State cost ranking · DOE College Scorecard
Cheapest Colleges in Idaho
According to U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard data, 29 Idaho colleges ranked by average net price, what students actually paid after grant and scholarship aid, not the published sticker price.
- $6,095
- Cheapest net price
- $18,788
- Idaho median
- 29
- Schools ranked
Data updated June 2026 · IPEDS 2022–23 vintage
The list in one line
College of Southern Idaho has the lowest average net price in Idaho at $6,095/year, and the state's median net price is 10% above the $17,083 national median across 4,942 schools.
- $6,095
- cheapest ranked net price
- $18,788
- Idaho median net price
- 8 public / 21 private
- schools in this ranking
- $16,157
- avg net price, <$30K income families
Average net price is the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, not counting loans that must be repaid. A very low figure at a specialty or religious institution can reflect a narrow enrollment mix rather than typical affordability, check the sector label and enrollment before comparing.
Sticker tuition and real net price diverge most at The College of Idaho, where in-state published tuition of $37,845 falls to an average net price of $19,481 after aid, a $18,364 gap. This is the widest sticker-to-net-price gap among ranked Idaho schools, and a reminder that published tuition alone is a poor guide to what most admitted students actually pay.
Across all 29 ranked Idaho schools, 8 are public institutions and 21 are private (nonprofit or for-profit). Sector is shown next to every school below because a low sticker-adjacent price at a small religious, seminary, or specialty school can reflect an unusual enrollment mix rather than broad affordability, check enrollment and sector before drawing conclusions from rank alone.
Average net price also blends every income bracket into one figure, so a family's own bracket can land well above or below the number shown here. Federal reporting requires an institution to have enough surveyed aid recipients in a bracket before that bracket is published, so a very small school can show only a partial income-bracket breakdown even when its overall average net price is fully reported. Use the school's own profile page for the full income-bracket table before treating a single average as a personal cost estimate.
Idaho's 25 cheapest colleges by real net price
| # | College | Avg net price | Net price (<$30K income) | Median debt | Median earnings, 6yr | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College of Southern Idaho Twin Falls, ID · Public | $6,095 82% of the leader · rank #1 | $4,749 | $8,000 | $35,642 | 8,775 |
| 2 | Brigham Young University-Idaho Rexburg, ID · Private nonprofit | $8,221 76% of the leader · rank #2 | $4,378 | $13,969 | $40,447 | 42,996 |
| 3 | College of Western Idaho Nampa, ID · Public | $8,500 75% of the leader · rank #3 | $6,228 | $9,720 | $35,528 | 10,326 |
| 4 | Evans Hairstyling College-Rexburg Rexburg, ID · Private for-profit | $8,643 74% of the leader · rank #4 | $8,062 | - | $16,452 | 67 |
| 5 | College of Eastern Idaho Idaho Falls, ID · Public | $8,778 74% of the leader · rank #5 | $6,387 | $12,000 | $37,934 | 2,565 |
| 6 | North Idaho College Coeur D'Alene, ID · Public | $10,575 69% of the leader · rank #6 | $7,775 | $9,000 | $34,391 | 3,979 |
| 7 | Headmasters School of Hair Design Lewiston, ID · Private for-profit | $11,561 66% of the leader · rank #7 | $10,691 | $10,556 | $30,586 | 48 |
| 8 | Idaho State University Pocatello, ID · Public | $12,193 64% of the leader · rank #8 | $10,593 | $20,039 | $41,377 | 12,614 |
| 9 | Boise Barber College Boise, ID · Private for-profit | $14,029 58% of the leader · rank #9 | $12,575 | $9,500 | $22,842 | 82 |
| 10 | Austin Kade Academy Idaho Falls, ID · Private for-profit | $14,795 56% of the leader · rank #10 | $9,964 | $6,333 | $20,622 | 116 |
| 11 | University of Idaho Moscow, ID · Public | $14,831 56% of the leader · rank #11 | $11,270 | $21,982 | $42,602 | 11,849 |
| 12 | Boise Bible College Boise, ID · Private nonprofit | $15,058 55% of the leader · rank #12 | - | - | $32,662 | 103 |
