Nevada: school, college and career rules
Nevada requires 23 credits for a Standard Diploma (24 with a 3.25 GPA for the Advanced and College and Career Ready diplomas), has every junior take the ACT, gives resident tuition after 12 months of bona fide residency or to any Nevada high school graduate, and pays the Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship per credit.
Linked from the State Population Totals 2020-2025 page (census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/popest/2020s-state-total.html); population and rank copied from the POPESTIMATE2025 and NRANK_POPEST2025 columns.Census
High school diploma
Nevada offers six diplomas. The Standard Diploma needs 23 credit units, the Civics Assessment and the ACT; the Advanced and College and Career Ready (CCR) diplomas need 24 credit units with a 3.25 minimum GPA (weighted or unweighted). Standard Diploma credits for the classes of 2025 to 2028: PDF linked from the NDE High School Diplomas and Graduation page; NDE hosts its uploads on this Azure address.NDE
| Subject | State minimum |
|---|---|
| English language arts | 4 units |
| Mathematics | 3 units (the sequence must include Algebra I and Geometry) |
| Science | 2 units |
| American history | 1 unit |
| American government | 0.5 unit |
| Economics | 0.5 unit (Economics and Financial Literacy from the class of 2029) |
| Arts, humanities, JROTC or CTE | 1 unit |
| College and career flex credit | 2 units: Level II or higher CTE, a fourth year of math (Algebra II or higher), a fourth year of social studies or a third year of science |
| Computer education and technology | 0.5 unit |
| Health education | 0.5 unit |
| Physical education | 2 units |
| Electives | 6 units (5 from the class of 2029, which adds 1 unit of world history or world geography) |
23 credit units for the Standard Diploma; 24 with a 3.25 GPA for the Advanced and CCR diplomas.
State tests for the diploma
Every diploma except the Alternative Diploma requires taking the Civics Assessment and the ACT. The ACT score is not used to decide graduation. PDF linked from the NDE High School Diplomas and Graduation page; NDE hosts its uploads on this Azure address.NDE
Also good to know
- The Advanced and CCR diplomas need 4 units of math (including Algebra II or higher), 3 of science (two with a lab) and 1 of world history or world geography. The CCR Diploma also needs two units of AP, IB, dual-credit, CTE, work-based learning or world language courses (or the Seal of Biliteracy) and a college-ready or career-ready endorsement.
NDE
Nevada Diploma Requirements for the 2025-2028 Classes and for the 2029 Class and Beyond (re-printed 18 March 2026)Nevada Department of Education- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
PDF linked from the NDE High School Diplomas and Graduation page; NDE hosts its uploads on this Azure address.
View source - The Alternative Diploma (23 credit units and the Nevada Alternative Assessment), the Adjusted Diploma (set by a student's IEP) and the Adult Diploma (20.5 credit units) complete the six types.
NDE
High School Diplomas and GraduationNevada Department of Education- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
State test: Smarter Balanced, Nevada Science and the grade 11 ACT
Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBAC), the Nevada science assessments and the ACT as Nevada's College and Career Readiness assessment. Nevada's state assessment system tests English language arts and math with Smarter Balanced in grades 3 to 8, science in grades 5, 8 and high school, and gives the ACT to every junior. NDE
View source
| Test | Subjects | Grades |
|---|---|---|
| Smarter Balanced (SBAC) | English language arts and mathematics | Grades 3–8 |
| Nevada Science | Science | Grades 5, 8 and high school |
| ACT Plus Writing | English, mathematics, reading, science and writing | Grade 11 |
| Nevada Alternate Assessment (NAA) | For students with significant cognitive disabilities | Grades 3–12 |
Source: NDE
View source
What the scores are used for
- To be eligible for graduation, every junior must take the ACT free on the school test day (late February or early March); the score does not decide graduation but can be sent with college applications.
NDE
Grade 11: College and Career Readiness Assessment (ACT)Nevada Department of Education- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
- Students who meet ACT or SAT college-ready benchmarks (ACT English 18, math 22) are placed directly into college-level English and math at any NSHE college if they take math and English in senior year and enroll within a year of graduating.
NDE
Grade 11: College and Career Readiness Assessment (ACT)Nevada Department of Education- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
National tests (SAT, ACT, AP, NAEP) are on the Exams hub.
Public colleges and universities
The state's public university system(s) and community colleges, from their own pages.
- Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE)University system · Nevada's public system under 13 publicly elected Regents: two doctoral-granting universities (UNLV and the University of Nevada, Reno), a state university (Nevada State University), four comprehensive community colleges and the Desert Research Institute.
- College of Southern Nevada (CSN)Community colleges · One of NSHE's four community colleges, with three main campuses in the Las Vegas area and learning centers across the southern half of the state.
Sources: NSHE
View sourceCSN
View source
Every school in Nevada, public and private, with cost and completion: 38 colleges, community colleges and trade schools, with 3 city pages.
In-state tuition: the residency rule
Public colleges charge less to state residents. Who counts as a resident is set by state law or the college system, not by where you went to school alone.
- NRS 396.540: NSHE may not charge non-resident tuition to students whose families have been bona fide Nevada residents for at least 12 months before the student matriculates, or to students who have themselves been bona fide residents for 12 months.
NRS
NRS Chapter 396, Nevada System of Higher Education (NRS 396.540 tuition charges; NRS 396.926-396.934 Millennium Scholarship; NRS 396.952 Silver State Opportunity Grant)Nevada Legislature, Legislative Counsel Bureau- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
leg.state.nv.us returns a Cloudflare block to India; read from the Internet Archive capture of 2026-10-16 (20261016224002).
View source - "Bona fide" means the residence is genuine and set up for reasons other than avoiding tuition; it is read with NRS 10.155 and Board of Regents policy.
NRS
NRS Chapter 396, Nevada System of Higher Education (NRS 396.540 tuition charges; NRS 396.926-396.934 Millennium Scholarship; NRS 396.952 Silver State Opportunity Grant)Nevada Legislature, Legislative Counsel Bureau- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
leg.state.nv.us returns a Cloudflare block to India; read from the Internet Archive capture of 2026-10-16 (20261016224002).
View source - Graduates of a Nevada high school (or of the state high school equivalency test taken in Nevada) are exempt from non-resident tuition whatever their or their family's residency, as are active-duty military stationed in Nevada and their families, honorably discharged veterans and full-time Nevada teachers.
NRS
NRS Chapter 396, Nevada System of Higher Education (NRS 396.540 tuition charges; NRS 396.926-396.934 Millennium Scholarship; NRS 396.952 Silver State Opportunity Grant)Nevada Legislature, Legislative Counsel Bureau- Checked
- 22 Oct 2026
leg.state.nv.us returns a Cloudflare block to India; read from the Internet Archive capture of 2026-10-16 (20261016224002).
View source
The college's residency office makes the final decision. More on costs: What college costs.
State financial aid
Run by the Nevada System of Higher Education (Board of Regents) and the Nevada State Treasurer. Federal aid (Pell Grants, loans) starts with the FAFSA: FAFSA, grants and loans.
Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship
For students who lived in Nevada at least 2 years and graduated from a Nevada high school with a 3.25 GPA in the Regents' core curriculum (or a qualifying college entrance exam score). It pays $40 a credit for lower-division community college courses ($60 upper division), $60 at a state college and $80 at other eligible institutions, up to 15 credits a semester and $10,000 in total; recipients keep a 2.75 GPA each semester. leg.state.nv.us returns a Cloudflare block to India; read from the Internet Archive capture of 2026-10-16 (20261016224002).NRS
Silver State Opportunity Grant
Grant toward the cost of a Nevada community college or state college for students taking at least 12 credits who place into college-level English and math, are Nevada residents or Nevada high school graduates, and file the FAFSA. leg.state.nv.us returns a Cloudflare block to India; read from the Internet Archive capture of 2026-10-16 (20261016224002).NRS
Licensing boards
Lawyers, doctors, CPAs and nurses need a Nevada license from a state board, even after passing a national exam. These are the boards that grant it.
