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Historical higher education information in Nevada, 2008-2014

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This page contains archived information on Nevada's higher education system for years prior to the 2013-2014 school year. For more recent information, click here.

Admissions

Enrollment

See also: Higher education enrollment statistics

Between fiscal years 2012 and 2013, full-time equivalent (FTE) enrollment in Nevada's public postsecondary institutions increased by 65,917, or 1 percent. Between fiscal years 2008 and 2013—expanding the timeline a bit—full-time enrollment in these schools increased by 2,593, or 4.1 percent. The table below lists full-time enrollment figures for public postsecondary schools in Nevada and surrounding states.[1]

Full-time equivalent enrollment in public postsecondary institutions, FY 2008 to FY 2013
State FY 2008 FY 2012 FY 2013 Change from FY 2012 to FY 2013 Percent difference from FY 2012 to FY 2013 Change from FY 2008 to FY 2013 Percent difference from FY 2008 to FY 2013
Nevada 63,324 65,238 65,917 679 1.00% 2,593 4.10%
Arizona 233,255 275,238 270,644 -4,594 -1.70% 37,389 16.00%
California 1,507,467 1,527,259 1,478,928 -48,331 -3.20% -28,539 -1.90%
Utah 103,320 126,594 123,851 -2,743 -2.20% 20,531 19.90%
U.S. total 10,254,148 11,563,321 11,281,810 -281,511 -2.40% 1,027,662 10.00%
Note: The State Higher Education Executive Officers Association writes that full-time equivalent enrollment "equates student credit hours to full-time, academic year students, but excludes medical students."[1]
Source: State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, "State Higher Education Finance: FY 2013"

Demographics

In Nevada, enrollment in all higher education institutions (public and private) totaled 118,300 in fall 2012. 51.7 percent of these students were white. Hispanic students comprised approximately 20.8 percent of the total postsecondary student population in Nevada. During that time, 52.7 percent of the state's general population was white and 21.2 percent was Hispanic, with other ethnic groups making up the remainder. The table below lists demographic information for both postsecondary students and the general population in Nevada and surrounding states.[2]

Higher education enrollment by race/ethnicity, 2012
State Population category White Black Hispanic Asian Pacific Islander American Indian/Alaska Native Two or more races Non-resident alien
Nevada Postsecondary students 51.68% 8.50% 20.83% 9.87% 1.53% 1.01% 4.63% 1.97%
General population 52.7% 8.7% 21.2% 10.1% 1.6% 1% 4.7% N/A
Arizona Postsecondary students 54.81% 15.66% 18.41% 3.07% 0.54% 2.61% 2.48% 2.41%
General population 56.2% 16% 18.9% 3.1% 0.6% 2.7% 2.5% N/A
California Postsecondary students 33.97% 7.16% 34.56% 15.59% 0.62% 0.49% 3.80% 3.81%
General population 35.3% 7.4% 35.9% 16.2% 0.6% 0.5% 4% N/A
Utah Postsecondary students 78.92% 3.42% 8.07% 2.56% 0.75% 0.90% 2.34% 3.04%
General population 81.4% 3.5% 8.3% 2.6% 0.8% 0.9% 2.4% N/A
U.S. total Postsecondary students 58.04% 14.35% 14.43% 5.79% 0.31% 0.84% 2.45% 3.79%
General population 60.3% 14.9% 15% 6% 0.3% 0.9% 2.5% N/A
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 306.60. Fall enrollment in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity of student and state or jurisdiction: 2012"

In 2012, 56 percent of all postsecondary students in Nevada were female, which was lower than the national rate of 56.8 percent. The table below lists postsecondary student enrollment by sex in Nevada and surrounding states.[3]

