In 1955, State Senator Mahlon Brown "sponsored the legislation to provide $200,000 to construct the campus's first building" – Frazier Hall.

The first classes were held on the current campus in the post and beam Mid Century Modern Maude Frazier Hall designed by the local architectural firm, Zick & Sharp.

Soon, protests from NSU/UNLV students forced a slight change to their Confederate mascot, but the "Rebels" moniker remains to this day.

In 1969, the board of regents approved the name University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and the abbreviation UNLV.

In 1981, Claes Oldenburg's Flashlight sculpture was installed on the plaza between Artemus Ham Hall and Judy Bayley Theatre.

[19] In 2005, construction began on the $113 million science and engineering building, which has 200,000 square feet of teaching space, laboratories, and high-tech conference rooms.

[19] In 2006, the Nevada System of Higher Education Board of Regents raised the minimum GPA to 3.0 for admittance to UNLV.

UNLV opened its first international campus in Singapore, where the William F. Harrah College of Hotel Administration offered a bachelor's degree program in hospitality management.

"[19] In 2011, UNLV's business college was formally renamed after a $15 million donation from the Ted and Doris Lee family, the Las Vegas real estate, hotel, restaurant, and casino investors.

The Hank Greenspun School of Journalism and Media Studies covered the debate on their local station, UNLV-TV.

This featured a three-hour live broadcast of round-table student commentary, interviews, and coverage from the spin room inside the Thomas and Mack Center.

In 2017, UNLV shut down the only HIV clinic for children and pregnant women in the Southern Nevada region for ethical violations.

[22] UNLV later settled for $1.45 million related to improper charges made by principal investigator Echezona Ezeanolue to several federal research awards.

[27] On December 6, 2023, a mass shooting occurred on campus when 67–year–old Tony Polito opened fire at the Frank and Estella Beam Hall and Student Union buildings.

Polito, who had applied to be a professor at the campus but was rejected, killed three and critically wounded a fourth before being fatally shot in a shootout with police.

Low-flow sinks, toilets, and showers, as well as a drip irrigation system for the native desert landscape, reduce water usage by 42%.

[34] The Greenspun College of Urban Affairs building of UNLV received a LEED Gold rating in April 2010.

These facilities hold home games for UNLV sports programs and have hosted events such as the Mountain West Conference basketball tournament[40] and the National Finals Rodeo.

Performing arts facilities include the Judy Bayley Theatre (1972), the Artemus W. Ham Concert Hall (1976), the Black Box Theatre, the Alta Ham Fine Arts Complex (1982), and the Lee and Thomas Beam Music Center (2001).

[69] Among freshman students who enrolled in fall 2016, SAT scores for the middle 50% ranged from 450 to 560 for critical reading, 450–570 for math, and 430–540 for writing.

This body consists of an executive board, a senate of 25 members from all of the colleges at UNLV, a judicial council, and directors who plan and organize events and marketing.

The senate ways and means committee determines how the CSUN budget will be divided or set aside for items such as student organization funding and scholarships.

[96] Recently, the newspaper's name was changed from Rebel Yell to its current iteration, as the former title was criticized for its reference to Confederate culture.

The school's official colors of scarlet and gray can be traced to 1958, when UNLV adopted as mascot a wolf wearing a Confederate uniform.

On June 16, 2020, amid protests of racial inequality related to the murder of George Floyd, UNLV announced the removal of the Hey Reb!

Built by the Kennecott Copper Corp., Nevada Mines Division, the cannon is valued at more than $10,000 and is considered one of the best and loudest, symbols of rivalry in college football.

[100] The cannon was permanently silenced in 2000, when Rebel players and fans accidentally dropped the trophy during a victory celebration.

Made famous by Coach Jerry Tarkanian in the 1970s–1990s, the Runnin' Rebels are the third-most winning team in Division I basketball history by percentage, only behind Kentucky and North Carolina (.713, 1037–418 through 2008).

Led by coach Dwaine Knight, the UNLV golf program has turned out PGA Tour pros such as Adam Scott, Chris Riley, Chad Campbell, Ryan Moore, Skip Kendall, Charlie Hoffman, Bill Lunde, Andres Gonzales, and Garrick Higgo.

In February 2011, the Rebel men's swimming and diving team won their seventh-straight Mountain West Conference titles.