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University of Nevada, Reno · Nevada

Nevada (Reno) scholarships and merit aid

Nevada residents get a fully automatic GPA + test-score scholarship grid (Presidential $8,000/yr down to Luna $750/yr); out-of-state students route through WICHE tuition reductions (WUE/PEP) or a stackable Tahoe/Dean's Pack/Honors set worth up to $12,000/yr. (DRAFT)

Verified Jul 20262 months ago

The short answer

Is Nevada (Reno) worth a closer look?

Nevada (Reno) is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 7 published awards, and 3 are based on those numbers.

Merit tiers73 based on grades or scores
First-year students with school awards33%First-year students, CDS 2023-2024
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

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Published scholarships

These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.

$750-$8,000

Nevada Resident Four-Year Scholarship Grid (Presidential / Provost / Nevada Scholars / Pack Pride / Alphie / Luna)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
3.0 minimum for consideration
SAT
960 minimum
ACT
18 minimum
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Nevada resident; new freshman Fall 2026; full-time 15 credits; in-person; enrolled by June 15; completed file (app, transcripts, ACT/SAT, FAFSA/IM, MyNEVADA general scholarship app) by Feb 15 for max consideration

How to keep it

Per year for up to four consecutive years or graduation, whichever is first. Maintain Nevada residency, meet federal SAP, complete 15 credits each fall/spring. Cumulative UNR GPA to maintain: Presidential 3.5, Provost 3.2, Nevada Scholars 2.9, Pack Pride 2.8, Alphie 2.8, Luna 2.8. GPA enforcement begins start of second year.

Notes

Award level is set automatically by an unweighted-GPA x test-score grid. Eligible students receive ONE of these awards. Transfer students are not eligible for the in-state renewable scholarships.

Source

$500-$3,000

Alternative One-Year Scholarship for Nevada Residents (no test scores)

Based on grades or scores
GPA
3.0-4.0 (GPA-only bands)
SAT
None submitted
ACT
None submitted
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

New freshman who do not submit SAT/ACT scores

Notes

GPA-only award for test-optional applicants. NOT stackable with the four-year scholarships or the National Merit Scholarship. Bands: 4.0=$3,000; 3.8-3.99=$1,500; 3.4-3.79=$750; 3.0-3.39=$500.

Source

$8,000

Presidential Level Scholarship (WICHE / out-of-state)

Based on grades or scoresCan continue
GPA
4.0/32+ ACT/1420+ SAT down to 3.6/36/1570+
SAT
1420+ at 4.0 GPA
ACT
32+ at 4.0 GPA
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Resident of a WICHE state (excludes Nevada)

How to keep it

Same renewal structure as resident Presidential (cumulative 3.5 GPA, 15 credits/term).

Notes

Students from WICHE states may qualify for the Presidential Level Scholarship ($8,000/year). WUE and PEP are stackable with the Presidential. The Presidential and National Merit may NOT be combined. Students who receive the Tahoe/Dean's Pack/Honors awards are NOT eligible for the Presidential.

Source

Reduced non-resident tuition rate…Reduced non-resident tuition rate (save up to $15,500/yr)

Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) tuition reduction

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

WICHE-state resident; academically qualified

How to keep it

Up to four years for freshmen (per non-resident scholarship terms).

Notes

WUE is a reduced non-tuition rate (tuition-rate reduction), NOT a cash scholarship. 2026-27 WUE total tuition+fees published at $15,770. Stackable with Presidential or National Merit.

Source

Reduced tuition rate…Reduced tuition rate (save up to $11,000/yr)

Pack Exchange Program (PEP) tuition reduction

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

WICHE-state resident not qualifying for WUE

How to keep it

Per non-resident scholarship terms.

Notes

Tuition-rate reduction, not cash. 2026-27 PEP total tuition+fees published at $20,642. Stackable with Presidential or National Merit.

