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.
