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Idaho State scholarships and merit aid

Two prices: the posted one, and yours.

Posted price$17,250per year · 2025-2026 · cost of attendance
Yours?depends on the rules below

The short answer

Idaho State is worth checking if your student has strong grades or scores. We found 4 published awards, and 2 are based on those numbers.

Where does your student land?

Verified Jul 2026
5 school sources to explore

Published rules, with the school sources close at hand. Confirm the details before you count on an award.

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Checking merit aid at Idaho State

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The award collection

Published scholarships

These amounts and requirements come from the school’s own published pages. Open an award to see who qualifies and how to keep it.

Where does your student land?

  1. Presidential Tier Award (automatic incoming-resident scholarship)Amount not publishedAutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    Presidential Tier Award (automatic incoming-resident scholarship)

    Amount not published

    Published award termsAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    Unweighted GPA of 3.0 or greater
    SAT
    SAT scores required (by deadline) to be considered for Presidential Tier
    ACT
    ACT scores required (by deadline) to be considered for Presidential Tier
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Presidential Tier Award (automatic incoming-resident scholarship)

    Who qualifies

    Completed application for admission + official HS transcripts by the deadline (Fall: July 1; Spring: Nov 1). The application for admission serves as the scholarship application.

    How to keep it

    Maximum 4 years / 8 semesters; must complete full-time (min 12) credits each semester and be registered full-time through the 10th day of classes or the scholarship is canceled; must maintain a minimum 3.30 cumulative ISU GPA; undergraduate study only; based on being an Idaho resident and Idaho high school graduate.

    Worth knowing

    Specific dollar amounts for the resident freshman tiers (including the Presidential Tier) are published ONLY inside the 'awarding index' image on the resident-scholarship page and could not be extracted as text with available tools. Listed here as 'Amount not published' pending confirmation. The Presidential Tier is the one tier the page explicitly states requires ACT/SAT in addition to GPA.

  2. Freshman Tiered Scholarship (automatic incoming-resident scholarship)Amount not publishedAutomaticRenewable
    Published awardAcademic thresholds

    Freshman Tiered Scholarship (automatic incoming-resident scholarship)

    Amount not published

    Published award termsAll published eligibility conditions still apply. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    3.0+ unweighted (tier placement set by the awarding index, which is published as an image)
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Freshman Tiered Scholarship (automatic incoming-resident scholarship)

    Who qualifies

    Completed application for admission + official HS transcripts received by deadline (Fall: July 1; Spring: Nov 1). The admission application serves as the scholarship application.

    How to keep it

    Maximum 4 years / 8 semesters; award disbursed in two equal payments per year; undergraduate study only (post-baccalaureates ineligible); must register for and complete full-time (min 12) credits each semester and be registered full-time through the 10th day of classes or the scholarship is canceled; must maintain a minimum 3.0 cumulative ISU GPA; based on being an Idaho resident and Idaho high school graduate.

    Worth knowing

    Tier dollar amounts are published only in the resident 'awarding index' image and were not extractable as text. The renewal-requirements page confirms this is a tiered, renewable resident award distinct from the Presidential Tier (3.0 vs 3.30 renewal GPA).

  3. Bengal Non-Resident Tuition Waiver (BNRW) — undergraduate, domestic & internationalReduced rate: 1.5x Idaho resident tuition (waives a portion of non-resident tuition; est. savings ~$8,100/semester)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Bengal Non-Resident Tuition Waiver (BNRW) — undergraduate, domestic & international

    Reduced rate: 1.5x Idaho resident tuition (waives a portion of non-resident tuition; est. savings ~$8,100/semester)

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    Minimum 3.00 GPA to be reviewed/considered for an initial award
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Bengal Non-Resident Tuition Waiver (BNRW) — undergraduate, domestic & international

    Who qualifies

    Fully admitted by Fall July 1 / Spring Nov 1; degree-seeking undergraduate (post-baccalaureates ineligible); competitive, first-come first-served, limited number awarded; preference to academically superior students in under-subscribed majors. Application for admission serves as the NRTW application.

    How to keep it

    Renewable for up to eight semesters based on meeting minimum renewal criteria; refer to original acceptance form/email for exact renewal terms. Must remain full-time (min 12 undergraduate credits).

    Worth knowing

    Waives non-resident tuition only — students are still billed any tuition/fees the waiver doesn't cover. NOT a full ride.

