On 12 October 1874 a preparatory school opened in Elko, Nevada, and it became the University of Nevada, Reno. The school moved to Reno in 1885. Las Vegas had a branch that turned into a formal division of the university in 1957, which later grew into a separate institution.
UNR is the state’s land-grant institution. Nevada created it so that the state could benefit from the federal Morrill Act of 1862, and the early school concentrated on practical subjects such as agriculture, mining and the mechanic arts. The university includes the Donald W. Reynolds School of Journalism, and in 2004 the Mackay School of Mines was merged into the College of Science as the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering. A School of Medicine is part of the university, and the Carnegie Foundation gave it R1 status in 2018.
A distinctive feature is the Center for Basque Studies, one of the research centres of the university. The main campus is in Reno, Nevada, and operations at a Lake Tahoe site began in 2022. The university belongs to the Nevada System of Higher Education.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Ecology and Sustainability, Engineering, Geotechnics, Life Sciences, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
Nevada’s land-grant and flagship university. Strong research in earthquake engineering, mining, and hydrology. Reynolds School of Journalism is well-regarded.
Research:
A research university with strengths in earthquake engineering, mining and geological sciences, environmental science, neuroscience, and journalism.
Famous Alumnis:
Mills Lane, Brian Sandoval, Gabby Gabreski
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
4000
Current students***:
21000
Foreign students***:
2%
Cumulative former students***:
100000
Pros
Strong programs in specific engineering fields (earthquake, mining), good journalism school, located near Sierra Nevada mountains with outdoor access.
Cons
Reno is a smaller city, some programs less nationally prominent than UNLV in certain areas, state funding challenges.
Best For
Students seeking programs in engineering (particularly earthquake or mining), journalism, or environmental science at Nevada’s historic land-grant university, often valuing proximity to outdoor recreation.
Utah State University is a public land-grant institution in Logan, with agriculture, aerospace engineering and water resources engineering as specialities.
Public and land-grant, Montana State University in Bozeman lists agriculture, nursing and engineering as main fields.
Washington State University in Pullman is public and gives weight to agriculture, veterinary medicine and engineering.
Oregon State University, a public university in Corvallis, is strong in forestry, oceanography and agricultural sciences.
Colorado State University (Fort Collins, public) is known for agricultural sciences, veterinary medicine and environmental science.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences is a public specialist university in Sweden covering agricultural sciences, forestry and veterinary medicine.
The United Kingdom's Newcastle University is a public institution with medicine, engineering and agriculture among its fields.
Canada's Laval University, public and based in Quebec, teaches agriculture and food alongside administrative sciences.
Australia's University of Adelaide is public, with health and medical sciences, engineering and agriculture in its portfolio.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
When and where did the University of Nevada start?
It opened on 12 October 1874 as a preparatory school in Elko. The institution relocated to Reno in 1885.
What is a land-grant university in this case?
UNR is Nevada's land-grant institution, established through the Morrill Act framework of 1862. Its early focus was agriculture, mining and the mechanic arts.
Does UNR have a presence at Lake Tahoe?
Yes. On 1 July 2022 the university began operating the University of Nevada, Reno at Lake Tahoe after agreeing to acquire Sierra Nevada University.
Is UNR a research university?
The Carnegie Foundation gave it R1 status in 2018, the category for very high research activity. It also has a School of Medicine and the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering.
Which special research centres exist?
The Center for Basque Studies is one of the units that set UNR apart. Applicants interested in a specific field should look at the research pages of the relevant college.
How is UNR related to UNLV?
A Las Vegas branch of the University of Nevada became a formal division in 1957. It later developed into the separate University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Where should prospective students check tuition and requirements?
Costs and entry rules are revised every year, so the official admissions and tuition pages are the reliable source. Graduate applicants should also contact their chosen department.
Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Environmental Impact, Sustainable Development
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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