Inclusion Criteria:

          -  Patients must have histologically or cytologically confirmed clear cell renal cell
             carcinoma (RCC)

          -  For non-metastatic patients, the preoperative Memorial Sloan-Kettering (MSK) nomogram
             estimates the patient's likelihood of freedom from metastatic recurrence within the
             first 12 years following radical or partial nephrectomy to be =< 80%

          -  Measurable disease, defined as at least one lesion that can be accurately measured in
             at least one dimension (longest diameter to be recorded for non-nodal lesions and
             short axis for nodal lesions) as >= 20 mm (>= 2 cm) with conventional techniques or as
             >= 10 mm (>= 1 cm) with spiral computed tomography (CT) scan, magnetic resonance
             imaging (MRI), or calipers by clinical exam

          -  Non-metastatic disease will be defined by no evidence of metastases other than
             regional lymphadenopathy as assessed by imaging of the chest, abdomen and pelvis with
             CT of the chest and CT or MRI of the abdomen; regional lymph nodes, per 7th edition
             American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) staging manual (2010) for kidney cancer,
             include the following positions: renal hilar, precaval, paracaval, retrocaval,
             interaortocaval, paraaortic, preaortic, and retroaortic

          -  Scheduled to undergo nephrectomy or metastasectomy as part of treatment plan, per
             assessment through an MSK urologic surgeon or medical oncologist listed as
             investigator on this trial

          -  Availability of a frozen biopsy core prior to cycle 1, day 1

          -  Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0 or 1 (Karnofsky >=
             80%)

          -  Leukocytes >= 2,500/mcL

          -  Absolute neutrophil count >= 1,500/mcL (without granulocyte colony-stimulating factor
             support within 2 weeks prior to cycle 1, day 1)

          -  Platelets >= 100,000/mcL (without transfusion within 2 weeks prior to cycle 1, day 1)

          -  Hemoglobin >= 9.0 g/dL (patients may be transfused to meet this criterion)

          -  Total bilirubin =< 1.5 x institutional upper limit of normal (ULN) (except patients
             with Gilbert syndrome, who can have total bilirubin < 3.0 mg/dL)

          -  Aspartate aminotransferase (AST) (serum glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase
             [SGOT])/alanine aminotransferase (ALT) (serum glutamate pyruvate transaminase [SGPT])
             =< 2.5 x ULN

          -  Creatinine =< 1.5 x ULN OR creatinine clearance (CrCl) >= 50 mL/min (if using the
             Cockcroft-Gault formula)

          -  The effects of nivolumab on the developing human fetus are unknown; for this reason,
             women of child-bearing potential (WOCBP) and men must agree to use adequate
             contraception (hormonal or barrier method of birth control; abstinence) prior to study
             entry and for the duration of study participation; WOCBP should use an adequate method
             to avoid pregnancy for 23 weeks after the last dose of investigational drug; women of
             childbearing potential must have a negative serum or urine pregnancy test (minimum
             sensitivity 25 IU/L or equivalent units of human chorionic gonadotropin [HCG]) within
             14 days prior to the start of nivolumab; women must not be breastfeeding; men who are
             sexually active with WOCBP must use any contraceptive method with a failure rate of
             less than 1% per year; men receiving nivolumab and who are sexually active with WOCBP
             will be instructed to adhere to contraception for a period of 31 weeks after the last
             dose of investigational product; women who are not of childbearing potential (i.e.,
             who are postmenopausal or surgically sterile as well as azoospermic men) do not
             require contraception

          -  Women of childbearing potential (WOCBP) is defined as any female who has experienced
             menarche and who has not undergone surgical sterilization (hysterectomy or bilateral
             oophorectomy) or who is not postmenopausal; menopause is defined clinically as 12
             months of amenorrhea in a woman over 45 in the absence of other biological or
             physiological causes; in addition, women under the age of 55 must have a documented
             serum follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) level greater than 40 mIU/mL

          -  WOCBP receiving nivolumab will be instructed to adhere to contraception for a period
             of 23 weeks after the last dose of investigational product; men receiving nivolumab
             and who are sexually active with WOCBP will be instructed to adhere to contraception
             for a period of 31 weeks after the last dose of investigational product; these
             durations have been calculated using the upper limit of the half-life for nivolumab
             (25 days) and are based on the protocol requirement that WOCBP use contraception for 5
             half-lives plus 30 days and men who are sexually active with WOCBP use contraception
             for 5 half-lives plus 90 days