| 13 | Lewis-Clark State College Lewiston, ID · Public | $15,635 53% of the leader · rank #13 | $13,080 | $18,500 | $42,133 | 3,706 |
| 14 | Aveda Institute-Boise Boise, ID · Private for-profit | $16,599 51% of the leader · rank #14 | $16,599 | $5,846 | - | 93 |
| 15 | Nathan Layne Institute of Cosmetology Chubbuck, ID · Private for-profit | $18,788 44% of the leader · rank #15 | $18,929 | - | - | 69 |
| 16 | The Salon Professional Academy-Nampa Nampa, ID · Private for-profit | $19,371 42% of the leader · rank #16 | $17,446 | $6,333 | $14,170 | 102 |
| 17 | The College of Idaho Caldwell, ID · Private nonprofit | $19,481 42% of the leader · rank #17 | $14,026 | $24,500 | $42,097 | 1,076 |
| 18 | Oliver Finley Academy of Cosmetology Boise, ID · Private for-profit | $20,033 40% of the leader · rank #18 | $16,521 | $6,333 | $24,008 | 276 |
| 19 | Boise State University Boise, ID · Public | $21,610 36% of the leader · rank #19 | $18,165 | $20,500 | $45,251 | 26,670 |
| 20 | Paul Mitchell the School-Rexburg Rexburg, ID · Private for-profit | $21,759 35% of the leader · rank #20 | $21,701 | $9,500 | $20,965 | 246 |
| 21 | Cosmetology School of Arts & Sciences Burley, ID · Private for-profit | $21,864 35% of the leader · rank #21 | $21,864 | $10,556 | $22,290 | 38 |
| 22 | Paul Mitchell the School-Nampa Nampa, ID · Private for-profit | $21,961 35% of the leader · rank #22 | $18,712 | $10,555 | $22,004 | 107 |
| 23 | Integrated Massage Therapy Services Blackfoot, ID · Private for-profit | $22,048 34% of the leader · rank #23 | $20,254 | - | $32,261 | 16 |
| 24 | Paul Mitchell the School-Twin Falls Twin Falls, ID · Private for-profit | $22,366 33% of the leader · rank #24 | $21,694 | - | $26,209 | 62 |
| 25 | Aveda Institute-Twin Falls Twin Falls, ID · Private for-profit | $22,501 33% of the leader · rank #25 | $22,501 | $9,400 | $21,804 | 93 |
See all 29 ranked Idaho schools →
| # | College | Avg net price | Net price (<$30K income) | Median debt | Median earnings, 6yr | Enrollment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26 | Paul Mitchell the School-Boise Boise, ID · Private for-profit | $26,248 22% of the leader · rank #26 | $25,962 | $10,555 | $22,004 | 179 |
| 27 | Northwest Nazarene University Nampa, ID · Private nonprofit | $29,580 12% of the leader · rank #27 | $28,732 | $23,750 | $45,488 | 1,774 |
| 28 | Eagle Gate College-Boise Campus Boise, ID · Private for-profit | $30,241 10% of the leader · rank #28 | $29,464 | $43,021 | $36,393 | 539 |
| 29 | Provo College-Idaho Falls Campus Idaho Falls, ID · Private for-profit | $33,576 4% of the leader · rank #29 | $34,080 | $41,733 | $32,673 | 268 |
What this means for you
Use Idaho's ranking as a starting point, real net price depends on your specific financial-aid package.
- College of Southern Idaho reports the lowest average net price in Idaho, but "average" blends every income bracket, check your bracket's figure before assuming it applies to you. View College of Southern
- See your specific school's in-state cost rank and nearest-price peers. My School Profile
- Compare campus safety alongside cost before deciding. Idaho safety
Figures reflect the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23 release.
Average net price = the institution-reported average amount students actually paid after all grant and scholarship aid, excluding loans. Only schools with a reported average net price in the DOE College Scorecard dataset are ranked. Schools with fewer than 10 net-price-reporting institutions in a state or territory are not given a dedicated ranking page.
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard IPEDS 2022–23
Every figure on PlainCampus is rendered directly from federal Clery Act source data, no number is typed in by an editor. Every ranked figure on this page is queried directly from the DOE College Scorecard dataset at request time; no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.
PlainCampus is for informational purposes only and does not constitute safety, security, legal, or enrollment advice; the data describes reported on-campus activity, it is not a complete picture of safety at any campus and cannot predict any individual student's experience. See our appropriate use guidance.