Where to Start Looking to Find a College in Idaho
Idaho is one of those states without a stand alone, centralize place to explore and plan for college, or at least not one I could find. The Idaho State Board of Education provides a list of public and private four-year institutions. The most useful aspect of the website is the listing of Idaho Scholarships.
Users can download a copy of Higher Education in Idaho which is published by The Idaho Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. This provides a profile of colleges in the state, a list of programs available by institution, planning guide for juniors and seniors, and basic information on the Idaho Career Information System.
The Idaho Career Information System doesn’t have an obvious link to the college planning process. The menu bar across the middle of page doesn’t give any suggestion that the system would be useful to high school students. However, if you go to the Guest Login, you’ll find all the expected information on the college application process including a college search function and financial aid information relevant to Idaho. If you create an account, which requires a social security number, you should be able to use the portfolio features. I didn’t so I can’t tell you how useful they are.
Some Numbers to Help You Find Idaho Colleges
There are seven four-year Idaho colleges with 500 or more full-time undergraduates. There are three colleges and four public universities according to the Integrated Post-secondary Data System. Of the 46,489 students, 36% attend private Idaho colleges and 64% attend public universities.
The average four-year graduation rate for private colleges was 36% and the average five-year rate for public schools was 28%. Only one Idaho college met the DIY College Rankings 50-50 profile requirements.
The average SAT score for seniors in Idaho was 458 for Critical Reading and 456 for Math. The 75th percentile scores were 530 for Critical Reading and 570 for Math. A total of four Idaho colleges had 75th percentile scores equal to or higher than the state in both categories.
The top 20 colleges SAT test takers in Idaho applied to:
- Boise State University University of Idaho
- Idaho State University
- Utah State University
- Brigham Young University-Idaho
- Brigham Young University
- North Idaho College
- University of Utah
- College of Idaho
- Montana State University
- College of Southern Idaho
- Washington State University
- University of Washington
- Lewis-Clark State College
- College of Western Idaho
- Oregon State University
- University of Oregon
- Stanford University
- Northwest Nazarene University
- Arizona State University
Idaho Colleges Conferences and Divisions
List of Idaho Colleges
In the following table, the four-year graduation rate is used for private colleges and the five-year rate for public colleges. The data are based on the data available from IPEDS in December of 2014 which are available on the DIY College Search spreadsheet.
Idaho Colleges with Test Scores and Graduation Rates
(download PDF version for a limited time)
| Name | Type | Full-time Under- grad | 4/5 Yr Grad Rate | % Admitted | SAT CR 75th% | SAT Math 75th% | ACT 75th% | Net Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boise State University | Public | 12452 | 30 | 78 | 570 | 580 | 26 | 14430 |
| Brigham Young University-Idaho | Private | 14376 | 22 | 100 | 560 | 560 | 25 | 8148 |
| Idaho State University | Public | 7016 | 12 | 13164 | ||||
| Lewis-Clark State College | Public | 2443 | 22 | 100 | 510 | 520 | 22 | 12195 |
| Northwest Nazarene University | Private | 1136 | 32 | 62 | 590 | 570 | 28 | 18969 |
| The College of Idaho | Private | 1055 | 54 | 91 | 570 | 590 | 27 | 18135 |
| University of Idaho | Public | 8011 | 48 | 66 | 590 | 590 | 26 | 14528 |