Every figure is for a student starting in fall 2027. We work each one out again whenever we update the site.
Paying for college in Idaho
What the state and its colleges give families, who gets it, and how to apply.
From the state
- Idaho Opportunity Scholarship: Idaho high school graduates with a 2.7 GPA, up to $3,500 a year
From the colleges
Merit scholarships set by grades. At these 2 colleges, a student who meets the terms is sure to get one.
| College | Idaho students | From other states |
|---|---|---|
| Northwest Nazarene | $14,000 to $22,000 a year, from a 3.0 GPA (any state) | |
| The College of Idaho | $10,000 to $19,000 a year (any state) | |
The other 4 colleges award scholarships on other terms. Each is in the table below.
Across state lines
Students from the other western states pay no more than 150% of resident tuition at Boise State, Idaho State, Lewis-Clark State and the University of Idaho. An Idaho student can do the same in those states. The Western Undergraduate Exchange ↓
What would each college cost your family?
See all 6 Idaho colleges priced for your income, and the aid your student could get.
See costs at your income →Already have a list? Put your schools side by side →
Get reminders for the dates that matter
We'll email you on the dates that matter: when the FAFSA opens, when award letters arrive, and before you choose a college and pay the first bill. If college is two or more years away, we'll also email you when the tax year that counts begins and when it has a month left.
From the state
Idaho's programs. Most come through the FAFSA or the state's own aid application; a few have their own.
Idaho Opportunity Scholarship
For Idaho high school graduates with a 2.7 GPA who file the FAFSA by March 1. It awards up to $3,500 a year, renewable for up to four years. It is need-based and goes to the highest-ranked applicants while funding lasts, after other grants and scholarships.
Source: Idaho State Board of Education, Next Steps Idaho
“The Idaho Opportunity Scholarship awards up to $3,500 per academic year and is renewable for up to four years.”
“Have an unweighted, cumulative GPA of at least 2.7 Be an Idaho resident Graduated or will graduate from an Idaho high school, Idaho home school, or its equivalent (GED/HSE from Idaho) Must attend during the upcoming academic year (fall semester) Must pursue a certificate, first associate's degree, or first bachelor's degree Complete a Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by March 1”
“The Opportunity Scholarship is need-based, which means 70% of the score given to students’ applications are based on the SAI (Student Aid Index) from the FAFSA and 30% is based on students’ GPAs.”
“The Opportunity Scholarship is a “last dollars” award, meaning it is to assist in filling in the gap in your cost of attendance after other scholarships and grants.”
From the colleges
What each college gives for grades, what it promises on aid, and its full price.
| College | Merit scholarships | Promise on aid | Full price a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boise State University public |
| — | $28,308 |
| Idaho State University public |
| — | $21,774 |
| Lewis-Clark State College public |
| — | $22,353 |
| Northwest Nazarene University private |
| — | $58,831 |
| The College of Idaho private |
| — | $57,294 |
| University of Idaho public |
| — | $24,802 |
* The finder and our college comparison show this scholarship when you enter your student's GPA.
Each college's page has a promise's conditions, in the college's own words. “Worth asking about” marks a program the college describes in words that stop short of a promise.
Full price: tuition and fees, housing and food, and books; in state at a public university. What your family would pay after grants depends on your income: the finder shows it.
2 more Idaho colleges have no page here. For all of them, the federal data has no cost or no price by income. Show them
- Boise Bible College
- New Saint Andrews College
Across state lines
The Western Undergraduate Exchange, run by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.
Coming to Idaho from another western state
Students from the other western states pay no more than 150% of resident tuition at the public colleges that take part. Each college sets its own rules: a minimum GPA, majors it leaves out, early deadlines, or a limit on how many students get the rate.
In Idaho, Boise State, Idaho State, Lewis-Clark State and the University of Idaho take part, and the table shows what each gives. Idaho's community colleges are on the list too, and this page covers four-year colleges.
Going from Idaho to another western state
An Idaho student can use it the other way, at public colleges in the other western states. The group that runs the exchange has a savings finder that lists each college and what the exchange saves there.
Source: Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE)
“pay no more than 150% of the institution’s resident tuition rate”
“Residents of the following states and territories are eligible to apply for WUE: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawai’i, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, as well as American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands, and Guam.”
“Each school administers WUE differently: Institutions may require a minimum GPA, exclude selected majors, have early application deadlines, and/or limit the number of students awarded the WUE rate.”
Paying the rest
Our $99 plan works out which money pays each bill, semester by semester: your savings, your 529 and your loans, in the order that costs least.
Build your plan →Best once your award letter arrives. No letter yet? Get a reminder when it does.
How we worked these out
Costs: each college's own published price where it has one, otherwise the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard, carried forward to fall 2027. Grants: each program’s own page. Scholarships: each college's own page, read by us and checked against it. SmartTuition.ai is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by any institution named here.