Higher education enrollment by sex, 2012
State Total students Male students Percentage Female students Percentage
Nevada 118,300 52,067 44.01% 66,233 55.99%
Arizona 736,379 280,280 38.06% 456,099 61.94%
California 2,621,460 1,196,144 45.63% 1,425,316 54.37%
Utah 267,309 129,405 48.41% 137,904 51.59%
U.S. total 20,642,819 8,919,087 43.21% 11,723,732 56.79%
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 304.30. Total fall enrollment in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by attendance status, sex, and state or jurisdiction: 2011 and 2012"

Tuition

See also: Higher education tuition statistics

In the 2012-2013 academic year, the national average in-state cost for tuition and required fees at a public four-year school totaled $8,070. For a private four-year school, the average was $24,525. In Nevada, these figures were lower: $4,953 and $16,108, respectively. The table below compares average annual tuition costs for Nevada and surrounding states.[4]

Average annual undergraduate costs for tuition and required fees, 2012-2013
State Public in-state institution Private institution
2011-2012 2012-2013 Percent difference 2011-2012 2012-2013 Percent difference
Nevada $4,624 $4,953 7.12% $15,797 $16,108 1.97%
Arizona $9,030 $9,694 7.35% $11,865 $11,650 -1.81%
California $8,830 $8,892 0.70% $27,379 $28,345 3.53%
Utah $5,166 $5,375 4.05% $7,677 $7,758 1.06%
U.S. average $7,703 $8,070 4.76% $23,460 $24,525 4.54%
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 330.20. Average undergraduate tuition and fees and room and board rates charged for full-time students in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by control and level of institution and state or jurisdiction: 2011-12 and 2012-13"

Out-of-state tuition

See also: Higher education tuition statistics

Public postsecondary schools receive some of their funding from their state's government. This money in turn comes from taxation of the state's residents. Since neither out-of-state students nor their parents paid that state's taxes, the schools charge these students additional tuition to account for the difference. This additional charge is a significant increase over in-state tuition in all 50 states. In the 2012-2013 school year, out-of-state students paid a nationwide average of $21,847 in tuition and required fees annually—a 270 percent increase over the in-state average of $8,070.

Students attending public postsecondary institutions in Nevada from outside of the state were required to pay an average of $19,156, a 387 percent increase over the average in-state tuition of $4,953. The average out-of-state tuition cost for Nevada was lower than the national average of $21,847.

Average annual in-state and out-of-state tuition and required fees, 2012-2013
State In-state tuition averages Out-of-state tuition averages Percent increase
Nevada $4,953 $19,156 387%
Arizona $9,694 $21,201 219%
California $8,892 $30,765 346%
Utah $5,375 $16,631 310%
United States $8,070 $21,847 270%
Source: National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 330.20. Average undergraduate tuition and fees and room and board rates charged for full-time students in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by control and level of institution and state or jurisdiction: 2011-12 and 2012-13"

Financial aid

See also: Higher education financial aid statistics

The federal government provides financial aid to undergraduate students in the form of grants and loans. Notable grants administered by the United States government include Pell Grants and Federal Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants (FSEOG). Loan programs administered by the federal government include the William D. Ford Federal Direct Loan (Direct Loan) Program and Federal Perkins Loan Program. Individual states may also administer student financial aid programs. In addition, postsecondary institutions often offer institution-specific financial aid to their students.[5][6][7]

According to the National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs, the states disbursed approximately $11.3 billion in state-based financial aid to postsecondary students in the 2012-2013 academic year. Nevada awarded $78.2 million in state-based financial aid during that time. The table below provides state-based aid figures for Nevada and surrounding states in 2012-2013.[8]

Total state-based financial aid, 2012-2013 (dollars in millions)
State Need-based grant aid Non-need-based grant aid Non-grant aid Total
Nevada $36.269 $23.053 $18.887 $78.210
Arizona $21.436 - $0.277 $21.713
California $1,519.220 $1.989 $23.931 $1,545.140
Utah $3.484 $6.240 $80.539 $90.262
U.S. totals $7,200.770 $2,390.600 $1,693.530 $11,284.910
Source: National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs, "44th Annual Survey Report on State-Sponsored Student Financial Aid, 2012-2013 Academic Year"

