Quad

Head-to-head

U. Nevada-Reno
U. Alaska Fairbanks

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    U. Nevada-Reno graduates 22 pts more of its students than U. Alaska Fairbanks (61% vs. 39%)

    Graduation rate
  2. 2

    U. Nevada-Reno has 3.7× as many undergrads as U. Alaska Fairbanks

    Undergrads
  3. 3

    U. Nevada-Reno grads earn $11.7K more ten years out than U. Alaska Fairbanks's ($60,614 vs. $48,866)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  4. 4

    U. Alaska Fairbanks's grants cover 32% of its full price on average, vs. 21% at U. Nevada-Reno

    Aid generosity
  5. 5

    U. Alaska Fairbanks costs about $7.3K less per year on average than U. Nevada-Reno ($19,331 vs. $26,629, all students)

    Average cost, all students
  6. 6

    U. Alaska Fairbanks has 1 pts more first-gen students than U. Nevada-Reno (40% vs. 38%)

    First-generation students

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Hollow dots at the center mean that measure isn't reported.

Who's hardest to get into

U. Nevada-Reno admits 83%; U. Alaska Fairbanks doesn't report an acceptance rate.

Acceptance rate
U. Nevada-Reno83%
U. Alaska FairbanksNot reported
Quad's selectivity
  • U. Nevada-RenoAccessible
  • U. Alaska FairbanksNot rated
SAT middle 50%Axis 1000–1600
U. Nevada-Reno
1060–1280
U. Alaska FairbanksNot reported
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. Nevada-RenoRigor and GPA very important31%
  • U. Alaska FairbanksNot reported

Who's on each campus

U. Nevada-Reno has 3.7× as many undergrads as U. Alaska Fairbanks and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. Nevada-Reno15.6K
U. Alaska Fairbanks4.2K
Pell Grant share
U. Nevada-Reno23%
U. Alaska Fairbanks22%

Majors and faculty

Public Health leads at U. Nevada-Reno, and Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies at U. Alaska Fairbanks.

Students per faculty member
U. Nevada-Reno17 to 1
U. Alaska Fairbanks11 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. Nevada-RenoPublic Health, General7%
  • U. Alaska FairbanksMulti-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other11%

What each costs

U. Alaska Fairbanks costs about $7.3K less a year than U. Nevada-Reno on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
U. Nevada-Reno$26.6K
U. Alaska Fairbanks$19.3K
Aid generosity
U. Nevada-Reno21%
U. Alaska Fairbanks32%

What each pays off

U. Nevada-Reno's former students earn more, a median $60.6K ten years after enrolling; six-year graduation runs from 61% at U. Nevada-Reno to 39% at U. Alaska Fairbanks.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. Nevada-Reno$60.6K
U. Alaska Fairbanks$48.9K
Graduation rate
U. Nevada-Reno61%
U. Alaska Fairbanks39%

How each has changed

Applications grew at U. Nevada-Reno, which got more selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. Nevada-RenoGrowing+100%
  • U. Alaska FairbanksNot reported
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

Sources:University of Nevada-Reno (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Student Financial Aid survey, 2023–24;University of Nevada-Reno Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why