Nevada
This state page integrates student data, economic contributions, state policies, effective practices, and other resources to learn about and better support the state’s undocumented, other immigrant, and international students in higher education.
We classify Nevada as a Comprehensive Access state in terms of inclusive in-state tuition and state financial aid policies for undocumented students. The Portal tracks state policies for undocumented students on in-state tuition, state financial aid, professional and occupational licensure, and driver licenses.
State Data
Higher education in the U.S. benefits from the participation of immigrant and international students. First and second-generation individuals comprise 28% of all students enrolled in higher education, a growing figure that underscores the importance of immigrant-origin students in the classroom and our workforce.
| All Students in Higher Education in Nevada | 118,000 |
| First-Generation Immigrant Students | 19,000 |
| Second-Generation Immigrant Students | 46,000 |
| International Students | 1,943 |
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Note: First-generation immigrants were born abroad and immigrated to the U.S. Second-generation immigrants are U.S.-born individuals with at least one immigrant parent. First-generation immigrants include undocumented immigrants. First-generation immigrants do not include international students on a visa. |
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The U.S. is home to more than 427,000 undocumented students enrolled in higher education. In their pursuit of higher education, undocumented students actively ready themselves to fill critical skill shortages and become better positioned to support their families, communities, and the U.S. economy.
| Share of All Students in Higher Education Who Are Undocumented | 3.7% |
| Undocumented Students Graduating High School Each Year | 1,000 |
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Note: Undocumented students are a sub-group of first-generation students. |
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International students comprise only 5 percent of all students in higher education, but provide significant economic, academic and cultural contributions that enrich learning, enrollment and funding opportunities for American students.
| International Students in Higher Education | 1,943 |
| Economic Contributions of International Students in the State | $52.7 million |
| Jobs Supported by International Students in the State | 489 |
| Optional Practical Training (OPT) Participants | 600 |
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Note: Optional Practical Training participants are a subgroup of international students. |
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Immigrant residents, including undocumented immigrants and DACA-eligible residents, play an important role in the state's economy, contributing spending power and paying federal, state, and local taxes.
| All Immigrant Residents in Nevada | 614,416 |
| Immigrant Share of Total Population | 19.9% |
| Undocumented Immigrants in State | 176,524 |
| DACA-Eligible Residents in State | 21,321 |
| Spending Power of DACA-Eligible Residents | $351.1 million |
| DACA-Eligible Residents Federal Tax Contributions | $46.4 million |
| DACA-Eligible Residents State and Local Tax Contributions | $37.3 million |
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Note: DACA-eligible residents are a sub-group of undocumented immigrant residents. |
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Higher education helps prepare all students, including immigrant and international students, to fill critical career and skills needs.
| State Immigrant Workers Fill Critical Skills Needs | |
| Share of Nurses Who Are First-Generation Immigrants | 32.8% |
| Share of Health Aides Who Are First-Generation Immigrants | 32.9% |
| First-Generation Immigrant Faculty and Staff in Colleges, Universities and Professional Schools | 4,019 |
| Share of First-Generation Immigrants With a Postsecondary Credential | 37% |
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Note: First-generation immigrants were born abroad and immigrated to the U.S. |
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You can find additional state data, including by congressional district, in the following resources by immigrant population (AIC) and international students (NAFSA).
State Policies
Evaluating Access for Undocumented & Refugee Students
State policies in four key areas – in state tuition, state financial aid, professional and occupational licensure, and driver licenses – play an important role in expanding access to higher education and workforce development for undocumented students. The section below on in-state tuition also includes policies related to refugee students.
In-State Tuition & State Financial Aid Access and Affordability
Comprehensive Access: Policies provide statewide access to in-state tuition and some state financial aid or scholarships for the state's resident DACA recipients and undocumented students.
Professional & Occupational Licensure Workforce Entry & Eligibility
Comprehensive Access: Policies allow individuals to obtain occupational licensure in all professions regardless of their immigration status, provided that they meet all other requirements.