Student debt

See also: Student debt in higher education in the United States

Student debt is a major concern for both parents and students. According to the Project on Student Debt by the Institute for College Access and Success, in school year 2012-2013, an average of 61 percent of all students nationwide graduated with debt, which averaged about $26,421 per borrower. The lowest debt owed by students could be found in New Mexico, where average student debt was about $18,656. Conversely, students who graduated in New Hampshire with debt owed an average of about $32,795, the highest in the country.[9]

During the 2012-2013 school year, about 43 percent of postsecondary students at both public and private schools in Nevada graduated with debt. This debt averaged to about $21,666, ranking 48th highest in the country.

Average student debt in Nevada and surrounding states, 2012-2013
State Average debt Rank Percentage with debt Rank
Nevada $21,666 48 43% 50
Arizona $22,253 45 55% 36
California $20,340 49 55% 36
Utah $22,418 44 52% 44
United States $26,421 N/A 61% N/A
Source: Project on Student Debt, "State by State Data"

While tuition for private schools is almost always higher than that of public schools, debt does not always follow this same pattern. College InSight, another project of the Institute for College Access and Success, analyzed data on student debt held by graduates of public and private schools. They found that nationwide, about 60 percent of students who graduated from a public institution had debt, which averaged about $25,665 per borrower. For private schools, they found that approximately 65 percent of students graduated with an average of $28,498 in debt. However, in some states, such as Maine, students on average graduated from private schools with less debt than those who graduated from public schools.[10]

During the 2012-2013 school year, about 43 percent of graduates from Nevada's public schools graduated with debt. This debt averaged to about $21,577 across the state. This was lower than the national average. In Nevada's private schools, about 50 percent of students graduated with debt. This debt averaged to about $26,368, which was also lower than the national average. As this data shows, students who graduated from public schools during this year had less debt on average than those who graduated from private schools. The chart below compares these statistics for Nevada and its surrounding states.

Student debt from public and private institutions, 2012-2013
State Public in-state institution Private institution
Average debt of graduates Percent of graduates with debt Average debt of graduates Percent of graduates with debt
Nevada $21,577 43% $26,368 50%
Arizona $22,165 54% N/A N/A
California $18,066 53% $28,191 60%
Utah $18,065 51% $27,588 54%
United States $25,665 60% $28,498 65%
Source: The Institute for College Access & Success - College InSight, "Student debt and undergraduate financial aid data"

Academic performance and outcomes

Retention rates

See also: Higher education retention rates

Retention rates indicate the percentage of freshman postsecondary students who enroll the following academic year as sophomores. According to the NCHEMS Information Center for Higher Education Policymaking and Analysis:[11]

Students are more likely to drop out of postsecondary education during the first year than any other time. If a state can implement policies that help to increase retention rates either within institutions or through transfer, the likelihood of students persisting to graduation is far greater.[11][12]
—NCHEMS Information Center for Higher Education Policymaking and Analysis

Compared to neighboring states, Nevada had the second-highest total retention rate in 2010 at 73.8 percent. The table below compares retention rates in Nevada and surrounding states. These figures date to 2010.[11]

Retention rates by state, 2010
State Total retention rate Total full-time retention rate Total part-time retention rate
Nevada 73.8% 76.3% 41.1%
Arizona 70% 73.1% 45.6%
California 84% 85.5% 55.2%
Utah 73.3% 76.2% 48.8%
U.S. average 77.1% 78.7% 44.6%
Source: NCHEMS Information Center for Higher Education Policymaking and Analysis, "Retention Rates - First-Time College Freshmen Returning Their Second Year"

