This is a list of colleges and universities in Idaho . This list also includes other educational institutions providing higher education, meaning tertiary, quaternary, and, in some cases, post-secondary education.
The Idaho State Board of Education oversees three comprehensive universities. The University of Idaho in Moscow was the state's inaugural university, founded in 1889. It opened its doors in 1892 and is the land-grant institution and primary research university of the state. Idaho State University in Pocatello opened in 1901 as the Academy of Idaho, attained four-year status in 1947 and university status in 1963. Boise State University is the most recent school to attain university status in Idaho. The school opened in 1932 as Boise Junior College and became Boise State University in 1974. Lewis–Clark State College in Lewiston is the only public, non-university 4-year college in Idaho. It opened as a normal school in 1893.
Idaho has four regional community colleges: North Idaho College in Coeur d'Alene; College of Southern Idaho in Twin Falls; College of Western Idaho in Nampa, which opened in 2009, College of Eastern Idaho in Idaho Falls, which transitioned from a technical college in 2017.
Private institutions in Idaho are Boise Bible College, affiliated with congregations of the Christian churches and churches of Christ; Brigham Young University–Idaho in Rexburg, which is affiliated with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and a sister college to Brigham Young University; The College of Idaho in Caldwell, which still maintains a loose affiliation with the Presbyterian Church; Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa; and New Saint Andrews College in Moscow, of reformed Christian theological background. McCall College is a non-affiliated 2-year private college in McCall, which was founded in 2011.
Four now-defunct institutions were located in Idaho:
| School | Location | Control | Founded | Closed | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Albion State Normal School | Albion | Public | 1893 | 1951 | [4] |
| Farragut College and Technical Institute | Bayview | Private | 1946 | 1949 | [5] |
| Gooding College | Gooding | Private (Methodist Church) | 1917 | 1938 | [6] |
| Magic Valley Christian College | Albion | Private (Churches of Christ) | 1958 | 1969 | [7] |
| Stevens–Henager College | Idaho Falls and Boise | Private | 1891 | 2021 | [8] |
Idaho is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the United States. It shares a small portion of the Canada–United States border to the north, with the province of British Columbia. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington and Oregon to the west. The state's capital and largest city is Boise. With an area of 83,570 square miles (216,400 km2), Idaho is the 14th largest state by land area. With a population of approximately 1.8 million, it ranks as the 13th least populous and the 6th least densely populated of the 50 U.S. states.
Boise State University (BSU) is a public research university in Boise, Idaho. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees since 1965. It became a public institution in 1969.
Nampa is the most populous city in Canyon County, Idaho, United States. The population was 100,200 at the 2020 census. It is Idaho's 3rd most populous city. Nampa is about 20 miles (32 km) west of Boise along Interstate 84, and six miles (10 km) west of Meridian. It is the second principal city of the Boise metropolitan area. The name "Nampa" may have come from a Shoshoni word meaning either moccasin or footprint. According to toponymist William O. Bright the name comes from the Shoshoni word /nampai/, meaning "foot".
Manhattan Christian College (MCC) is a private Christian college in Manhattan, Kansas. It was founded in 1927 as Christian Workers University. The institution's name was changed to Manhattan Bible College in 1930 and Manhattan Christian College in 1971.
Brigham Young University–Idaho is a private college in Rexburg, Idaho. Founded 136 years ago in 1888, the college is owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Previously known as Ricks College, it transitioned from a junior college to a baccalaureate institution in 2001.
The Boise–Nampa, Idaho Metropolitan Statistical Area (MSA) is an area that encompasses Ada, Boise, Canyon, Gem, and Owyhee counties in southwestern Idaho, anchored by the cities of Boise and Nampa. It is the main component of the wider Boise–Mountain Home–Ontario, ID–OR Combined Statistical Area, which adds Elmore and Payette counties in Idaho and Malheur County, Oregon. It is the state's largest officially designated metropolitan area and includes Idaho's three largest cities: Boise, Nampa, and Meridian. Nearly 40 percent of Idaho's total population lives in the area.
Northwest Nazarene University (NNU) is a private Nazarene university in Nampa, Idaho.
Stevens–Henager College was a private college headquartered in Ogden, Utah which was founded in 1891 and closed abruptly in August 2021. It was one of four educational institutions affiliated with the Salt Lake City–based Center for Excellence in Higher Education (CEHE). Established in 1891, the college had campuses in Idaho and Utah. It offered online and on-campus programs for associate degrees, bachelor's degrees, and master's degrees.
New Saint Andrews College is a private classical Christian college in Moscow, Idaho. It was founded in 1994 by Christ Church, and modeled in part on the curriculum of Harvard College of the seventeenth century. The college offers no undergraduate majors, but follows a single, integrated classical liberal arts curriculum from a Christian worldview in its associate's and bachelor's degree programs. The college also offers master's degrees in theology and letters and classical Christian studies. The New Saint Andrews board, faculty, and staff are confessionally Reformed (Calvinist). Board members are affiliated with the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches (CREC).
Boise Bible College (BBC) is a private Christian Bible college in Boise, Idaho.
The University of Idaho College of Law is the law school of the University of Idaho. Its main location is in Moscow, and a second campus is in the state capital of Boise. As of the entering class of 2017–18, students may take all three years of instruction at either location. The UI College of Law was established in 1909, has been a member of the Association of American Law Schools since 1914, and has been accredited by the American Bar Association (ABA) since 1925. In the 2023 rankings, U.S. News & World Report ranked Idaho Law at #142 of ABA-accredited law schools in its annual law school rankings.
College of Western Idaho (CWI) is a public community college in Southwest Idaho with its primary campus locations in Boise and Nampa. CWI also offers classes at several community locations throughout the Treasure Valley. It is one of four comprehensive community colleges in Idaho and is governed by a five-member board of trustees elected at large by voters in Ada and Canyon counties.
Ohio Christian University (OCU) is a private Christian college in Circleville, Ohio. It is denominationally affiliated with the Churches of Christ in Christian Union.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Idaho refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Idaho. Rexburg, Idaho is home to Brigham Young University–Idaho. Idaho has the third most church members of any U.S. state, and the second-highest percentage of members. The LDS Church is the largest denomination in Idaho, with the largest presence in Eastern Idaho.
The following outline is provided as an overview of and a topical guide to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