| License | Nevada board | Exam |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyer How bar admission works | State Bar of Nevada | Nevada's own bar exam with the MBE. MPRE required (passing score 85). NCBENevada: bar admission informationNational Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE)
Bar admission agency, the NCBE exams the jurisdiction requires, MPRE passing score and NextGen UBE plans. NCBE advises checking the agency itself for the latest rules. View source |
| Physician How a medical license works | Nevada State Board of Medical Examiners Nevada State Board of Osteopathic Medicine | USMLE (M.D.) or COMLEX-USA (D.O.); Nevada has more than one board, as listed FSMBContact a State Medical BoardFederation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)
Directory of every state's medical (and separate osteopathic) board. fsmb.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 14 Sep 2026; each board link was then opened on 22 Oct 2026, through the board's site or, where it blocks reads from India, its latest archive capture. View source |
| CPA How the CPA license works | Nevada State Board of Accountancy | Uniform CPA Examination NASBAState Boards of AccountancyNational Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA)
Directory of the 55 boards of accountancy. nasba.org answers automated reads with 403, so it was read from the Internet Archive capture of 15 Oct 2026; board links that had moved were replaced with the board's current page, opened on 22 Oct 2026. View source |
| Registered nurse How the RN license works | Nevada State Board of Nursing | NCLEX-RN · Not in the Nurse Licensure Compact NCSBNContact Nevada State Board of NursingNational Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
NCSBN / NLCNLC states and implementation dates (NLC map, PDF)National Council of State Boards of Nursing (Nurse Licensure Compact)
|
Engineering, teaching, real estate, cosmetology and the trades have their own boards: all professional licenses · trades and apprenticeships.
State and city government jobs
Federal jobs are on USAJOBS; state and city governments hire through their own systems.
State of Nevada careers (NVAPPS)
Nevada Department of Administration, Division of Human Resource Management
- Browse state job announcements at careers.nv.gov, which opens the NVAPPS recruiting site.
- Create an NVAPPS profile (the orange button) and apply to each announcement there.
Source: nv.gov agency sites reject requests from India and the Internet Archive capture of 2026-08-14 (20260814184341) holds only a bot check; read through a US-based fetch on 2026-10-22.Nevada DHRM
Police, fire and other public-safety routes: Public Service & Safety hub.
Registered apprenticeship
Nevada has a State Apprenticeship Agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor. Apprenticeship.gov
View source
- Nevada State Apprenticeship Council (Office of the Labor Commissioner)Nevada is a State Apprenticeship Agency state: since 1 July 2021 (AB 459) the Nevada State Apprenticeship Council in the Office of the Labor Commissioner is the SAA, and only it can register state apprentices and programs. Apprentices register with both the U.S. Department of Labor and the council.
- Trades and apprenticeshipsElectrician, plumber, HVAC and other trade routes on this site
Source: The council's own page (labor.nv.gov) rejects requests from India and its Internet Archive capture of 2026-07-12 holds only a bot check. The U.S. DOL state office list still names the Nevada State Apprenticeship Agency.Nevada B&I
Where these facts come from
Official and primary sources only, each checked on the date shown. Rules on testing, aid, licensing and immigration change, so confirm a detail with its source before you rely on it.
- Annual Estimates of Resident Population Change for the United States, States, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and State Rankings: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025 (NST-EST2025-POPCHG2020-2025, CSV) · U.S. Census Bureau, Population Estimates Program (Vintage 2025) checked 2026-10-21
- Nevada: bar admission information · National Conference of Bar Examiners (NCBE) checked 2026-10-22
- Contact a State Medical Board · Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) checked 2026-10-22
- State Boards of Accountancy · National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA) checked 2026-10-22
- Contact Nevada State Board of Nursing · National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) checked 2026-10-22
- NLC states and implementation dates (NLC map, PDF) · National Council of State Boards of Nursing (Nurse Licensure Compact) checked 2026-10-07
- Nevada Diploma Requirements for the 2025-2028 Classes and for the 2029 Class and Beyond (re-printed 18 March 2026) · Nevada Department of Education checked 2026-10-22
- High School Diplomas and Graduation · Nevada Department of Education checked 2026-10-22
- Office of Assessments · Nevada Department of Education checked 2026-10-22
- Grade 11: College and Career Readiness Assessment (ACT) · Nevada Department of Education checked 2026-10-22
- Nevada System of Higher Education (home page: About Nevada's Institutions of Higher Education) · Nevada System of Higher Education checked 2026-10-22
- College of Southern Nevada (home page) · College of Southern Nevada checked 2026-10-22
- NRS Chapter 396, Nevada System of Higher Education (NRS 396.540 tuition charges; NRS 396.926-396.934 Millennium Scholarship; NRS 396.952 Silver State Opportunity Grant) · Nevada Legislature, Legislative Counsel Bureau checked 2026-10-22
- How to Apply for a State Job · Nevada Division of Human Resource Management checked 2026-10-22
- Nevada State Apprenticeship Council returns to the Office of the Labor Commissioner (press release) · Nevada Department of Business and Industry, Office of the Labor Commissioner checked 2026-10-22
- State Offices: Office of Apprenticeship and State Apprenticeship Agency contacts by state · U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Apprenticeship checked 2026-10-21