Graduation rates

See also: Higher education graduation rates

The table below, built from data compiled by The Chronicle of Higher Education, details graduation rates for Nevada and surrounding states. Although postsecondary schools are classified as four-year and two-year institutions, relatively few students actually complete degrees within these time frames. At four-year schools, students commonly take between four and six years to complete their degrees. Likewise, students at two-year institutions commonly take three years to complete their degrees. To illustrate this point, both four-year and six-year graduation rates are provided in the table below (only three-year rates are provided for two-year institutions, owing to a lack of information regarding two-year completion rates).[13]

Compared to neighboring states, Nevada had the lowest four-year and six-year completion rates for public four-year institutions at 13.5 percent and 43.6 percent, respectively.[13]

Graduation rates by state, 2010
State Four-year institutions Two-year institutions
Completion within four years Completion within six years Completion within three years
Public four-year colleges Private nonprofit four-year colleges Private for-profit four-year colleges Public four-year colleges Private nonprofit four-year colleges Private for-profit four-year colleges Public two-year colleges Private for-profit two-year colleges
Nevada 13.5% 29.2% 9.1% 43.6% 33.8% 20% 16.7% 52.4%
Arizona 31.9% 31.7% 9.6% 57.1% 56.9% 15.1% 16.3% 63%
California 34.8% 60.8% 20.1% 65.1% 72.9% 28.4% 25.3% 65%
Utah 20% 27.2% 31.9% 46.9% 65.2% 40.6% 35.6% 72%
U.S. average 31.30% 52.50% 20.30% 56% 65.5% 28.2% 20.4% 60.1%
Source: The Chronicle of Higher Education, "College Completion: Who graduates from college, who doesn't, and why it matters"

Funding

See also: Higher education funding and Nevada state budget and finances

Higher education funding mechanisms differ depending on the type of institution. Public colleges receive the lion's share of their funding from state and local governments. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, state and local appropriations accounted for 53 percent of higher education revenues nationwide in 2013. By contrast, private institutions do not receive direct government funding. Instead, these institutions rely primarily on tuition, gifts and endowments.[14][15]

According to Grapevine, which is published by Illinois State University’s Center for the Study of Education Policy and the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO), financial support for public higher education in Nevada totaled an estimated $487.2 million in fiscal year 2014, a 3.1 percent increase over fiscal year 2013. The table below lists higher education fiscal support figures for Nevada and surrounding states.[1]

Financial support for higher education by state, 2013 and 2014
State Fiscal year 2013 Fiscal year 2014 Percent change
Nevada $472,368,017 $487,184,042 3.14%
Arizona $843,251,300 $873,005,600 3.53%
California $9,577,505,000 $10,535,904,000 10.01%
Utah $748,759,000 $798,346,200 6.62%
U.S. totals $72,156,979,373 $76,238,167,052 5.66%
Source: State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, "State Higher Education Finance: FY 2013"

According to the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, average adjusted public postsecondary appropriations per full-time student declined 23 percent from fiscal year 2008 to 2013 on average in the United States. In Nevada, appropriations per full-time student declined 32.6 percent during that same period. The table below lists adjusted public higher education appropriations per full-time student for Nevada and surrounding states in fiscal years 2008, 2012, and 2013.[1]

Public higher education appropriations per FTE (in constant 2013 dollars)
State Fiscal year 2008 Fiscal year 2012 Fiscal year 2013 FY12 to FY13 change Percent change FY08 to FY13 change Percent change
Nevada $9,938 $6,798 $6,693 -$105.00 -1.50% -$3,245.00 -32.60%
Arizona $7,886 $4,869 $4,958 $89.00 1.80% -$2,928.00 -37.10%
California $8,650 $6,743 $7,096 $353.00 5.20% -$1,554.00 -18.00%
Utah $7,259 $4,865 $5,007 $142.00 2.90% -$2,252.00 -31.00%
U.S. average $7,924 $6,020 $6,105 $85.00 1.40% -$1,819.00 -23.00%
Notes: "Educational appropriations are a measure of state and local support available for public higher education operating expenses including ARRA funds, and exclude appropriations for independent institutions, financial aid for students attending independent institutions, research, hospitals, and medical education."
"Adjustment factors, to arrive at constant dollar figures, include Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), Enrollment Mix Index (EMI), and Higher Education Cost Adjustment (HECA).The Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) is not a measure of inflation over time."
Source: State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, "State Higher Education Finance: FY 2013"

