Source: IPEDS, as of September 29, 2026. Cost is resident tuition plus required fees, 2023-24.
Associate Degrees in Idaho
4
Meet the Ranking Threshold
4
Median Resident Tuition and Fees
$6,658
With a Fully Online Option
2
General Studies Associate Degrees in Idaho
General studies associate degrees in Idaho are four programs, and three of them are at universities that also award the bachelor's, which makes North Idaho College in Coeur d'Alene the only community college on the list. All four meet the ranking threshold. Brigham Young University-Idaho's General Studies A.S. in Rexburg has the highest score in the state at this level, 85.5, third on the national associate list, and it is the largest program by a wide margin: 866 degrees in the latest year, a 55% graduation rate and $4,656 in tuition and fees, the same price for residents and nonresidents, online.
The University of Idaho's Associate of Arts in General Studies in Moscow scores 69.9, 43rd nationally, with the highest graduation rate here, 57%, on 283 degrees at $8,816, also online. North Idaho College scores 66, 67th nationally, on 316 degrees, a 38% graduation rate and $4,960. Idaho State University in Pocatello scores 55.7 on 230 degrees, a 39% graduation rate and $8,356.
The pattern is easy to state. BYU-Idaho and North Idaho College charge $4,656 and $4,960, the two public universities $8,356 and $8,816, and the two online programs, BYU-Idaho and Idaho, are also the two that graduate more than half their students. The two campus programs graduate 38% and 39%.
The 4 Best General Studies Associate Degrees in Idaho
The best general studies associate degrees in Idaho are ranked below by their national score, from the national associate degree ranking. The number on each card is the program's place in Idaho. Each needed at least 10 graduates in the latest year to be ranked.
1
Brigham Young University-Idaho
General Studies (A.S.)
Idaho
85.5- Private nonprofit
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 55%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $4,656 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 866
About the Program
Not having a major yet is the starting point this degree assumes. General Studies (A.S.) lets you explore many different subjects, from English and math to science and social studies, and you earn college credit while you do it. BYU-Idaho names College Success and Writing and Reasoning Foundations among the courses for this major, and the College Success courses teach you how to thrive in your classes.
Finishing the degree clears general education in full, because General Studies (A.S.) meets all your general education requirements at BYU-Idaho. So if you move into another major at BYU-Idaho, you can start right away without taking further general education coursework. That's what makes the associate degree a sound place to decide: the credit you earn while exploring can be used toward a four-year degree.
Transferring out is possible, but the rules aren't BYU-Idaho's to set. The college says each university has its own transfer rules, while many accept an associate degree in General Studies in place of their own general education credits. Check with the university you're aiming for before you count on it. BYU-Idaho awards this degree as General Studies (A.S.).
2
University of Idaho
Associate of Arts in General Studies
Idaho
69.9- Public
- Fully Online Option
- College graduation rate
- 57%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $8,816 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 283
About the Program
The degree lets you explore the arts and humanities, in subjects like English, history, theater, music, art and philosophy. But the Associate of Arts in General Studies also asks for depth. The catalog requires a certificate or a 12-credit area of emphasis approved by an advisor, and the college's A.A. requirements name six more humanities credits, a nine-credit approved emphasis, or an academic certificate. Ask an advisor which applies to you.
Career planning is a required part of the degree, since you must take one career exploration course. The choices are Major/Career Exploration and Decision Making, a workshop, or Career Purpose and Insight. That suits you if you're starting college without a major in mind, because the degree gives you credit for working out what comes after it.
Online or on campus, the degree is 60 credits over 2 years, and applications open each September and are processed on a rolling basis. Check one rule before you apply. You can't become a candidate for the A.A. if you've already earned a baccalaureate degree or you're a candidate for another degree at the university. You can't earn two associate degrees in General Studies either.
3
North Idaho College
Idaho
66.0- Public
- College graduation rate
- 38%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $4,960 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 316
About the Program
Based in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho, North Idaho College is a public community college with 4,585 students on its rolls. The program's last federal report shows 316 associate's degrees conferred, so it is larger than 84 in every 100 programs measured here. Across the whole college, 38% of students finish, which is a higher rate than 59% of the institutions behind this list. Residents pay $4,960 a year in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay $8,736. Its strongest mark is the number of degrees it awards, at the 84th percentile.