  4. Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)Reduced rate: 1.5x Idaho resident tuition (waives a portion of non-resident tuition)Not automaticRenewable
    Published awardOther selection criteria

    Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)

    Reduced rate: 1.5x Idaho resident tuition (waives a portion of non-resident tuition)

    Published coverage or packageNot recorded as automatic on grades and scores. Read the selection rules. Confirm the policy year with the school.

    GPA
    Preference to students with at least 2.50 GPA; all students must have 2.0 or greater GPA to receive an offer
    RenewableCheck the conditions
    Open award details for Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE)

    Who qualifies

    Must reside in a participating WUE state/territory (AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, MT, NV, NM, ND, OR, SD, UT, WA, WY, CNMI, American Samoa, Palau, Marshall Islands). Submit all admissions materials by Fall July 1 / Spring Nov 1. Application for admission serves as the WUE application. Post-baccalaureate students are WUE eligible.

    How to keep it

    Must be enrolled full time (12+ credits) as a degree-seeking undergraduate each semester; maintain good academic standing; must NOT accept any other ISU scholarship in the form of a tuition waiver or reduction of non-resident charges. WUE Rate drops to full non-resident charges if not full-time by the 10th day of classes.

    Worth knowing

    WUE recipients are not eligible to establish Idaho residency for tuition purposes, and time on WUE does not count toward gaining Idaho residency.

Lights up against Idaho State's published cutoffs. Not an award offer; confirm with the financial aid office.

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  • “it told me what to ask and what the renewal GPA looked like, which I was not going to find on my own”Melissa

The fine print

Renewal rulePresidential Tier Award (automatic incoming-resident scholarship): renewal floor that quietly knocks awards out

Maximum 4 years / 8 semesters; must complete full-time (min 12) credits each semester and be registered full-time through the 10th day of classes or the scholarship is canceled; must maintain a minimum 3.30 cumulative ISU GPA; undergraduate study only; based on being an Idaho resident and Idaho high school graduate. A single rough term can end a four-year award here without warning if the GPA floor isn't met cumulatively.

What makes Idaho State different

Idaho residents are auto-considered for tiered freshman scholarships (including a higher Presidential Tier) via their admission application, while non-residents lean on Bengal Non-Resident Tuition Waivers and WUE that cut non-resident tuition to 1.5x the resident rate. DRAFT.

Merit tiers42 based on grades or scores
Research checkedJul 2026By our research team

More than one award path

Separate the two paths.

Some awards use published academic thresholds. Others have different selection criteria. A score chart does not describe every award at this school.

  1. Match the published criteria

    Use all requirements together, including residency and the entering class.

  2. Check the application dates

    Confirm the current admission and scholarship deadlines directly with the school.

  3. Know what happens next year

    Check renewal, credit requirements and how other aid affects the award.

The fine print / Three questions to carry forward

Before you count on it.

Does it apply to us? Confirm the entering year, residency and every eligibility condition.

Can we keep it? Check renewal GPA, credits and how long the award lasts.

Can we combine it? Ask how outside scholarships and other school awards change the offer.

Take Idaho State's decision sheet

A printable research summary, source links and room for your questions.

See what could change an award

What families often miss

  1. The resident page states the Presidential Tier Award specifically requires ACT or SAT scores in addition to a 3.0+ unweighted GPA, and the test scores must be submitted by 7/1 (fall) or 11/1 (spring). A strong-GPA student with no test scores will not be considered for the Presidential Tier.

  2. Both only reduce non-resident tuition to 1.5x the Idaho resident rate; students are still billed remaining tuition and fees. It is a rate reduction, not free tuition or full cost of attendance.

  3. To keep WUE, a student must NOT accept any other ISU scholarship that is a tuition waiver or reduction of non-resident charges — accepting one can cost the WUE rate.

  4. The Presidential Tier requires a 3.30 cumulative ISU GPA to renew; the Freshman Tiered Scholarship requires 3.0. Falling below the threshold ends the award.

  5. If you are not registered full-time (min 12 credits) through the 10th day of classes, the scholarship is canceled for that semester.

  6. Time on WUE does not count toward Idaho residency, and WUE recipients cannot establish Idaho residency for tuition purposes.

  7. The application for admission IS the scholarship application; required documents (application + official HS transcripts) must arrive by Fall July 1 / Spring Nov 1 to be considered for automatic scholarships.

