The vote marks a critical point for Nevada’s higher education system as officials balance persistent budget shortfalls against mounting student concerns about affordability.
Nevada’s higher education system approved tuition increases of between 9 and 12 percent Friday, with regents voting 8 to 5 to raise costs across eight public universities and colleges. The hikes, phased in over three years, are intended to cover a $46.5 million systemwide budgetary shortfall driven in part by historic faculty cost-of-living payments authorized in 2023 and 2024.
At the University of Nevada, Reno and University of Nevada, Las Vegas, Nevada undergraduate students will pay an additional $1,200 annually, while out-of-state undergraduates will pay $3,800 more per year. The increase comes atop an existing 12.6 percent tuition hike, also phased in over three years, meant to help institutions keep pace with inflation.
Comparing Nevada to national tuition levels
Nevada System Chancellor Matt McNair argued that students at Nevada’s four-year universities currently have the second-lowest net tuition amounts nationwide. After the increase, the state will rank somewhere between third and fifth in net tuition — the average amount students pay after scholarships and financial aid are factored in.
“We don’t make this recommendation lightly,” McNair said, “but this is the best we can do in terms of balancing value and affordability.”
System Chief Financial Officer Chris Viton emphasized that delaying the hike or reducing the percent increase would force schools to temporarily or permanently eliminate hundreds of staff positions and reduce class offerings.
Student and faculty concerns
The vote drew swift criticism from students who argued that rising costs are making college increasingly difficult to afford. Nevada State University student Stephanie Flores said that for many families, the increase will not just make college harder but make higher education feel out of reach entirely.
Andrew Cirincione, president of the UNR College Democrats, said he works a part-time job while taking a full course load to afford tuition. “The thought of increasing tuition to make up for the government’s unbalanced state budget doesn’t seem like a fair trade,” he said. “Students are bearing the brunt of the decisions that our elected leaders are making, at a time when there’s already so much uncertainty in higher education.”
Regent Jeffrey Downs, who cast one of five votes against the increase, questioned whether the burden should fall on students. “Students pay for classes and that generates revenue for the schools,” he said. “This seems like a punishment to students. Why would we cut the revenue-generating portions?” Downs suggested the system could reduce costs by cutting executive salaries instead.
Staci Walters, president of Nevada’s higher education faculty union and a professor at Nevada State University, expressed concern that faculty are being blamed for budget shortfalls despite stagnant wages. “Nobody has a clear understanding of the budget and how money is allocated,” Walters said. She noted that while faculty had not received a cost-of-living adjustment in more than a decade, the tuition increase is being framed around rising faculty costs. “It makes us sound like we are overpaid,” she said.
Long-term budget outlook
The tuition hike is unlikely to resolve the system’s long-term financial challenges. Higher education institutions receive a slight plurality of their funding from state governments, but dollars from the federal government and students’ tuition payments also play a significant role. Nevada’s higher education system may continue to face financial issues in part because of accelerating inflation and Trump administration pauses on some federal grants.
The situation is particularly acute for UNR, which will face a $2 million funding shortfall in fiscal year 2028. Last year, state lawmakers approved nearly $60 million in bridge funding to cover a portion of faculty cost-of-living adjustments, but that money expires in fiscal year 2028. Most of Nevada’s higher education institutions will not be affected by this expiration thanks to revenues they will receive from the tuition hike, system officials said.
Regent Carol Del Carlo, who voted in favor of the increase, acknowledged the difficulty of the decision. “This is probably going to be one of the most difficult decisions I’ve made, going into my 10th year on this board,” she said. Del Carlo suggested the higher education system needed to rethink its long-term budgeting strategy. “We have to bring in an outside consultant to really do a shakedown on this,” she said.