          -  Should a woman become pregnant or suspect she is pregnant while she or her partner is
             participating in this study, she (or the participating partner) should inform the
             treating physician immediately

          -  Ability to understand and the willingness to sign a written informed consent document

        Exclusion Criteria:

          -  Prior receipt of systemic checkpoint inhibitor therapy for renal cell carcinoma

          -  Inability to safely delay surgery by 8 weeks as per surgeon's discretion

          -  Patients who are receiving any other investigational agents

          -  History of allergic reactions attributed to compounds of similar chemical or biologic
             composition to nivolumab

          -  History of severe hypersensitivity reaction to any monoclonal antibody

          -  Uncontrolled intercurrent illness including, but not limited to, ongoing or active
             infection, symptomatic congestive heart failure, unstable angina pectoris, cardiac
             arrhythmia, or psychiatric illness/social situations that would limit compliance with
             study requirements

          -  Pregnant women are excluded from this study because nivolumab has a potential for
             teratogenic or abortifacient effects; because there is an unknown but potential risk
             for adverse events in nursing infants secondary to treatment of the mother with
             nivolumab, breastfeeding should be discontinued if the mother is treated with
             nivolumab

          -  Patients should be excluded if they have known history of testing positive for human
             immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or known acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS)

          -  Patients should be excluded if they have a positive test for hepatitis B virus surface
             antigen (HBV sAg) or hepatitis C virus ribonucleic acid (HCV RNA) indicating acute or
             chronic infection

          -  Patients with active autoimmune disease or history of autoimmune disease that might
             recur, which may affect vital organ function or require immune suppressive treatment
             including systemic corticosteroids, should be excluded; these include but are not
             limited to patients with a history of immune related neurologic disease, multiple
             sclerosis, autoimmune (demyelinating) neuropathy, Guillain-Barre syndrome, myasthenia
             gravis; systemic autoimmune disease such as systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE),
             connective tissue diseases, scleroderma, inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Crohn's,
             ulcerative colitis, hepatitis; and patients with a history of toxic epidermal
             necrolysis (TEN), Stevens-Johnson syndrome, or phospholipid syndrome should be
             excluded because of the risk of recurrence or exacerbation of disease; patients with
             rheumatoid arthritis and other arthropathies, Sjogren's syndrome, psoriasis controlled
             with topical medication, and patients with positive serology, such as antinuclear
             antibodies (ANA) or anti-thyroid antibodies, should be evaluated for the presence of
             target organ involvement and potential need for systemic treatment but should
             otherwise be eligible

          -  Patients are permitted to enroll if they have vitiligo, type I diabetes mellitus,
             residual hypothyroidism due to autoimmune condition only requiring hormone
             replacement, psoriasis not requiring systemic treatment, or conditions not expected to
             recur in the absence of an external trigger (precipitating event)

          -  Patients should be excluded if they have a condition requiring systemic treatment with
             either corticosteroids or other immunosuppressive medications within 14 days of study
             drug administration; patients are permitted to use topical, ocular, intra-articular,
             intranasal, and inhalational corticosteroids (with minimal systemic absorption); a
             brief course of corticosteroids for prophylaxis (e.g., contrast dye allergy) or for
             treatment of non-autoimmune conditions (e.g., delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction
             caused by contact allergen) is permitted

          -  Diagnosis of any second malignancy within the last 5 years prior to cycle 1, day 1,
             with the exception of those with a negligible risk of metastasis or death, per
             investigator's discretion (such as adequately treated carcinoma in situ of the cervix,
             basal or squamous cell skin cancer, localized prostate cancer treated surgically with
             curative intent, ductal carcinoma in situ treated surgically with curative intent)

          -  Use of live vaccines against infectious disease (e.g. varicella) within 28 days of
             initiation of study therapy; killed vaccinations (e.g. influenza) are allowed at any
             appropriate time before and during the study

          -  Life expectancy < 3 months, per consenting investigator's opinion