With all of the options you have for higher education today, it can be tough to choose which direction to take when you want to pursue a college degree. One of our goals at College Factual is to give you as much information as we can - such as our Top Nevada Colleges for a Bachelor's ranking - to help you make that decision.
We analyzed 6 colleges and universities across Nevada to determine which ones have the best bachelor's degree programs. Instead of depending on subjective information to rank the best schools, we focus on objective factors in our analysis. More specifically, the following explains what we consider and why.
Higher Than Average Earnings
To determine the overall quality of a graduate school, one factor we look at is the average early-career salary of those receiving a bachelor's degree from the school. While bachelor's degree recipients from schools in Nevada earn an average starting salary of $41,298, those from the top 5 school on this list made an average of $45,813.
Starting Salary ( 33196 to 51791 )
Taking Out Student Loans
Another factor that we look at to determine a school's ranking is the average debt load that students take on while they are working on their bachelor's degree.
When attending a school in Nevada, bachelor's degree students accumulate an average of $27,287 in student debt before graduation.
We consider this number in conjunction with average post-graduation earnings to gauge the difficulty bachelor's recipients will have paying back their loans.
More Ranking Factors That Are Important
We also analyze a number of other factors in addition to average post-graduation earnings and average student debt when coming up with our yearly Best Bachelor's Degree Schools ranking.
On a broad level, other factors that go into our rankings include such things as the demand of the school, the student body caliber, if the school has online options, and the educational resources provided by the school.
You may also want to narrow this list by location to find the best bachelor's degree schools nearest you. In addition, we've put together a number of other college rankings that may help you in your search.
Our 2024 rankings named University of Nevada - Las Vegas the best school in Nevada in terms of overall quality for students working on their bachelor’s degree. Located in Las Vegas, Nevada, the large public school awarded 4,885 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, bachelor’s degree graduates from UNLV make an average of $39,758 a year. Bachelor’s students leave the school with an average of $22,248 in student loans. This translates to an average monthly payment of $246 if the graduate is repaying the loan over a 10-year period.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Nevada - Reno helped the school earn the #2 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Nevada. Located in Reno, Nevada, the large public school awarded 4,115 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from UNR is $38,595 during the early years of their career. The average amount of student debt accumulated by bachelor’s students is $20,287. This translates to an average monthly payment of $322 if the graduate is repaying the loan over a 10-year period.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend College of Southern Nevada. It ranked #3 on our 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Nevada list. CSN is located in Las Vegas, Nevada and has a large student population. In 2020-2021, this school awarded 88 bachelor’s degrees to qualified graduate students.
A rank of #4 on our Best Bachelor’s Degree in Nevada list means Nevada State College is a great place for students working on their degree. Located in Henderson, Nevada, the medium-sized public school awarded 778 diplomas to qualifed bachelor’s degree students in 2020-2021.
During the early years of their career, bachelor’s degree graduates from NSC make an average of $42,494 a year. The average amount of student debt accumulated by bachelor’s students is $24,791.
The excellent bachelor’s degree programs at University of Phoenix - Nevada helped the school earn the #5 place on this year’s ranking of the best schools in Nevada. This small private for-profit school is located in Las Vegas, Nevada, and it awarded 42 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
Upon graduation, bachelor’s degree recipients go on to jobs making an average salary of $46,750 during the early years of their career. The average amount of student debt accumulated by bachelor’s students is $46,701. This translates to an average monthly payment of $147 if the graduate is repaying the loan over a 10-year period.
With a ranking of #6, Great Basin College did quite well on the 2024 Best Bachelor’s Degree Schools in Nevada list. Great Basin College is a small public school located in Elko, Nevada that handed out 97 bachelor’s degrees in 2020-2021.
The average salary of a graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Great Basin College is $61,470 during the early years of their career.
The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of our data about colleges.
Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.