Quad

Head-to-head

U. Nevada-Reno
Washington State

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    Washington State grads earn $8.3K more ten years out than U. Nevada-Reno's ($68,905 vs. $60,614)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    Washington State's grants cover 27% of its full price on average, vs. 21% at U. Nevada-Reno

    Aid generosity
  3. 3

    U. Nevada-Reno is more diverse (index 0.67 vs. 0.62)

    Diversity index
  4. 4

    Washington State has 4 pts more Pell recipients than U. Nevada-Reno (27% vs. 23%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  5. 5

    Washington State graduates 4 pts more of its students than U. Nevada-Reno (66% vs. 61%)

    Graduation rate
  6. 6

    U. Nevada-Reno has 4 pts more first-gen students than Washington State (38% vs. 34%)

    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%, Washington State 87%; U. Nevada-Reno's yield is higher, at 24%.

Acceptance rate
U. Nevada-Reno83%
Washington State87%
Quad's selectivity
  • U. Nevada-RenoAccessible
  • Washington StateAccessible
SAT middle 50%Axis 1000–1600
U. Nevada-Reno
1060–1280
Washington StateTest-blind
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • U. Nevada-RenoRigor and GPA very important31%
  • Washington StateGPA, school record, and prep program required

Who's on each campus

Washington State is a bit larger than U. Nevada-Reno (21,099 vs. 15,599 undergrads) and has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
U. Nevada-Reno15.6K
Washington State21.1K
Pell Grant share
U. Nevada-Reno23%
Washington State27%

Majors and faculty

Public Health leads at U. Nevada-Reno, and Psychology at Washington State; Washington State has 15 students per faculty member to U. Nevada-Reno's 17.

Students per faculty member
U. Nevada-Reno17 to 1
Washington State15 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • U. Nevada-RenoPublic Health, General7%
  • Washington StatePsychology, General8%

What each costs

Washington State costs about $2.4K 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
Washington State$24.2K
Aid generosity
U. Nevada-Reno21%
Washington State27%

What each pays off

Washington State's former students earn more, a median $68.9K ten years after enrolling; both graduate more than 60% within six years.

Median earnings, 10 years
U. Nevada-Reno$60.6K
Washington State$68.9K
Graduation rate
U. Nevada-Reno61%
Washington State66%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; U. Nevada-Reno got more selective while Washington State got less.

Applications, 10-year change
  • U. Nevada-RenoGrowing+100%
  • Washington StateGrowingsince fall 2015+29%
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