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Idaho Colleges

Find and compare Idaho colleges the easy way! Use our college search tool to sort the list of Idaho colleges by tuition, total price, online options and other stats.

Find Top Colleges in Idaho and Across the US

The state of Idaho is working hard to support affordable college education. The University of Idaho offers more than $25 million in college scholarships every year — and it’s just one of 20 accredited colleges and universities within state borders. Public colleges and universities in Idaho are more affordable on average than other states’ public schools, and Idaho’s private secular and Christian schools have competitive rates too.

Explore the possibilities with our free college search database. Sort the list of Idaho colleges and universities by total cost, online degree programs, religious or secular status, and other important stats. You can also compare Idaho schools with alternatives nationwide.

Idaho College Education Overview and Statistics

Here are some details about college education in Idaho and college education more generally.
High school students in Idaho score pretty well on standardized tests, but relatively few move on to college — and they’re not striking it rich without college degrees. State residents who skip college are much more likely to be unemployed for at least six months at a time.

  • For every year of college that you complete after high school, your wages will increase by an average of 10 to 20 percent. That’s according to data from the College Board in 2012.
  • Idaho’s State Board of Education oversees three universities and one four-year state college. These are located in Boise, Lewiston, Moscow and Pocatello.
  • Idaho has three community colleges and a technical college. They’re located in Coeur d’Alene, Twin Falls, Nampa and Idaho Falls.
  • Most of Idaho’s private colleges and universities are affiliated with Christian churches. Exceptions are the College of Idaho in Caldwell and two career colleges with campuses in Boise, Idaho Falls and McCall.
  • Boise State University is a nationally respected school offering a wide variety of online degree programs for undergraduates and graduate students.
  • Public universities and colleges in Idaho colleges are especially affordable. For the 2012-2013 academic year, the average in-state tuition was $5980. The national average was $8070.
  • Merit-based scholarships are available to reduce expenses at public and private colleges in Idaho. One example is the Idaho Governor’s Cup program, which awards up to $3000/year for community college and four-year college degree programs.
  • Whatever your high school GPA might be, you are likely to receive financial aid for public and private colleges in Idaho. For example, about 93% of current students at Idaho State University get financial aid. At Brigham Young University, a private school affiliated with the LDS Church, nearly 90 percent of applicants with financial need received assistance for the 2013-2014 academic year.
  • Online and offline, Idaho residents can attend a wide range of public out-of-state schools at reduced cost. Idaho has tuition discount agreements with community colleges, four-year colleges and universities in Alaska, Hawaii, California, Washington and other members of the Western Undergraduate Exchange.

Find the best college values in Idaho with our sortable lists!

Rank School Name City State Net Cost School Level Retention Rate Distance Learning
1

Academy di Firenze

Jerome

ID

N/A

2 year

87.5%

No

2

Austin Kade Academy

Idaho Falls

ID

N/A

2 year

80.65%

No

3

Aveda Institute-Boise

Boise

ID

N/A

2 year

100%

No

4

Boise Barber College

Boise

ID

N/A

2 year

86.67%

No

5

Boise Bible College

Boise

ID

N/A

4 year

57.45%

Yes

6

Boise State University

Boise

ID

$15,847

4 year

74.94%

Yes

7

Brigham Young University-Idaho

Rexburg

ID

N/A

4 year

69.09%

Yes

8

Broadview University-Boise

Meridian

ID

N/A

4 year

66.67%

Yes

9

Brown Mackie College-Boise

Boise

ID

N/A

4 year

N/A

No

10

Carrington College-Boise

Boise

ID

N/A

2 year

69.39%

Yes

11

College of Massage Therapy

Blackfoot

ID

$13,820

Vocational

N/A

No

12

College of Southern Idaho

Twin Falls

ID

$6,438

2 year

56.32%

Yes

13

College of Western Idaho

Nampa

ID

$7,215

2 year

51.51%

Yes

14

Cosmetology School of Arts and Science LLC

Burley

ID

N/A

2 year

56.52%

No

15

D & L Academy of Hair Design

Twin Falls

ID

N/A

2 year

100%

No

16

Eastern Idaho Technical College

Idaho Falls

ID

$8,811

2 year

64.15%

No

17

Evans Hairstyling College-Rexburg

Rexburg

ID

N/A

2 year

94.64%

No

18

Headmasters School of Hair Design

Lewiston

ID

N/A

2 year

92.86%

No

19

Idaho State University

Pocatello

ID

$13,695

4 year

74.92%

Yes

20

ITT Technical Institute-Boise

Boise

ID

N/A

4 year

N/A

No

21

Joseph Charles Institute of Cosmetology

Twin Falls

ID

N/A

2 year

80.65%

No

22

Lewis-Clark State College

Lewiston

ID

$12,400

4 year

61.2%

Yes

23

Master Educators Beauty School

Twin Falls

ID

N/A

2 year

75%

No

24

Milan Institute of Cosmetology-Nampa

Nampa

ID

N/A

2 year

68.22%

No

25

Milan Institute-Nampa

Nampa

ID

N/A

Vocational

78%

No

1 - 25 of 43
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Useful and Fun Facts about Living in Idaho

Here are useful and fun facts about the Idaho lifestyle.

  • Idaho is an affordable place to live. Groceries, health care, transportation, utilities and miscellaneous expenses are a bit cheaper than they are in the typical US state. Housing (rentals and mortgages) are just a bit higher than average. Overall the cost of living in Idaho is slightly below average for the US.
  • The top three industries in the state are manufacturing, agriculture and tourism. Some major manufacturing products are computer equipment, lumber and chemicals such as phosphates. Potatoes are the best-known Idaho agricultural product — about one third of US potatoes are grown here — but wheat, sugar beets, other crops and dairy products are also strong contributors to the state economy.
  • Nicknamed the Gem State, Idaho is rich with more than 70 varieties of precious and semiprecious gemstones. It’s also a top 10 source for silver worldwide.
  • Natural beauty is abundant in Idaho. This is a Rocky Mountain state with gorgeous peaks, abundant hiking trails and seemingly endless space for outdoor recreation. One popular road trip for college students is the Caribou National Forest, which covers one million acres. Another is the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness; with more than two million acres of unspoiled land, it’s the largest wilderness area in the continental US.
  • A favorite tourist destination is Shoshone Falls. It’s more dramatic than Niagara Falls and is sometimes called the “Niagara of the West.”
  • Deeper than the Grand Canyon, Idaho’s Hells Canyon is the deepest river gorge in North America.
  • Hot springs are sprinkled across the state. Many buildings in Boise rely on geothermal heat.
  • Fun to find on a hike: the tracks of wagon wheels. The Oregon Trail and other major pioneer routes from the 1800s crossed Idaho, and you can still see wagon tracks in the rugged terrain.

Ready to forge your path? Build your list of best colleges in Idaho and beyond! Use the CollegeStats database to compare schools statewide and across the country.