College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

University of Idaho

IDMedium public institution · Overall rank #456 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth’s composite profile centers on mobility.

Who it’s a good fit for

The University of Idaho is a public university in Moscow, Idaho, where Business, Engineering, and Social Sciences lead the degree mix, and mobility is well above average. Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study.

Graduates earn roughly what predicts for students like them. The model attributes that to the factors it measures, which adds to expected earnings, while the remainder it cannot explain subtracts from them.

Pell recipients finish within a few points of the rate for the entering cohort as a whole, and affordability is above average. Families at the bottom of the income scale pay well below the published cost, while those at the top pay closer to it.

The admission rate is below the median for comparable schools. A student drawn to the largest programs should know that the best-paid ones are in engineering and computer science, not psychology or sociology.

University of Idaho at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
75.5%
Six-year completion[2]
57.3%
Four-year earnings[3]
$60,330

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$13,374
Median student debt[4]
$21,982
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$21,162

University of Idaho rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

University of Idaho enrolls 7,747 undergraduates at its main campus in Moscow, Idaho. As a public university, its overall standing sits in the upper half of nonprofit four-year institutions (69th percentile).

The university admits 75.5% of those who apply, against a median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size). Of full-time first-year students, 75.6% return for a second year, against 73.7% at comparable institutions.

The six-year graduation rate is 57.3%, against a peer median of 49.1%. An estimated 20.6% of the student body arrives as transfers or part-time students.

Because the six-year rate counts only first-time full-time students, it leaves out a large share of the people who actually study here. The four are spread across the map.

Mobility is the strongest (77th percentile), with affordability close behind (73rd percentile). Return and access sit near the middle of the field (54th and 52nd percentiles), which makes them the weaker pair.

Mobility is the clearest strength in Azimuth’s view of University of Idaho, while access is the least strong of its four measures. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, mobility stands in the 77th percentile and affordability in the 73rd percentile.

Return is in the 54th percentile, and access is in the 52nd percentile. Stronger mobility and affordability sit alongside more middle-of-the-pack return and access measures.

23.5% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants, a measure of financial access. Among enrolled students who submitted SAT scores, the middle 50% fell between 990 and 1,230.

The middle 50% of submitted ACT scores fell between 20 and 26. Azimuth ranks University of Idaho #712 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The pillar draws on both the share of low-income students enrolled and how reliably they finish. Pell recipients complete within six years at 54.6%, a rate that sits 2.7 percentage points below the overall six-year graduation rate (57.3%).

For mobility, Azimuth ranks the university #345 among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $759 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level, which is the earnings side of the mobility calculation.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

University of Idaho rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#456

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 77
Access & reach
National percentile: 52
Affordability
National percentile: 73
Return on investment
National percentile: 54

Top-ranked majors

  1. Forestry#4
  2. Graphic Communications#8
  3. Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services#11

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / University of Idaho briefing

University of Idaho cost & financial aid[6][7]

At $23,738, the published cost of attendance at University of Idaho is well above its $14,831 average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships. That published budget includes $9,084 in-state tuition and fees and $11,243 for room and board; out-of-state tuition and fees are $28,320.

For aid recipients, financial aid offsets $8,907 from the published cost. The peer median net price for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $14,068, placing the university above that figure by $763.

Azimuth ranks University of Idaho #388 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. The aid discount is sizable, though the remains above the comparable-institution median.

The published cost of attendance at University of Idaho is $23,738, with in-state tuition and fees at $9,084. After grants and scholarships, the average net price—what aid recipients actually pay—varies by family income.

For families earning under $30,000, the average net price is $11,270, while those in the $30,001 to $48,000 band average $11,193. The middle band, earning $48,001 to $75,000, averages $13,374, and families in the $75,001 to $110,000 range average $17,130.

For the highest income band, over $110,000, the average net price is $18,791. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,521.

Azimuth ranks the university #388 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid covers about 38% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, a savings of $8,907 against the sticker price.

The average net price across all aid recipients is $14,831, which is $763 above the peer median of $14,068 for comparable institutions (same type and size). Borrowers who complete a degree leave with a median of $21,982 in federal student loans, $753 above the peer median of $21,229.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $21,162 in Parent PLUS loans.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$13,374

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at University of Idaho

Federal borrowing is common at University of Idaho, and typical debt finishes slightly above the comparable-school benchmark. Among federal-loan borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt at completion is $21,982.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median is $21,229, putting Idaho $753 above that figure. For the separate parent-borrower population, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $21,162.

University of Idaho has a mixed investment picture, pairing a wide range of earnings scenarios with federal debt above its peer median. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $60,330 four years after completion.

Azimuth places those earnings in the 52nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, are near the expected level.

