UC Irvine vs University of Nevada-Reno (UNR)

When it comes to higher education, University of California-Irvine (UCI) and University of Nevada-Reno (UNR) stand out as two compelling options for prospective students. UCI, a public research university located in Irvine, California, boasts a highly selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 30%, while UNR, a public research university in Reno, Nevada, offers a more accessible admissions process with an acceptance rate of 81%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with UCI excelling in fields like engineering, biological sciences, and social sciences, and UNR excelling in areas such as engineering, nursing, and education. While UCI's student body is predominantly Asian (38%) and White (30%), UNR's student body is more diverse, with a significant Hispanic population (30%) and a larger proportion of White students (48%). To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table
University of California-Irvine logo

University of California-Irvine

University of Nevada-Reno logo

University of Nevada-Reno

Overview

Location Irvine, California Reno, Nevada
Campus setting City: Large City: Large
College type 4 year 4 year
Control/business model Public Public
Calendar system Quarter Semester
Degrees offered Undergraduate and Graduate Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate 93.0% 78.0%
Common app member No Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission

Acceptance rate 28.8% 88.2%
Application fees
Undergraduate: $70

Graduate: $120
Undergraduate: $60

Graduate: $60
SAT range N/A 1060 - 1270
ACT range N/A 20 - 26
Students submitting SAT score 12.0%
Students submitting ACT score 60.0%
Total number of applicants 107,950 9,421
Total number of admissions given out 31,110 8,306
Admitted students who chose to enroll 6,489 3,412
Yield rate 20.9% 41.1%
Test scores (SAT/ACT) N/A N/A
High school GPA Required Required
Recommendation letters Not required Not required
High school transcript Not required Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL) Required Required

Tuition and Fees

Sticker price
In state: $35,033

Out of state: $64,787
In state: $26,796

Out of state: $42,888
Average net price $11,633 $16,398
Tuition
In state: $11,442

Out of state: $41,196
In state: $7,470

Out of state: $23,562
Room & board $16,869
Room/dormitory: $5,850

Meal plan: $5,792
Available payment plans
  • Tuition payment plan
  • Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid

Students receiving financial aid

(Grants & scholarships)

78.0%
Average amount $16,868
86.0%
Average amount $7,232
Students receiving federal student loan 18.0%
Average amount $4,696
29.0%
Average amount $5,001
Students taking out private loans 2.0%
Average amount $7,702
4.0%
Average amount $12,013

Students and Campus

Undergraduate students 29,449
Men 45.4% Women 54.6%
17,025
Men 47.1% Women 52.9%
Graduate students 7,056
Men 49.8% Women 50.2%
4,009
Men 39.3% Women 60.7%
Racial/ethnic diversity
Moderate
Moderate
Out-of-state students 13.5% 26.1%
International students 18.0% 2.8%
Campus local/setting City: Large City: Large
Dormitory capacity 15,493 3,524
First year students are required to live on campus? No No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from California Washington Hawaii Texas New York Nevada California Hawaii Oregon Washington

Academics

Popular study areas
  • Business
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Education
  • Health Professions
  • Engineering
  • Biological and Biomedical Sciences
  • Public Administration and Social Service
  • Social Sciences
Students to faculty ratio 18:1 17:1
Institutional accreditation Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome

Graduation rate 83.7% 62.7%
Dropout rate 6.4% 34.1%
Transferred out 9.1% N/A
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)
Health and Medical Administrative Services (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $122,124
  • Year 2: $190,536
  • Year 3: $178,048
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $104,708
  • Year 2: $90,983
  • Year 3: $109,642
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $109,417
  • Year 2: $115,339
  • Year 3: $102,324
Law (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $77,451
  • Year 2: $97,959
  • Year 3: $101,335
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $72,618
  • Year 2: $81,929
  • Year 3: $95,882
Mechanical Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $79,284
  • Year 3: $95,654
Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $70,796
  • Year 2: $73,128
  • Year 3: $86,654
Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $55,841
  • Year 2: $65,332
  • Year 3: $85,004
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $68,056
  • Year 2: $69,338
  • Year 3: $80,300
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $67,396
  • Year 2: $65,387
  • Year 3: $80,210
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $101,016
  • Year 2: $104,192
  • Year 3: $106,685
Computer and Information Sciences, General (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $79,284
  • Year 3: $89,037
Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $79,780
  • Year 2: $82,440
  • Year 3: $86,482
Mining and Mineral Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $69,338
  • Year 3: $82,783
Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $63,402
  • Year 2: $67,473
  • Year 3: $78,990
Civil Engineering (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $60,203
  • Year 2: $66,169
  • Year 3: $77,729
Psychology, General (Master's Degrees)
  • Year 1: N/A
  • Year 2: $57,770
  • Year 3: $75,701
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $69,757
  • Year 2: $69,161
  • Year 3: $74,927
Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees)
  • Year 1: $61,629
  • Year 2: $67,324
  • Year 3: $73,298
Medicine (First Professional Degrees)
  • Year 1: $56,591
  • Year 2: $57,995
  • Year 3: $71,617

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