Source

$2,000-$12,000

Stackable Non-Resident Awards: Tahoe Award + Dean's Pack Award + Honors Award (non-WICHE)

Apply separatelyCan continue
GPA
Tahoe: 3.0 unweighted cumulative (freshman); transfer 2.5 + 24 transferable credits
SAT
No minimum score required
ACT
No minimum score required
See who qualifies and how to keep it
Who qualifies

Non-WICHE, out-of-state resident (Nevada and WICHE states not eligible); completed admissions file by Feb 15; in-person, full-time

How to keep it

Renewable up to four consecutive years (freshman) / three (transfers). Maintain out-of-state residency, federal SAP, 15 credits each fall/spring. Honors Award also requires maintaining an active Honors College plan.

Notes

Three awards can stack: Tahoe $5,000/yr + Dean's Pack $5,000/yr + Honors $2,000/yr = up to $12,000/yr. Tahoe is automatic on a 3.0 GPA; Dean's Pack is nominated by the academic college and Honors by the Honors College (so the full stack is NOT purely automatic). Cannot be combined with National Merit. Cannot be combined with the Presidential. Pre-nursing/nursing, out-of-state tuition-waiver recipients, athletes, study-abroad and international students are not eligible.

Source

$16,000

National Merit Scholarship

Apply separatelyCan continue
See who qualifies
Who qualifies

National Merit Finalist; complete UNR admission app by Feb 15; designate UNR first choice with NMSC before May 1; accept admission in MyNEVADA by June 1

How to keep it

$16,000 annually for four consecutive years. Maintain minimum UNR cumulative GPA of 3.50 and complete 15 credits each fall and spring.

Notes

University's most prestigious entering-freshman award. Cannot be combined with the Presidential Level Scholarship; cannot be combined with the Tahoe/Dean's Pack/Honors stack. National Merit Scholars are NOT eligible for need-based grants (Pack Promise+, FSEOG, State Access grants).

Source

See what could change an award

Rules that could change the answer

These are the rules we would flag for your family. Each comes from Nevada (Reno)'s published information.

  • Renewal ruleNevada Resident Four-Year Scholarship Grid (Presidential / Provost / Nevada Scholars / Pack Pride / Alphie / Luna): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

    Per year for up to four consecutive years or graduation, whichever is first. Maintain Nevada residency, meet federal SAP, complete 15 credits each fall/spring. Cumulative UNR GPA to maintain: Presidential 3.5, Provost 3.2, Nevada Scholars 2.9, Pack Pride 2.8, Alphie 2.8, Luna 2.8. GPA enforcement begins start of second year. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

  • Outside awardsDifferent aid types are displaced differently

    Nevada (Reno) treats loans, work-study, and institutional grant under different rules. The same $5,000 outside award can land against any of them depending on category.

What families often miss

  1. The page states the GPA-only one-year awards 'are not stackable with the freshman 4-year scholarships or National Merit Scholarship.' Submitting test scores to qualify for a renewable four-year award is usually worth far more.

  2. National Merit cannot combine with the Presidential Level Scholarship or with the Tahoe/Dean's Pack/Honors stack, and National Merit Scholars are explicitly excluded from need-based grants (Pack Promise+, FSEOG, State Access).

  3. WUE and PEP are reduced non-resident tuition RATES, not cash awards; they lower the tuition line rather than paying you a stipend.

  4. Maximum scholarship and aid consideration requires a completed admissions application, transcripts, ACT/SAT, FAFSA/IM, and the MyNEVADA general scholarship application on file by February 15.

  5. For the non-resident stackable awards, dropping below 15 credits before the 100% refund period results in permanent removal of the scholarship; a '15 to Finish' exception must be approved beforehand.

  6. Each resident tier has its own maintenance GPA (Presidential 3.5, Provost 3.2, Nevada Scholars 2.9, Pack Pride/Alphie/Luna 2.8); enforcement starts in year two and falling short can cost the award (appeal allowed once, no appeal after permanent loss).

  7. If residency changes to Nevada resident, the Tahoe/Dean's Pack/Honors awards end effective the date of the residency change.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Nevada residents with a 3.0+ unweighted GPA and test scores win an automatic four-year award by grid placement; strong out-of-state students benefit most from WUE/PEP tuition reductions stacked with a Presidential or National Merit award. (DRAFT)

Published yearly cost: Approximately $31,290 for 2026-2027. Source

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Nevada (Reno), what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at Nevada (Reno), academic year 2021-22 — in-state, Title-IV aid recipients only
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$12,674
$30,001–$48,000$13,125
$48,001–$75,000$14,537
$75,001–$110,000$18,317
$110,001+$21,646
All income levels (average)$15,927

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees (in-state), AY 2022-23
$9,578
Published tuition & fees (out-of-state), AY 2022-23
$27,720
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$15,927

That works out to roughly a 38% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $25,786 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

Nevada (Reno) is a public school; Scorecard's net price figure covers in-state, Title-IV-aid-recipient payers only — there is no comparable federal figure for out-of-state students.

