(The Center Square) - Nevada university tuitions are set to rise up to 12% over the next three years after the Nevada System of Higher Education's Board of Regents approved the change.
The rate hike will start in the fall 2026 semester, with the NSHE estimating over $41 million worth of university staff positions will be paid for by the tuition increase.
The three-year tuition increase was approved in an 8-5 vote Friday by the NHSE Board of Regents, which considered multiple options for how to make up state "bridge funding" that will end in 2027. The funds were meant to cover cost-of-living increases over recent years and were approved in the 2025 legislative session.
The biggest tuition increases will come from four-year degrees and graduate programs, not including professional schools such as law or dentistry. This applies to University Nevada, Las Vegas; University Nevada, Reno, and Nevada State University in Henderson, near Las Vegas. The 2026-2027 academic year will see a 3% increase, then a 4% increase in 2027-2028 and 5% in 2028-2029.
Tuition for two-year degrees, primarily from community colleges, will see 9% increases over the same three-year period of 2%, 3% and 4%.
The NSHE said the change will result in an estimated annual tuition increase of $1,200 for in-state UNLV and UNR students by the 2028-2029 academic year. The increase will be around $900 for Nevada State University students and $400 for most community college students.
The NSHE said the added tuition was unlikely to deter enrollment to Nevada universities as tuition prices would still be competitive. They added that past increases did not seem to have any direct impact on enrollment numbers.
"In some cases, enrollment gains followed significant fee increases," read an NSHE Board of Regentsbriefing paper. "This is not at all to suggest a fee increase is painless."
The NSHE report found that the $41 million would support over 300 staff positions, with nearly a third being administrative.
"Students are at the center of every decision we make at the Nevada System of Higher Education," a NHSE spokesperson said, answering The Center Square's questions by email.
"Affordability matters, and so does value, which is why we remain focused on responsible stewardship and ensuring that our public colleges and universities are accessible to every Nevadan," the spokesperson said. "We are grateful for the Legislature's and the Governor's continued partnership and support of higher education in Nevada, and we will continue working with state leaders as we plan for the long term."
