate: 81% (Selective)
Test Scores  
SAT Scores:  
% of Students Submitting SAT Scores: 58%
Bottom 25th Percentile: Verbal: 440, Math: 450
Top 75th Percentile: Verbal: 560, Math: 580
ACT Scores:  
% of Students Submitting ACT Scores: 44%
Bottom 25th Percentile: Composite: 18, Verbal: 17, Math: 17
Top 75th Percentile: Composite: 24, Verbal: 23, Math: 24

Application Requirements (Undergraduate Only)

Application Fee: $ 60.00
Formal Demonstration of Competencies: Not Required
High School Diploma or Equivalent: Required
High School GPA: Required
High School Rank: Not Required
High School Record: Not Required
Recommendations: Not Required
TOEFL: Recommended
Test Scores: Recommended

Degree Programs at University of Nevada-Las Vegas

Bachelor's Level Majors

Certificate Programs at University of Nevada-Las Vegas

Career Education Majors

College Advice

Yahoo
Since I was a freshman in high school I've been looking at colleges around the country. I like Universities such as University of Oregon, Oregon State, UC Davis, University of Washington, Seattle. But, being from Nevada out of state tuition is just too expensive, so i have to stay in Nevada. So i was just curious about UNLV. What is Las Vegas like and is it a serious acedemic school? Is it a huge party school? How does it compare to the schools I listed above? What are the people like? What i like about the schools above are all the people are very nice and smart.
12 months ago
Best Answer
Alright, I'm just the person from you... I go to UNLV right now, finishing up my senior year this year. I choose to go to UNLV for the same reason you are... because it's cheaper, and in the end, because I want to get a Ph.D, doing undergrad here is just a stepping stone to get into a graduate program. Besides going to UNLV's website, I'll tell you as much as I can. First off, hopefully you'll get the Millennium Scholarship... because that itself will pay for close to 1/3 of your tuition... it's what A LOT of my friends who go there have. Las Vegas is a great city, but the part of town UNLV is in, well.. .it's run down. The city has been "planning" on creating a more 'student-orientated' atmosphere around the school, just... nothing has been done so far. Depending on your major, UNLV varies. It's fast becoming a good Business & Management Adminstration School, just because we're in a city that REALLY needs that sort of major. We're decent in the arts & humanities majors, but Science is just plain pitiful. Not enough teachers, aging facilities, and well... no money. Compared to ALL the other colleges you listed, UNLV is overall lower than all of them, as rankings go.... But for a specific major, things may fluctuate. As far as it being a "serious acedemic" school??/ Pshh... fat chance... most people are there for the same reason... Needed an education, it's cheap, and hopefully might be a stepping stone for grad school. I'll tell you that it's normal in the sense of Parties.... There are a few big ones, and we have this thing called "Rebelpaloza" where we have a big outdoor concert. People here are just trying to make it here.... we try to do our best with what we've got, but we know when to relax, and just chill... to not over-stress the things we cannot control. If you have any more questions... you can email.... theviolet41 "at" Yahoo.com
we know how princeton and harvard are viewed and Penn state too - but what is the overall opinion of University of Nevada - vegas? is it looked at as a joke? are they serious about academics as other schools.....i don't want my MA degree to be a joke!
17 months ago
Best Answer
UNLV is considered just another one of those middling schools. Not all that prestigious, but not crap either. It's a legit school so no one will think your masters degree will be a joke (that's usually reserved for online schools). However, unless your masters degree is in a program that UNLV is especially known for in the industry, you'll just get the regular respect of having finished a masters. None of the extra prestige at having done it at a famous school like Harvard. As long as you are in Nevada, and particularly Vegas, UNLV will have some prestige since it's the "big" school in town. It's an interesting phenomenon I've noticed about fairly isolated cities. If you go to the "big" school in town, then your school gets more prestige than it would if you were in another town with "bigger" schools around. Same thing happens up in Reno. Going to UN Reno is pretty respected by locals until you cross the CA border and run into UC Davis' sphere of influence.
I'm currently in highschool but I've been looking over a few colleges. I'm particularly interested in UNLV. However, I currently live in California and i don't know how hard it is to go to an out-of-state college. Any information on UNLV would be greatly appreciated, as well as any advice on going to an out-of-state college. I'm still deciding whether to major in pharmacy, business, or engineering.
19 months ago
Best Answer
I don't go to UNLV, but I do go to the other state university in Nevada. It's expensive to go to U of Nevada and pay out-of-state tuition. I know UNR has a special tuition rate for people living in California counties bordering Nevada, but I am not sure whether UNLV has the same. Usually out of state pays at least three times the in state tuition rate. California has a lot of great schools, so you may want to reconsider them if only for the financial reasons.If you wanted to go to UNLV for a program they're recognized nationally for, such as their hotel and restaurant management program, then UNLV would make sense.

Photos

  • A flag on the UNLV campus
    A flag on the UNLV campus [source]
  • The Las Vegas Strip can be seen in the distance from various points on the UNLV campus.
    The Las Vegas Strip can be seen in the distance from various points on the UNLV campus. [source]
  • The UNLV Rebels logo.
    The UNLV Rebels logo. [source]
  • Thomas & Mack Center, Cox Pavilion
    Thomas & Mack Center, Cox Pavilion [source]
  • The Flashlight in front of The Judy Bayley Theatre
    The Flashlight in front of The Judy Bayley Theatre [source]
  • The Lied Library
    The Lied Library [source]
  • UNLV is rare in Las Vegas for its variety of horticulture growing on campus.
    UNLV is rare in Las Vegas for its variety of horticulture growing on campus. [source]
  • Rebels Lied practice complex on campus.
    Rebels Lied practice complex on campus. [source]