There are 12 colleges within the state, including two for-profit colleges, five private non-profit colleges, and five publicly funded colleges.
Idaho is among the more affordable states in the nation for college, with students paying $8,000 on average for the 2021-22 school year.
The average full-time undergraduate student received $14,800 in financial aid during the 2020-21 academic year. This includes grants, work-study, loans, and tax credits.
This list features some of the best brick-and-mortar schools in Idaho. Each school featured is a nonprofit, accredited institution — either public or private — with a high standard of academic quality for post-secondary institutions. We included liberal arts colleges and research universities as well as small, midsize, and large institutions. Next, we compared this comprehensive list to a list of aggregated college rankings from reputable publications like the U.S. News & World Report among others to simplify a student’s college search. We pored through these rankings so students don’t have to.
The colleges on our list are accredited by either the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) or Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS). These reputable organizations examine the objectives, quality, and overall effectiveness of post-secondary education programs.
We evaluated each school on tuition costs, admission, retention and graduation rates, faculty, and reputation as well as the student resources provided for on-campus students. Then we calculated the Intelligent Score on a scale of 0 to 100. Read more about our ranking methodology.
When deciding whether to attend college in Idaho, it’s important to consider whether the state’s employment opportunities fit your planned field of study. According to recent data, the five industries that employ the most people in the state include trade, transportation, and utilities; goods-producing; government; education and health services; and professional and business services.
Within these industries are some of the most in-demand careers in the state, many of which require undergraduate degrees. The five fastest growing careers in Idaho for those with bachelor’s degrees are preschool special education teachers, aerospace engineers, music directors and composers, therapists, and environmental engineers.
Idaho is home to several large employers across numerous industries that provide job opportunities for college graduates. The largest employer in the state is Micron Technology Inc., which offers memory and storage solutions and employs approximately 8,000 people. Other large employers include Boise State University, Battelle Energy Alliance, St. Luke’s Magic Valley Medical Center, and the Idaho Department of Labor.
Idaho has several agencies that help make higher learning economical. The following resources can help students obtain their degrees by offering information on and access to need-based financial aid, including loans, grants, and scholarships.