See costs and school data

Who this school may work for

Idaho-resident freshmen with a 3.0+ unweighted GPA (test scores help reach the Presidential Tier), and Western-state non-residents who want the 1.5x-resident WUE/BNRW rate. DRAFT.

Published yearly cost: Approximately $17,250 for 2025-2026. Source

Cost and graduation facts

Federal reporting on who actually enrolls at Idaho State, what they paid after aid, and what happened next — independent of anything the school markets.

Average annual net price by family income at Idaho State, academic year 2021-22 — in-state, Title-IV aid recipients only
Family incomeAverage net price paid
$0–$30,000$10,593
$30,001–$48,000$10,011
$48,001–$75,000$11,538
$75,001–$110,000$14,483
$110,001+$16,288
All income levels (average)$12,193

Sticker price vs. what students actually pay

Published tuition & fees (in-state), AY 2022-23
$8,610
Published tuition & fees (out-of-state), AY 2022-23
$27,720
Average net price paid (all Title-IV aid), AY 2021-22
$12,193

That works out to roughly a 43% discount below the federal AY 2021-22 average cost of attendance of $21,527 (College Scorecard — a separate, federally reported figure, not the published cost of attendance shown above).

Idaho State is a public school; Scorecard's net price figure covers in-state, Title-IV-aid-recipient payers only — there is no comparable federal figure for out-of-state students.

Outcomes for students who enrolled here

Graduation rate (150% of normal time), 2016 cohort
39%
First-year retention rate, 2021 cohort
72%
Median debt at completion, 2020–2021 completers
$20,039 (~$212/mo on a 10-yr plan)
Median earnings, 10 years after entry (measured 2020-21)
$45,608
Share of students receiving a Pell grant, AY 2021-22
40%
Share of students receiving a federal loan, AY 2021-22
26%
See other scholarships and cost examples

If your student brings another scholarship

Outside scholarships reduce loans and/or work-study first; institutional grants are only reduced if required to prevent an over-award.

Verified policy language (2026-07-02): Scholarships are Part of Financial Aid--When you receive a scholarship (whether institutional funds or outside funds) at ISU, it is considered part of your total Financial Aid package. It will be counted as part of the aid you have available to meet the total cost of education as determined by the Federal Financial Aid process. It will not reduce any gift aid such as PELL Grant or State Grants, but it may reduce loan or college work study amounts, depending on the individual situation.

Source

Other Idaho State scholarships worth checking

These awards can be harder to find. Each one has its own rules.

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityApply via BOSS starting January (fall admittance) or October (spring admittance); recommended monthly logins.

Separate application beyond the automatic admission-based awards.

Source

AmountAmount not publishedEligibilityIdaho state scholarship program; apply via nextsteps.idaho.gov.

State program referenced from ISU's resident scholarship steps; hosted off the ISU domain.

Source

Idaho State merit aid FAQ

  • What is the scholarship deadline for incoming Idaho residents?

    Get admitted by the deadline: Fall entry July 1; Spring entry November 1. The application for admission serves as the scholarship application.

  • Do I need the FAFSA for scholarships?

    Some awarding is need-based; to be considered for need-based awards you must complete the FAFSA (ISU FAFSA code 001620).

  • How much does ISU cost?

    Per the 2025-26 published cost of attendance, total estimated yearly cost is $17,250 for Idaho residents, $20,373 at the WUE/BNRW rate, and $36,576 for non-residents (tuition $8,914 / $12,037 / $28,240 respectively, plus room $3,300, meal plan $4,036, books $1,000).

  • How do non-residents lower their tuition?

    Through a Bengal Non-Resident Tuition Waiver or the Western Undergraduate Exchange, both of which set tuition at 1.5x the Idaho resident rate; deadlines are Fall July 1 / Spring Nov 1 and the admission application serves as the application.

See sources and other schools

How Idaho State compares

  • 145 of 749 verified schools in our dataset use loan-first displacement.

    Idaho State is in a recognizable cluster (145 schools share this category). That framing matters when comparing peer schools that may publish the policy differently or not at all.

  • 665 of 749 verified schools publish at least one four-year renewable merit award.

    Idaho State is one of them. The cohort minority (84 schools) only awards one-year scholarships, which means the four-year value families assume on a brochure quote isn't guaranteed at every school.

Sources used on this page

Every claim is checked against Idaho State’s own published materials. Below is the full reference set.

Compare with similar schools

Keep exploring Idaho State merit aid

The next chapter

Where does Idaho State fit in your plan?

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