Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Cost is resident tuition plus required fees, 2023-24.
Associate Degrees in Nevada
4
Meet the Ranking Threshold
4
Median Resident Tuition and Fees
$3,888
With a Fully Online Option
2
General Studies Associate Degrees in Nevada
General studies associate degrees in Nevada split between the north and Las Vegas: Western Nevada College in Carson City, Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno and Great Basin College in Elko graduate 32% to 41% of their students, and the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas graduates 19% while awarding more degrees than the other three combined. All four programs are at public community colleges, all four meet the ranking threshold, and there is no private option at this level in the state.
Western Nevada scores 66.6, 63rd in the national associate ranking, on a 41% graduation rate, 61 degrees a year and $3,920 in resident tuition and required fees. Great Basin matches the 41% at $3,855 and teaches the degree online, but on 15 degrees a year, which holds it to 58.5 and 120th. Truckee Meadows is the cheapest at $3,144, graduates 32% on 45 degrees and scores 55. The College of Southern Nevada awarded 429 general studies degrees in the latest year, online, at $4,110, and its 19% graduation rate pulls its score down to 49.3 and 217th.
So the four are priced within $966 of one another and separated instead by completion and scale. The two that graduate 41% are the two smallest, and the one that enrolls the most finishes the fewest. Out-of-state students pay $11,243 to $12,209, about three times the resident figure at every one of the four.
The 4 Best General Studies Associate Degrees in Nevada
The best general studies associate degrees in Nevada are ranked below by their national score, from the national associate degree ranking. The number on each card is the program's place in Nevada. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.
1
Western Nevada College
Nevada
66.6- Public
- College graduation rate
- 41%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $3,920 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 61
About the Program
Some 4,284 students attend Western Nevada College, a public college in Carson City, Nevada. During the most recent year on record it awarded 61 associate's degrees, a count at the 45th percentile for size. Across the whole college, 41% of students finish, which is a higher rate than 68% of the institutions behind this list. Expect tuition and fees of $3,920 a year as a resident and $12,019 otherwise. Its strongest mark is price, at the 83rd percentile.
2
Great Basin College
Nevada
58.5- Public
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 41%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $3,855 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 15
About the Program
Elko, Nevada is home to Great Basin College, a public college of 3,320 students. It conferred 15 associate's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 10% of the associate's programs ranked at this level. Across the whole college, 41% of students finish, which is a higher rate than 68% of the institutions behind this list. Tuition and fees run $3,855 a year in state against $11,513 out of state, so on price it sits at the 85th percentile. Because the full degree is offered online, it is open to students well outside the region. Strongest of its measures is price, which lands at the 85th percentile.
3
Truckee Meadows Community College
Nevada
55.0- Public
- College graduation rate
- 32%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $3,144 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 45
About the Program
Some 10,885 students attend Truckee Meadows Community College, a public college in Reno, Nevada. It conferred 45 associate's degrees in the latest reported year, which is more than 36% of the associate's programs ranked at this level. Its college-wide graduation rate is 32%, the 41st percentile, because the federal record tracks completion by institution. Tuition and fees are $3,144 a year for residents and $11,243 for students from out of state, which makes it cheaper than 92% of programs at this level. What lifts it most is price, where it reaches the 92nd percentile.
4
College of Southern Nevada
Nevada
49.3- Public
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 19%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $4,110 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 429
About the Program
College of Southern Nevada is a public college in Las Vegas, Nevada that enrolls 28,313 students. Some 429 associate's degrees were conferred in the last year on record, a bigger output than 88% of the programs ranked alongside it. Across the whole college, 19% of students finish, which is a higher rate than 7% of the institutions behind this list. Expect tuition and fees of $4,110 a year as a resident and $12,209 otherwise. Because the full degree is offered online, it is open to students well outside the region. Strongest of its measures is the number of degrees it awards, which lands at the 88th percentile.
How Much Does a General Studies Associate Degree Cost in Nevada?
A general studies associate degree in Nevada costs a median of $3,888 a year in resident tuition and required fees for 2023-24, with the four community colleges spread from $3,144 at Truckee Meadows to $4,110 at the College of Southern Nevada, and Great Basin at $3,855 and Western Nevada at $3,920 in between. Out-of-state students pay $11,243 at Truckee Meadows, $11,513 at Great Basin, $12,019 at Western Nevada and $12,209 at CSN, so residency is worth more than any choice among the four.
The state's need-based aid at this level is the Silver State Opportunity Grant, awarded to eligible low-income students who are college-ready to pay a portion of the cost of education. It's used at College of Southern Nevada, Great Basin College, Nevada State University, Truckee Meadows Community College and Western Nevada College, which covers every general studies associate program in the state. You have to be classified as a Nevada resident for tuition purposes and enrolled in at least 12 credit hours that apply to your program of study. That 12-hour floor makes it a full-time grant, so if you're working and taking two classes a term, plan around federal aid instead.
Will a General Studies Associate Degree Transfer in Nevada?
Yes, a general studies associate degree transfers in Nevada with general education complete at any public university in the state, provided it's awarded as an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science or Associate of Business. The Nevada System of Higher Education's rule is that a completed AA, AS or AB from an NSHE community college automatically fulfills all lower-division general education requirements at any other NSHE institution. Western Nevada, Great Basin, Truckee Meadows and CSN are all NSHE community colleges, so the guarantee covers every program on this page. Ask your college which of those three designations its general studies degree carries, because any other label falls outside the automatic rule.
Course-level transfer is simpler still, because all NSHE courses share the same prefix, number, title and credit value, so a course taken at Truckee Meadows is the same course at any NSHE university, and you can read your own transcript against a degree's requirements without a translation table.
Nevada also lets you finish the two-year degree after you've left for a university. Reverse transfer allows a student to receive an associate degree from an NSHE community college after leaving to attend an NSHE university. If you move from CSN or Truckee Meadows to a university before finishing the general studies associate, ask both registrars about reverse transfer so the credential isn't lost.
What Do Jobs With a General Studies Associate Degree Pay in Nevada?
Jobs open to a general studies associate degree in Nevada pay the state medians below, from the May 2025 federal wage survey, with the national median beside each for comparison. Each row links to the salary guide for that job.
How to Choose a General Studies Associate Degree Program in Nevada
To choose a general studies associate degree program in Nevada, decide by format and completion, because tuition and fees at the four community colleges all fall between $3,144 and $4,110 and won't separate them much. Great Basin and the College of Southern Nevada teach the degree online, so an online associate at public tuition exists at both ends of the state. Western Nevada and Truckee Meadows are campus programs in Carson City and Reno, and Western Nevada's 41% graduation rate on 61 degrees a year is the strongest pairing of completion and size among the four.
CSN's 429 degrees a year tell you how many people start there, and its 19% graduation rate tells you how many finish, so if Las Vegas is your only option, ask the college what it does for part-time adults specifically. Ask each college whether its general studies degree is awarded as an AA, AS or AB, so the NSHE general education guarantee applies when you transfer, and what the Silver State Opportunity Grant would cover for you at 12 credits a term. The national associate ranking shows where 66.6 and 49.3 sit against other states' community colleges.
If you plan to finish a bachelor's in the state, the general studies bachelor's degrees in Nevada have their own page.