This fall, UNLV’s enrollment topped 33,700 students, which is both a new campus record and continues a three-year growth trend. First-year retention is also steadily improving, and UNLV’s six-year graduation rate has grown 11 percentage points over the past decade, hitting a new high this year at 52%.

These numbers speak volumes. During a period of uncertainty and flat or declining enrollments for higher education nationally, more students than ever are choosing UNLV to complete their degrees and launch their professional careers.

I believe they choose to be Rebels because they know a degree from UNLV will improve their lives and the lives of their families. More than half of our graduates are the first in their families to earn a bachelor’s degree, and we are adapting and growing in areas vital to the region’s current and future economic success. 

Leading our enrollment growth are the Lee Business School and the Howard R. Hughes College of Engineering. This fall, they collaborated to launch an interdisciplinary undergraduate degree in cybersecurity. It complements the highly popular hybrid master’s program launched earlier this year and a traditional master’s that Forbes ranks among the nation’s best. Business also created Nevada’s first bachelor’s degree in insurance and risk management to serve an industry in dire need of an infusion of new talent. 

We’re also seeing double-digit growth in health-related programs, and we continue to be the state’s largest producer of new nurses and teachers. A 6% spike in professional students also contributed to the new record, driven by booming Law School enrollment.

We recently introduced a collection of credit-bearing microcredentials — including in fields like nuclear technology. The credentials will help our graduates stand out as they enter the workforce or prepare for graduate studies. 

But degree programs aren’t the only way we’re evolving to meet the needs of today’s students. You’ll find no better evidence of that than our new Dreamscape Learn space. It represents the future of learning and positions UNLV at the forefront of educational innovation. 

Dreamscape does so much more than make learning fun — it makes learning accessible. It engages students in real-time problems to deepen their understanding of tough concepts and level-up their critical thinking skills. They don’t just acquire knowledge; they master new challenges through focus and effort. That is the key for developing a lifelong growth mindset.

I truly believe there is no better place to learn and to discover than right here at UNLV. In a relatively short span, UNLV has grown — with the support of our great community — into a  powerful engine of talent, innovation, and opportunity. Together, we’ll continue our upward trajectory and find even  more ways to accelerate innovation, workforce development, public service, and the incredible potential of our students. 

Chris Heavey,
Interim President