Idaho’s Public Four-Year Colleges Approve Tuition Increases for Fall 2026
The Idaho State Board of Education voted Tuesday to approve tuition and fee increases at the state’s public four-year colleges and universities, with the higher costs set to take effect at the start of the fall 2026 semester. The increases reflect ongoing budget pressure following across-the-board state funding reductions that left institutions scrambling to sustain current service levels.
Resident undergraduate students at the University of Idaho, Boise State University, and Idaho State University will see tuition and fee increases of $425. Students at Lewis-Clark State College will face a $350 increase, representing a 4.4% rise over the previous year. In each case, the tuition increases fall short of covering the funding cuts institutions absorbed during this year’s state budget process — a 4% reduction in fiscal year 2026 and a 5% ongoing reduction scheduled for fiscal year 2027.
Institutions Absorbing Deep Budget Cuts While Enrollment Grows
The tuition increases come as Idaho’s public colleges and universities face a difficult financial reality: state appropriations have not kept pace with growing enrollment, and budget reductions have compounded the strain.
At Boise State University, Interim Chief Financial Officer Stacy Pearson said the estimated $8.3 million in additional tuition revenue is necessary to offset the elimination of faculty and staff positions and reductions to academic and student support programs — even as enrollment continues to climb. Boise State’s general fund appropriation has grown by only $1.2 million since fiscal year 2022, despite enrollment increasing by 10% over the same period. Looking ahead to fiscal year 2027, the university faces a combined $11.2 million reduction — an 8% funding decrease — stemming from the legislature’s 5% base reduction and an Enrollment Workload Adjustment formula that ties funding to credit hour growth.
Pearson noted the 4.5% tuition increase approved Tuesday was scaled back from an initially proposed 6.5% hike, following concerns raised by students about affordability. Even with the approved increase, Boise State still faces an estimated shortfall of $5.2 million, which officials plan to address through additional budget reductions and one-time funding. Pearson added that conservative enrollment estimates could help close some of the gap, as spring enrollments came in above projections.
At the University of Idaho, Vice President for Finance and Administration Brian Foisy said the fee increase will help support faculty promotion and tenure, rising personnel costs, utility expenses, computing costs, and the university’s Counseling and Mental Health Center. The tuition revenue increase is estimated at $4.1 million — short of the $4.7 million in 4% cuts absorbed in the current fiscal year. Foisy noted that for fiscal year 2027, the net funding loss amounts to $7.6 million, representing what he called “real operating pressure” that must be addressed through carefully measured adjustments. Elevated inflation has further compounded the university’s operating costs. The University of Idaho has also recently benefited from other funding developments; federal officials reinstated a record-setting U of I grant program earlier this year, providing some relief on the research and programming side.
At Idaho State University, Vice President for Finance and University Planning Jennifer Steele said the 4.7% tuition and fee increase for undergraduate resident students is expected to generate approximately $4.07 million in net new revenue. “As state investment does not keep pace with cost increases, it creates a structural gap that must be addressed responsibly,” Steele said, according to reporting by Idaho Education News.
Lewis-Clark State College Highlights Structural Funding Challenges
Lewis-Clark State College’s $350 tuition increase is projected to generate $904,000 in new revenue. Chris Jones, LCSC’s vice president for finance and administration, described the increase as a “maintenance-level request” intended to sustain current service levels at the Lewiston-area institution.
Jones noted the state’s current Enrollment Workload Adjustment funding formula has resulted in a net funding loss of $140,800 for LCSC since fiscal year 2022 — despite record enrollment levels and no new funding allocated for fiscal year 2027. For the current fiscal year, LCSC absorbed a $971,000 reduction from 4% cuts; fiscal year 2027 is projected to bring a net reduction of $2.8 million. Despite those pressures, Jones said the college expects to close the current fiscal year in balance, without significant surplus or deficit.
To achieve that stability, LCSC has taken significant steps in recent years, including eliminating 78 academic programs based on enrollment trends and regional needs, converting a campus building to student housing to generate revenue, and implementing software to recover unpaid tuition from students who withdraw.
Board President Kurt Liebich acknowledged the difficulty of the decisions. “These are not simple decisions, and they are not made lightly,” Liebich said in a release from the Idaho State Board of Education. “We are balancing the very real financial pressures facing our institutions with our responsibility to keep higher education accessible for Idaho students.”
What Comes Next
The approved tuition increases take effect at the start of the fall 2026 semester. Idaho’s public universities will continue to work through budget reductions heading into fiscal year 2027, with Boise State planning additional cuts and use of one-time funds to close its remaining shortfall. Lawmakers and higher education administrators will face continued pressure to reconcile growing enrollment demand with shrinking state appropriations. Statewide higher education developments can be tracked at Idaho News.