WICHE programs, enrollment rebounds and dual enrollment growth highlighted in NSHE budget hearing

Nevada WICHE and NSHE institutional leaders described workforce scholarship programs, enrollment and graduate‑outcome trends, and rapid growth in dual/concurrent enrollment at the hearing.

Patty Porter, director of the Nevada office of WICHE, reviewed three Nevada programs administered or supported by WICHE: the Professional Student Exchange Program (PSAP) (supporting health professions including OT, PT, PA, pharmacy and veterinary medicine); the Health Professions Education Program (HPEP) (targeting advanced practice nursing, MSW and RN‑to‑BSN students who commit to practice in HRSA‑defined underserved areas); and a Utah State University DVM stipend program created by SB 342.

Porter said the USU contract provides $8,000,000 to reduce the in‑to‑out‑of‑state tuition differential for up to 70 Nevada residents to earn a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Utah State; the contract covers July 1, 2024 to June 30, 2034 and awaits USU provisional accreditation for a fall 2025 start. She gave slot counts for the biennium (PSAP 36 slots FY26 and FY27; HPEP 49 slots each year) and said WICHE pays Nevada’s Western Regional Compact membership fee and supports Western Undergraduate Exchange and WRGP benefits.

NSHE Chancellor Patty Charlton summarized system enrollment and outcomes: the system headcount rebounded after the pandemic and community colleges and universities show rising graduation/completer counts; NSHE reported roughly 110,000 credit‑based students and noted UNLV accounted for about 33,000 headcount in fall 2024. The Desert Research Institute (DRI) was highlighted for sponsored research (more than $52 million in awards) and NSHE noted it has two R1 universities.

Institutional leaders described dual/concurrent enrollment growth: Nevada State said concurrent enrollment accounted for about 26% of its credit hours and that one‑third of its first‑time, full‑time students were former concurrent enrollees; Western Nevada College and Great Basin College reported large dual‑enrollment percentages (Western saw large increases tied to high school partnerships; Great Basin reported campus‑by‑campus dual enrollment ranging from about 22% to over 50% in some rural sites). UNLV and UNR reported growth in dual enrollment in absolute terms but said the share is smaller at the large research campuses (UNLV estimated dual enrollment was under 2% of its weighted student credit hours).

Why it matters: WICHE programs and NSHE enrollment trends connect to workforce goals (teachers, nurses, health professionals) and to access strategies (dual/concurrent enrollment) that shift how institutions plan capacity, advising and clinical placements.

Next steps: WICHE and NSHE asked that the Legislature continue funding slots, keep supporting nursing expansion funding in subsequent biennia and consider coordination for clinical placements and workforce pipelines.