Idaho ranks high for degree value, among best for grads overall

A new study has ranked Idaho fifth in the nation for higher education degree value and second best state for graduates overall.

For degree value, Idaho was revealed to have particularly low average private and public tuition fees of $6,967, or 65% lower than the national average. The ranking created by California-based business management consultants Venture Smarter used data on the average private and public tuition fees, as well as college graduation rates, assigning each state a score out of 10 to determine which offers the most cost-effective degrees.

Idaho came in second as the best state for graduates, scoring 8.7 out of 10. Also based on research by Venture Smarter, the top-performing factor for Idaho was earning potential, which, based on a comparison of the average graduate's starting salary to the state’s living wage, is an indicator of how far a graduate's entry-level earnings would go.

North Dakota was ranked first with a score of 8.8 out of 10. The state did particularly well in minimizing students’ financial burden, reporting the lowest average student debt at $28,604 per person.

The data revealed Utah is the best state for degree value, with a score of 8.4 out of 10. The state had one of the lowest average public and private tuition fees at $7,259, considerably lower than the national average of $19,812. That makes the average Utah tuition fee 63% lower than the national average.

Colorado ranked in second place with a score of 8.2 out of 10 for degree value, ranking highly for graduation rates, where they scored a 9.3 out of 10. Colorado has one of the highest graduation rates, with 41.6% of the population with a bachelor's degree or higher.

Following in third, Wyoming scored 8.2 out of 10 for degree value. The state has the lowest average public and private tuition fees in the U.S., with their average fees at $4,785, or 76% lower than the national average of $19,812.

Finally, New Hampshire and Idaho ranked as fourth and fifth best for degree value, both scoring 8 out of 10.

On the other end of the scale, Louisiana ranked as the worst state for degree value, with their average tuition fees being $25,518, 29% more than the national average.

Data was gathered from the National Center for Educational Statistics, the World Population Review, ZipRecruiter, the Education Data Initiative and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.