University of Nevada-Las Vegas

Public · Moderately Selective · NV

Photo: Ken Lund (CC BY-SA 2.0)

School data & stats

TypePublic

LocationNV · West

SettingUrban

Undergrads24,622

Student:faculty19:1

Outcomes

4-yr grad rate26.5%

6-yr grad rate50.5%

Drop-out rate20.8%

Study abroad—

Cost

In-state tuition$10k

Out-of-state tuition$27k

Application fee—

Community

Racial diversity76.1%

Gender diversity55.9%

International1.6%

Identity—

Overview

UNLV is an urban research university minutes from the Las Vegas Strip, with an identity shaped directly by its surroundings. It is best known for hospitality and hotel management, a natural fit given the resort industry at its doorstep, and is regularly cited as one of the most racially diverse campuses in the country. The addition of a medical school in recent years has pushed the university toward a broader research profile beyond its hospitality roots, even as hospitality remains its signature brand.

Academics

The William F. Harrah College of Hospitality is the university's signature program and one of the most respected of its kind nationally, drawing on direct relationships with the Strip's casino and resort operators for internships, guest lectures, and hiring pipelines. The Kirk Kerkorian School of Medicine, the Lee Business School, and the Boyd School of Law round out a growing professional-school lineup, while engineering and gaming research give the university strengths well beyond hospitality alone. The International Gaming Institute is a distinctive research hub found at few other universities.

Campus & student life

The campus sits in the heart of Las Vegas, giving students unmatched access to internships and part-time work in hospitality, entertainment, and gaming even before graduation. The Thomas & Mack Center anchors Runnin' Rebels basketball, a program with real national-championship history, and student life blends a fairly traditional college experience with the energy and diversity of one of the country's most distinctive cities. Because so many students work in the surrounding resort industry while enrolled, campus culture has a practical, career-minded edge.

Getting in

Admissions are holistic but accessible, with the university drawing a broad range of applicants from Nevada and beyond, including many first-generation and working students. Interest in hospitality, gaming, or entertainment-related fields can meaningfully strengthen an application given the university's signature strengths in those areas, and the newer medical and law programs have brought a more competitive, separate admissions track for those specific pipelines.

After graduation

Graduates of the hospitality program move directly into management tracks at major resort and casino companies, many of which recruit heavily on campus given their proximity, and the Harrah College's alumni network runs deep throughout the Strip's biggest employers. The university's location gives it employer relationships that few other hospitality programs nationally can match, and gaming and entertainment graduates similarly benefit from being trained in the industry's actual home base.

Worth knowing

UNLV's hospitality program is genuinely one of the most respected in its field, not just a regional curiosity, and its Las Vegas location provides real-world access to the industry that classroom-only programs elsewhere can't replicate. The university's rapid recent growth, adding a medical school and expanding research ambitions, means its identity is shifting somewhat beyond hospitality alone, worth knowing for students who assume it's a one-program school.

unlv.edu ↗

Admissions

Acceptance rate96.2%

Enrolled mid-50%SAT 1010–1240 · ACT 18–25

Test policyoptional

Rec letters0

Deadlines (2026–27 cycle)

AdmissionRolling

Applying (2026-27 cycle)

Apply through Common App or Own application.

Priority / scholarshipNov 15

Financial aid formsNov 15

UNLV reviews applications on a rolling basis rather than offering a binding early plan, so the November 15 date only matters for priority scholarship and financial-aid consideration.

Verified from the school’s admissions pages ↗