The University of Nevada, Reno is known for the quality of its journalism school and the Mackay School of Earth Sciences and Engineering, according to the 2010 edition of "The Insider's Guide to the Colleges."
However, the guide, compiled by the staff of the Yale Daily News, faults UNR for a "too limited student population" in which 82 percent come from Nevada high schools.
While some students complain it's as if they're going to a bigger version of their high schools, one freshman said being with old high school friends made the transition easier, the guide states.
Overall, the guide's 36th edition paints a favorable picture of the Reno campus.
"With its renown specialized academic programs, a unique student population, a lively social scene, and a beautiful campus, UNR gives students the opportunity to receive a first-rate education at a great value."
The guide was published before Nevada's Board of Regents voted to approve a 10 percent increase in tuition this fall for all of the state's seven higher education institutions, with another 10 percent increase scheduled in fall 2010. But tuition at Nevada's public colleges and universities traditionally has been low in comparison with other institutions in the Western region.
The guide also points out that although UNR is a "dry" campus and fraternities and sororities are not allowed to serve alcohol, "students agree that it is 'definitely possible' to find alcohol at parties."
Students who are 21 or older and those who have fake IDs "can look forward to wild nights of drinking, dancing and gambling in downtown Reno," the guide said.
The 952-page book devotes slightly more than three pages to UNR, but does not include the University of Nevada, Las Vegas.
Of UNR, it concludes that the state's "generous Millennium Scholarship continues to draw many in-state students, but more and more out-of-state students are discovering UNR's educational benefits."
Earlier this month, both UNR and UNLV made Forbes' list of America's 500 best private and public colleges for 2009. UNR placed 406th and UNLV placed 486.
The Forbes' ranking is based on 25 percent student satisfaction with course instruction, 25 percent on indicators of postgraduation employment and 20 percent on estimated loan debt. It also is based 17 percent on the likelihood of graduation within four years and 13 percent on student and faculty academic and research awards.