Faculty

See also: Higher education faculty statistics

Across the country, as student enrollment at postsecondary institutions has changed, so has the faculty. The number of faculty increased nationwide by nearly 73 percent from 450,368 to 780,127 between the 1991-1992 and 2011-2012 school years in order to keep up with rising student enrollment. In Nevada, the total number of faculty rose from 2,220 to 5,141. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the college faculty profession has one of the fastest growth rates in the nation and will see a 19 percent increase in jobs between 2012 and 2022.[16][17]

Employment status

Employment of faculty at four-year public institutions in Nevada

Although the total number of faculty at public colleges and universities continued to rise over the previous two decades, the portion of faculty who work part-time rose more quickly. By the end of 2012, the percentage of part-time faculty, including teaching and research assistants, had reached 55.8 percent at four-year institutions nationwide. The number of part-time faculty plus teaching and research assistants outnumbered full-time faculty in all but six states. The number of teaching and research assistants alone outnumbered full-time faculty in eight states. Nevada was one of these states. According to the Southern Regional Education Board,[16]

The fact that part-time faculty and teaching/research assistants are a majority of the instructional staff does not mean they do a majority of the instruction, because part-time faculty members and teaching/research assistants typically do not teach as many classes as full-time faculty members. Part-time faculty members generally do not have campus committee assignments or participate in student activities.[16][12]
—Southern Regional Education Board, "Fact Book on Higher Education"

In Nevada, the percentage of all part-time faculty, including teaching and research assistants, increased from 40.7 percent to 68.3 percent between the 1991-1992 and 2011-2012 school years. Below is a table that provides figures on full-time and part-time faculty employment in Nevada as compared to surrounding states.[16]

Employment status of instructional faculty at public four-year institutions
State 1991-92 2011-12
Full-time faculty Part-time faculty Teaching and research assistants Part-time total as a percent of all faculty* Full-time faculty Part-time faculty Teaching and research assistants Part-time total as a percent of all faculty*
Nevada 1,317 143 760 40.7% 1,631 1,641 1,869 68.3%
Arizona 2,786 330 3,276 56.4% 6,067 1,625 6,745 58.0%
California 26,125 10,850 19,121 53.4% 34,499 16,502 29,087 56.9%
Utah 2,906 241 520 20.8% 5,362 2,507 2,184 46.7%
U.S. total 254,363 63,866 132,139 43.5% 344,940 157,123 278,064 55.8%
*"Part-time total" includes teaching and research assistants, who also work part-time.
Source: Southern Regional Education Board, "Higher Education Faculty & Administrators

Salaries

According to the Southern Regional Education Board, although the salaries of faculty at public institutions were higher than those of the average American worker in the 2012-2013 school year, public higher education salary growth did not keep pace with the average rate of salary increases across all professions. However, salary growth at private institutions outpaced the national average rate. From the 1999-2000 to the 2012-2013 school years, the average salary for professors across all higher education institutions nationwide rose from $74,410 to $108,310. Click on the table below to view salary information for the school years 1999-2000 and 2012-2013 according to institution type and academic rank. Individual state information was not available. Dollar amounts have not been adjusted for inflation.[16]

