BOISE, Idaho – Resident tuition and fees will increase three percent this upcoming academic year at Idaho’s public four-year colleges and universities.
Voting unanimously to approve of the increase, the Idaho State Board of Education reportedly approved the requests after hearing from the institutions and from elected student leaders who voiced their support of the decision.
Among inflation-related costs, the four institutions made their requests to fully fund the change in employee compensation that was approved during the recent legislative session, according to the Board.
“Over the past few years, inflation has been higher than 3 percent and so by approving a 3 percent tuition and fee increase, we are implicitly asking each institution to become more efficient, and I struggle with how long we can do this,” said Idaho State Board of Education member, Kurt Liebich. “Strategically, how do we use our scholarships, how do we discount in a way that allows us to achieve the goals of educating citizens of Idaho while keeping our institutions solvent? It’s going to be a tricky balancing act over the next four or five years.”
Currently costing $8,782 per academic year, Boise State University will see a $266 increase, making the annual cost $9,048.
Idaho State University will face a $254 increase, rising from $8,356 this past academic year to $8,610.
Tuition at Lewis-Clark State College will increase by $222, rising from $7,388 to $7,610.
The largest increase will be at the University of Idaho, increasing by $268 and lifting annual tuition from $8,816 to $9,084.
Idaho is not the only state seeing college tuition increases for the 2024-25 school year. In January, members of the Washington State University Board of Regents voted to increase tuition, also by three percent.