Graduates earn about $759 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. Azimuth places this measure in the 58th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The downside earnings scenario is $43,394 and the upside scenario is $83,315, with the typical scenario at the same level as the observed median. Median federal student loan debt at completion is $21,982, which is $753 above the $21,229 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years. The scenario range and above-peer debt leave a mixed return picture.

Parent borrowing is separate from student federal borrowing: median Parent PLUS borrowing for parent borrowers is $21,162. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$21,982
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$21,162

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$250/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$269/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / University of Idaho briefing

University of Idaho career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

Mobility is strongest at University of Idaho, but return is more mixed. Azimuth places its return pillar in the 54th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $759 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap from the model's expectation for similar students, sit in the 58th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $7,271. The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $6,512.

Median earnings are $60,330 four years after completion, in the 52nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That is $3,029 above the peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), of $57,301.

At University of Idaho, federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $60,330 four years after completion. Azimuth places this figure in the 52nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $57,301; the university stands above it by $3,029. The cohort includes 1,909 completers.

Graduates earn about $759 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level. Program-mix earnings scenarios run from $43,394 in the downside case to $83,315 in the upside case; the typical scenario matches the overall median.

An estimated 30.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix. Earnings sit above the peer median yet effectively at the model's expected level.

University of Idaho has a return picture that is close to the model’s expectation overall, even as its four-year earnings sit above those of comparable institutions. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled earn a median $60,330 four years after completion, in the 52nd percentile.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $57,301, making the university $3,029 above it. Graduates earn about $759 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, falls in the 58th percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $7,271.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain subtracts $6,512. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $1,803.

Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix range from $43,394 on the downside to $83,315 on the upside. Azimuth places the return pillar in the 54th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Psychology is the largest listed program, with 134 degrees awarded and median earnings of $42,825 four years after completion. Azimuth ranks it #302 nationally within its field.

Marketing awarded 90 degrees and has median earnings of $59,776; Azimuth ranks it #157 nationally within its field. Teacher Education awarded 76 degrees, earns a median $50,237, and ranks #114 nationally with Azimuth.

Program choice marks a wide modeled earnings spread at University of Idaho. The earnings scenarios run from $43,394 in the downside case to $83,315 in the upside case, with a typical scenario of $60,330.

They describe possibilities based on the program mix rather than observed groups. The higher-earning fields illustrate that range four years after completion: Computer Science completers earn a median of $103,530, Electrical Engineering completers earn $94,484, and Mechanical Engineering completers earn $86,415. Those program figures show why the modeled range is broad.

The value question at University of Idaho turns on whether the cost is manageable, because earnings are effectively at the level the model expects for similar students. The debt graduates carry is close to the peer median.

The published cost of attendance is $23,738. After grants and scholarships, the average net price for aid recipients is $14,831, which is $763 above the $14,068 median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Aid covers about 38% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, though this is an average, not a personal quote. Borrowers who complete their degree carry a median of $21,982 in federal student loans.

That is $753 above the peer median of $21,229, and corresponds to an estimated payment of $250 a month if repaid over ten years. Parents who borrow hold a separate median of $21,162 in Parent PLUS loans.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$7,271
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
-$6,512
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$759

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / University of Idaho briefing

University of Idaho acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

University of Idaho admitted 75.5% of applicants to its reported entering class, meaning most applicants in that pool received an offer. The rate is below the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range
Admission rate
75.5%
Approximate lower endpoint
990
Reported average
1116
Approximate upper endpoint
1230

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / University of Idaho briefing

What are the largest majors at University of Idaho?[12]

The nationally ranked programs at University of Idaho include higher- and moderate-earning fields four years after completion. Azimuth ranks Wildlife and Wildlands Science and Management #17 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field; 24 degrees were awarded, and median earnings were $43,171.

Azimuth ranks Forestry #4 nationally in its field, with 38 degrees awarded and median earnings of $64,392. Azimuth ranks Graphic Communications #8 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field; it awarded 24 degrees, and median earnings were $49,188.

Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services ranks #11 nationally through Azimuth, with 21 degrees awarded and $60,241 in median earnings. Four-year earnings differ by field.

The program picture includes several nationally ranked fields with different earnings levels, so the major matters here. Azimuth assigns national ranks to 24 bachelor’s programs at University of Idaho.

Forestry ranks #4 nationally in its field, with 38 degrees awarded and median earnings of $64,392 four years after completion. Graphic Communications ranks #8 nationally in its field, with 24 degrees awarded and median earnings of $49,188 four years after completion.

Foods, Nutrition, and Related Services ranks #11 nationally in its field, with 21 degrees awarded and median earnings of $60,241 four years after completion. These ranked fields include forestry, graphic communications, and foods, nutrition, and related services.