Demographics

Over the past two decades, the proportions of female, black, and Hispanic faculty members at public colleges and universities nationwide increased to reach their highest levels ever in the 2011-2012 school year. In Nevada, 38.3 percent of full-time college faculty were female, 2.7 percent were black, and 4.5 percent were Hispanic. Black and Hispanic representation in college faculty at that time was higher than in the 1991-1992 school year. However, it was still below the proportions of both the general and college student populations who were black and Hispanic. The table below provides demographic information for full-time faculty at public four-year colleges and universities in Nevada from the 1993-1994 to the 2011-2012 school years. Figures are compared with those in surrounding states.[16]

Demographics of full-time faculty at public four-year colleges and universities
State Year Total full-time faculty Percent men Percent women Percent white Percent black Percent Hispanic Percent other*
Nevada 1993-94 1,291 70.9% 29.1% 88.3% 1.9% 2.2% 7.6%
2011-12 1,631 61.7% 38.3% 78.3% 2.7% 4.5% 13.5%
Arizona 1993-94 4,096 73.2% 26.8% 89.1% 1.5% 4.1% 5.3%
2011-12 6,067 58.6% 41.4% 79.6% 1.8% 7.7% 10.5%
California 1993-94 25,432 71.3% 28.7% 81.0% 3.1% 4.7% 11.3%
2011-12 34,499 60.0% 40.0% 68.4% 2.8% 6.8% 21.7%
Utah 1993-94 3,057 72.7% 27.3% 94.3% 0.6% 1.5% 3.6%
2011-12 5,362 63.0% 37.0% 89.1% 0.9% 2.6% 6.9%
U.S. total 1993-94 265,685 70.2% 29.8% 87.1% 4.8% 2.2% 6.0%
2011-12 344,940 58.7% 41.3% 78.5% 5.3% 4.1% 11.5%
*Represents Asian/Pacific Islanders and American Indian/Alaskan Native
Source: Southern Regional Education Board, "Higher Education Faculty & Administrators

See also

Footnotes

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 State Higher Education Executive Officers Association, "State Higher Education Finance: FY 2013," accessed December 16, 2014
  2. National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 306.60. Fall enrollment in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by race/ethnicity of student and state or jurisdiction: 2012," accessed December 16, 2014
  3. National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 304.30. Total fall enrollment in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by attendance status, sex, and state or jurisdiction: 2011 and 2012," accessed December 16, 2014
  4. National Center for Education Statistics, "Table 330.20. Average undergraduate tuition and fees and room and board rates charged for full-time students in degree-granting postsecondary institutions, by control and level of institution and state or jurisdiction: 2011-12 and 2012-13," accessed December 15, 2014
  5. National Center for Education Statistics, "Fast Facts - Financial aid," accessed December 18, 2014
  6. Federal Student Aid: An Office of the U.S. Department of Education, "Grants and Scholarships," accessed December 18, 2014
  7. Federal Student Aid: An Office of the U.S. Department of Education, "Loans," accessed December 18, 2014
  8. National Association of State Student Grant and Aid Programs, "44th Annual Survey Report on State-Sponsored Student Financial Aid, 2012-2013 Academic Year," accessed December 18, 2014
  9. Project on student debt, "State-by-state data," accessed January 15, 2014
  10. College Insight, "State-by-state comparison," accessed January 15, 2015
  11. 11.0 11.1 11.2 NCHEMS Information Center for Higher Education Policymaking and Analysis, "Retention Rates - First-Time College Freshmen Returning Their Second Year," accessed December 15, 2014
  12. 12.0 12.1 Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
  13. 13.0 13.1 The Chronicle of Higher Education, "College Completion: Who graduates from college, who doesn't, and why it matters," accessed December 15, 2014
  14. Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, "States Are Still Funding Higher Education Below Pre-Recession Levels," May 1, 2014
  15. Business Insider, "Public Vs. Private College: Which Is Better For Your Wallet?" May 22, 2013
  16. 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 16.4 16.5 Southern Regional Education Board, "Fact Book on Higher Education, 2013," accessed January 14, 2015
  17. Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, "Occupational Outlook Handbook, Postsecondary Teachers," accessed January 15, 2015