4
Idaho State University
Idaho
55.7- Public
- College graduation rate
- 39%
- In-state tuition and fees
- $8,356 a year
- Degrees awarded, latest year
- 230
About the Program
Idaho State University is a public university in Pocatello, Idaho that enrolls 13,061 students. During the most recent year on record it awarded 230 associate's degrees, a count at the 78th percentile for size. Across the whole college, 39% of students finish, which is a higher rate than 62% of the institutions behind this list. Residents pay $8,356 a year in tuition and fees, while out-of-state students pay $27,466. Its strongest mark is the number of degrees it awards, at the 78th percentile.
How Much Does a General Studies Associate Degree Cost in Idaho?
A general studies associate degree in Idaho costs $6,658 a year in tuition and required fees at the median of the four programs, with a floor of $4,656 at BYU-Idaho and a ceiling of $8,816 at the University of Idaho. North Idaho College is $4,960 for residents and Idaho State $8,356. Residency changes the picture at the public schools: nonresidents pay $8,736 at North Idaho College, $27,466 at Idaho State and $29,784 at Idaho, while BYU-Idaho's $4,656 applies to everyone. For a student from across the state line in Washington or Montana, that makes BYU-Idaho's online A.S. cheaper than even North Idaho College's nonresident rate.
If you've been to college before, the Idaho Opportunity Scholarship has an Adult Learner track for students who have already earned 24 or more transferable credits, which fits someone coming back to finish an associate degree. You need a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5, and the award bends to your course load: part-time Adult Learners get a prorated award, starting at half the maximum for 6 to 8 credits a term. Ask North Idaho College or Idaho State how the award is applied against their published rates.
Will a General Studies Associate Degree Transfer in Idaho?
Yes, a general studies associate degree transfers in Idaho with general education finished at every public institution, as long as the degree is an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science. State Board of Education Policy III.V covers the University of Idaho, Boise State, Idaho State, Lewis-Clark State and the four public community colleges, North Idaho College among them, and it says that students who complete an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science at an accredited institution have satisfied the general education requirement on transfer to any Idaho public institution. North Idaho College's associate and the University of Idaho's A.A. qualify on their face. BYU-Idaho's degree is an A.S. from an accredited private university, so ask Boise State or Idaho State directly how they apply the rule to it.
You don't have to finish to carry credit. Completing the 36-credit General Education Framework without an associate degree clears general education at the receiving Idaho institution too, and individual GEM courses count toward the matching competency even if you stop short of the framework. Under Policy III.N, at least 31 of those credits must fall in the GEM competency areas. And non-remedial credits earned at one Board-governed institution transfer to the others, general education or not, so a semester at North Idaho College is not lost if you move to Idaho State.
What Do Jobs With a General Studies Associate Degree Pay in Idaho?
Jobs open to a general studies associate degree in Idaho pay the state medians below, from the May 2025 federal wage survey, with the national median beside each for comparison. Each row links to the salary guide for that job.
How to Choose a General Studies Associate Degree Program in Idaho
How to choose a general studies associate degree program in Idaho is a choice between a cheap online private university, a cheap campus community college and two public universities that cost almost twice as much, and the graduation rates don't follow the prices. BYU-Idaho graduates 55% at $4,656, North Idaho College 38% at $4,960, Idaho State 39% at $8,356 and the University of Idaho 57% at $8,816. So the two cheapest programs bracket the completion range, and the two most expensive do too.
If you mean to go on to a bachelor's, three of these four campuses award a general studies bachelor's as well, and staying put avoids a transfer altogether. If you need online delivery, your choices are BYU-Idaho and the University of Idaho, and both graduate more than half their students. Ask BYU-Idaho how its admission and enrollment requirements differ from the public universities', ask North Idaho College whether its general studies degree is awarded as an A.A. or A.S., since that is what triggers the State Board's general education guarantee, and ask any program how many GEM competency areas its general studies courses cover.
If you plan to finish a bachelor's in the state, the general studies bachelor's degrees in Idaho have their own page.