The degree mix at University of Idaho is led by the Business family, which accounts for 16.6% of bachelor's degrees awarded, with Engineering next at 9.7% and Social Sciences close behind at 9.6%. The university has 24 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 40 with published four-year earnings data.

The largest single program is Psychology, at 134 degrees awarded, followed by Marketing at 90 and Teacher Education at 76. The highest-ranked program is Forestry, which ranks #1 in Idaho within its field and awards 38 degrees a year.

Its graduates earn a median of $64,392 four years after completion. Graphic Communications ranks #8 nationally and #1 in Idaho within its field, with earnings of $49,188.

The highest-earning program is Computer Science, where graduates earn a median of $103,530 four years after completion from 29 degrees awarded a year. Electrical Engineering follows at $94,484 with 31 degrees awarded.

The pattern is one of strength spread across several fields rather than concentrated in a single area. The highest-ranked programs sit in natural resources, communication, health, and business.

20.9% of degrees awarded are in STEM, and the engineering programs that do exist post strong earnings: Mechanical Engineering, also among the largest programs, earns $86,415 four years out.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Psychology, General 134 degrees awarded
$42,825
Marketing 90 degrees awarded
$59,776
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 76 degrees awarded
$50,237
Mechanical Engineering 62 degrees awarded
$86,415
Sociology 53 degrees awarded
$51,873
Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication 52 degrees awarded
$56,032

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / University of Idaho briefing

How does University of Idaho serve students from different backgrounds?

Mobility is the university's strongest Azimuth pillar, combining completion measures with modeled earnings. Azimuth places University of Idaho in the 77th percentile for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions.

For the first-time full-time cohort, the six-year graduation rate is 57.3%, while Pell recipients complete at 54.6%, below the overall rate by 2.7 percentage points. Graduates earn about $759 more than the model expects for similar students, effectively at the expected level.

Azimuth places earnings beyond expectations, the gap between graduate earnings and the model's expectation for similar students, in the 58th percentile.

With an admission rate of 75.5%, University of Idaho offers entry to a sizeable undergraduate body. The university enrolls 7,747 undergraduates; 23.5% receive Pell Grants, and an estimated 20.6% enter as transfers or part-time students.

Azimuth places its access pillar in the 52nd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Its entry measures and access standing present a middle-range access picture.

06 / University of Idaho briefing

What colleges are similar to University of Idaho?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with University of Idaho.

Admissions peerUniversity of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus74.7% admitted
Comparison with University of Idaho
MeasureUniversity of IdahoUniversity of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,330$74,059+$13,729 vs University of Idaho
Average annual net price$14,831$11,900-$2,931 vs University of Idaho · lower cost
Admission rate75.5%74.7%
Explore University of Colorado Denver/Anschutz Medical Campus →
Higher-admission alternativeEastern Washington University90.8% admitted
Comparison with University of Idaho
MeasureUniversity of IdahoEastern Washington University
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,330$60,781+$451 vs University of Idaho
Average annual net price$14,831$13,886-$945 vs University of Idaho · lower cost
Admission rate75.5%90.8%
Explore Eastern Washington University →
Nearby alternativeEastern Washington UniversityNearby option · WA
Comparison with University of Idaho
MeasureUniversity of IdahoEastern Washington University
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,330$60,781+$451 vs University of Idaho
Average annual net price$14,831$13,886-$945 vs University of Idaho · lower cost
Admission rate75.5%90.8%
Explore Eastern Washington University →
Higher-earnings alternativeSan Jose State University$89,614 earnings
Comparison with University of Idaho
MeasureUniversity of IdahoSan Jose State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,330$89,614+$29,284 vs University of Idaho
Average annual net price$14,831$13,760-$1,071 vs University of Idaho · lower cost
Admission rate75.5%84.6%
Explore San Jose State University →
Lower-cost alternativeCalifornia State University-Los Angeles$3,967 average net price
Comparison with University of Idaho
MeasureUniversity of IdahoCalifornia State University-Los Angeles
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,330$59,756-$574 vs University of Idaho
Average annual net price$14,831$3,967-$10,864 vs University of Idaho · lower cost
Admission rate75.5%91.3%
Explore California State University-Los Angeles →
Similar profileUniversity of WyomingMatched across several measures
Comparison with University of Idaho
MeasureUniversity of IdahoUniversity of Wyoming
Peer earnings · 4 years$60,330$61,749+$1,419 vs University of Idaho
Average annual net price$14,831$13,599-$1,232 vs University of Idaho · lower cost
Admission rate75.5%96.9%
Explore University of Wyoming →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings