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# Best Colleges in Idaho (2026)

Updated October 1, 2026

Best Colleges in Idaho ranks 6 four-year institutions in Idaho. Schools are ordered by Azimuth's overall score for Idaho, highest first.

The score combines four pillars, weighted 30% return, 30% mobility, 20% access and 20% affordability, as set out on Azimuth's methodology page. Idaho State University ranks 1st on this list and posts median earnings of $58,142 for its graduates four years after completing. The list includes 4 public and 2 private nonprofit schools.

Idaho State University ranks 354th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions. Idaho State University posts the lowest average net price at $12,193, and Northwest Nazarene University reports the highest six-year completion rate, graduating 71% of its students within six years.

## The ranked list

6 schools in list order

| Rank | School | Median earnings, 4 years after completion | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 1 | Idaho State University · Pocatello, ID | $58,142 | $12,193 | $10,593 | Not reported |
|  | Idaho State University ranks 1st on this list and posts a six-year completion rate of 39%. |
| 2 | Boise State University · Boise, ID | $64,791 | $21,610 | $18,165 | 87.2% |
|  | [Boise State University](/school/boise-state-university/majors/) reports [median earnings of $64,791](/school/boise-state-university/outcomes/) for its graduates four years after completing, alongside an admission rate of 87%. |
| 3 | University of Idaho · Moscow, ID | $60,330 | $14,831 | $11,270 | 75.5% |
|  | [University of Idaho](/school/university-of-idaho/majors/) [admits 76% of applicants](/school/university-of-idaho/admissions/) and carries an average net price of $14,831. |
| 4 | Lewis-Clark State College · Lewiston, ID | $58,274 | $15,635 | $13,080 | 87.7% |
|  | Lewis-Clark State College has an admission rate of 88% and an average net price of $13,080 for families earning under $30,000. |
| 5 | Northwest Nazarene University · Nampa, ID | $60,040 | $29,580 | $28,732 | 64.7% |
|  | Northwest Nazarene University, a private nonprofit university in Nampa, graduates 71% of its students within six years. |
| 6 | The College of Idaho · Caldwell, ID | $52,628 | $19,481 | $14,026 | 49.1% |
|  | The College of Idaho reports median earnings of $52,628 for its graduates four years after completing and an admission rate of 49%. |

## How this list is ordered

Schools are ordered by Azimuth's overall score for Idaho, highest first. The score combines four pillars, weighted 30% return, 30% mobility, 20% access and 20% affordability, as set out on [Azimuth's methodology page](/methodology/#composite). The earnings figures cited below are the median earnings of federally aided completers at each institution, across all fields, who were working and not enrolled four years after completing. The list does not adjust for cost or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The list includes 4 public and 2 private nonprofit institutions.

## Related rankings

-   Best Colleges for Social Mobility in Idaho