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
61%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
80%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$18,922 (~$201/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$60,614
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
31%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
33%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Resident awards: a student receives only ONE four-year award; the test-optional one-year award does not stack with the four-year grid or National Merit. Non-resident: WUE/PEP tuition reductions stack with Presidential OR National Merit, but Presidential and National Merit cannot combine; the Tahoe/Dean's Pack/Honors stack cannot combine with either Presidential or National Merit. National Merit Scholars forfeit need-based grants.

Multiple explicit anti-combination rules between institutional merit awards. The page does not state how OUTSIDE/private third-party scholarships are treated.

Source

More school data

From the Nevada (Reno) Common Data Set 2023-2024:

Merit penetrationHow likely is merit aid here?From Nevada (Reno)’s Common Data Set: the share of first-year students who receive institutional merit and the average dollar amount when they do.
33%of admitsget merit
Average award$2,300Covers ~7% of $31,290 cost of attendance

At Nevada (Reno), roughly 1 in 3 first-year admits receive institutional merit aid. The average award is $2,300 — about 7% of total cost.

As filed in Nevada (Reno)'s CDS Section H2A: of 3,388 first-time, full-time degree-seeking freshmen, 1,118 had no financial need and received institutional merit (non-need) scholarship or grant aid, averaging $2,300. Across all full-time degree-seeking undergraduates: 2,279 of 13,717, averaging $3,700. Athletic awards are excluded per the CDS definition.

Receive institutional merit33%First-year students, Common Data Set 2023-2024
Average merit award$2,300Across recipients, Common Data Set 2023-2024

Source: Common Data Set 2023-2024 (verified 2026-07-23)

Other Nevada (Reno) scholarships worth checking

These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.

AmountUp to $11,750/yrEligibilityNevada residents; need-based, last-dollar gift aid for tuition, fees and books

Need-based, not merit. National Merit Scholars are excluded.

Source

AmountAmount not published on this pageEligibilityEligible Nevada high school graduates (state program)

State award administered per state criteria.

Source

Nevada (Reno) merit aid FAQ

  • What is the scholarship deadline?

    For maximum financial aid and scholarship consideration, a completed admissions application, transcripts, ACT/SAT scores, FAFSA/IM, and the MyNEVADA general scholarship application must be on file by February 15. Students must also be enrolled in classes by June 15.

  • Is there a minimum GPA/test score for the resident four-year grid?

    Yes — a 3.0 minimum unweighted GPA and a 960 SAT or 18 ACT minimum for eligibility; the actual award level is set by the GPA x test-score grid.

  • How much is the National Merit Scholarship and what are the key dates?

    $16,000 per year for four years. Finalists must complete the UNR application by Feb 15, designate UNR as first choice with NMSC before May 1, and accept admission in MyNEVADA by June 1. Retention requires a 3.50 UNR cumulative GPA and 15 credits each fall/spring.

  • Can I combine the Presidential and National Merit awards?

    No. The Presidential Level Scholarship and National Merit Scholarship may not be combined. A student who qualifies for both the Presidential and the Tahoe Award is automatically excluded from the Presidential and granted the Tahoe + Dean's Pack instead.

See sources and other schools

How Nevada (Reno) compares

  • 32 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use mixed displacement.

    Nevada (Reno) is in the small minority (32 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • 665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Nevada (Reno) is one of them. The cohort minority (84 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.

  • 132 of 749 verified schools publish a dedicated National Merit Finalist package.

    Nevada (Reno) is one of them. NMF packages typically carry their own stacking and renewal carve-outs separate from the standard automatic merit ladder; confirm those before assuming the headline NMF value is final.

Sources used on this page

Every claim is checked against Nevada (Reno)’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

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