Driver Licenses & Identification Mobility
Accessible: Policies provide the state’s undocumented residents with access to driver licenses and/or state identification regardless of their immigration status, but these are not REAL ID compliant.
Enacted Policies
Nevada provides eligible undocumented residents, including DACA recipients, with access to in-state tuition, state financial aid, professional and occupational licenses, and driver licenses and state identification.
Nevada’s Senate Bill (S.B.) 347, which went into effect on July 1, 2021, allows certain undocumented students, including DACA recipients, living in Nevada to access in-state tuition. Undocumented students must meet certain requirements to qualify for in-state tuition, namely:
- Graduate from a high school located in Nevada, regardless of whether student or the student’s family are considered “bona fide” residents.
S.B.347 prohibits the Nevada System of Higher Education’s Board of Regents from charging out-of-state tuition to Nevada students who meet this requirement, including the state’s undocumented students. Before the passage of S.B. 347 in 2021, the Board of Regents permitted institutions to grant eligible undocumented students, including DACA recipients, access to in-state tuition.
Refugee In-State Tuition: Nevada System of Higher Ed Board of Regents Handbook, Title 4, Chapter 15, Section 4.9 grants in-state tuition to “An alien who has become a Nevada resident by establishing bona fide residence in Nevada and who holds a permanent immigrant visa, has been granted official asylum or refugee status.”
Nevada S.B. 347 allows eligible undocumented students, including DACA recipients, to access state financial aid. Undocumented students who graduate from a high school in Nevada are eligible for the Governor Guinn Millennium Scholarship, the Silver State Opportunity Grant Program, and the Nevada Promise Scholarship Program. In addition, the Nevada Higher Education Prepaid Tuition Program and the Nevada College Savings Program are open to Nevada students and their families, regardless of their immigration status.
Additional Financial Aid
TheDream.US is a national organization that offers scholarships to DACA and undocumented students attending eligible postsecondary institutions across the country. In Nevada, the following institution is a TheDream.US Partner College:
- Nevada State College.
Nevada allows individuals to obtain professional and occupational licensure regardless of their immigration status.
Nevada Assembly Bill (A.B.) 275, effective on June 14, 2019, prohibits a regulatory body from denying professional licensure to an applicant based on the applicant’s immigration status. The bill allows applicants to use an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number (ITIN) in lieu of a Social Security Number (SSN) when applying for a professional or occupational license.
Nevada Assembly Bill (A.B.) 27, signed into law on May 13, 2015, authorizes the Superintendent of Public Instruction to issue a teaching license to undocumented immigrants who are otherwise eligible to work in the U.S., including DACA recipients.
Undocumented immigrants living in Nevada are eligible to obtain a driver authorization card. Nevada Senate Bill (S.B.) 303, signed into law on May 31, 2013, allows the state’s undocumented residents to obtain a driver authorization card if they submit documents establishing proof of identity and state residence, among other requirements. The card is granted for a renewable one-year period.
DACA recipients in Nevada are allowed to obtain a driver license or state identification card.
Effective Practices and State Resources
Spotlight on effective practices and policy, research, or community-based state resources.
Report: Higher Education and Success for Undocumented Students Start with 9 Key Criteria
Higher Education is the key to achieving social & economic mobility in the U.S. The Education Trust analyzed 9 criteria in the 15 states with the largest shares of undocumented college students to determine whether state policies are helping or hurting undocumented students’ ability to access & complete college.
Continue ReadingReport: The Post-DACA Generation is Here
A new report finds that an estimated 100,000 undocumented students will graduate from high school in 2022, with most of them not eligible for DACA. The new FWD.us report, published in May 2022, The Post-DACA Generation is Here, explains how DACA’s unavailability impacts undocumented youth in the U.S.
Continue ReadingUndocumented Students in Higher Education (Updated March 2021)
More than 427,000 undocumented students in the U.S. are enrolled in higher education, including 181,000 DACA-eligible individuals.
Continue Reading