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Lewis-Clark State College

#5 Best Colleges in Idaho
Public Lewiston, ID · Urban · Rocky Mountains · 93% data
B Social Mobility C+ Earnings C+ Value
Graduation Rate
43% D+
Lower completion rate than most colleges
Earnings (10yr)
$46,001 C+
Roughly in line with national averages
Net Price
$15,635 C+
Close to the national average
Acceptance Rate
88% D+
Accessible to most qualified applicants
Earnings +13% vs avg
Graduation -25% vs avg
Net Price +-9% vs avg
Mobility Top 25%

Bottom line: A C overall grade — average outcomes for a U.S. college. 16.2× return on investment — every $1 spent returns $16.2 over 20 years. Ranked #5 in Best Colleges in Idaho.

16.2× return on investment

Every $1 spent returns $16.2 over 20 years — debt pays back in ~under a year. Net gain: $952,542.

What The Data Says

  1. A C overall — outcomes trail most U.S. colleges on measured metrics.

  2. Graduation of 43% — 25% below the national average.

  3. Social mobility rate of 2.13% — an engine of upward economic mobility.

  4. Every $1 invested returns $16.2 over 20 years — an exceptional return.

Why Lewis-Clark State College Matters

Lewis-Clark State College is a public college in Lewiston, ID and its outcomes are not an accident. They are driven by an above-average alumni network and a strong record of moving students up the income ladder. The result: graduate earnings well above the typical college.

Interpretation generated from this school's federal outcomes, research, and mobility data.

Institutional Profile

Institution Type
Public College
Carnegie Class
Baccalaureate College
Enrollment
2,385
Setting
Urban
Primary Strengths
Health Professions, Business & Marketing, Humanities, Education

Why students choose Lewis-Clark State College

Close mentorship
A small, undergraduate-focused community
Strength in Health Professions
Its most-awarded field of study

CollegeRanker Report Card

Graded on outcomes, against every U.S. college.

C
Top 47% overall
C+
Earnings
$46,001 median
C+
Value
2.9× net price
C+
Affordability
$15,635/yr net
D+
Graduation
43% graduate
B
Social Mobility
2.1% climb Q1→Q5
D+
Selectivity
88% admit rate
D+
Diversity
0.48 index

Each grade is this school's national percentile on a real outcome — earnings, value, mobility, and more.

How we grade →

Overview

Lewis-Clark State College has an acceptance rate of 88%, making it accessible for a wide range of students. This high acceptance rate reflects the college's commitment to welcoming diverse backgrounds and fostering an inclusive environment for learning.

Graduates from Lewis-Clark State College earn a median salary of $46,001 ten years post-graduation. However, only 43% of students complete their degree within six years. This statistic highlights the importance of student support and engagement for those who seek to improve their earning potential and career outcomes after college.

The net price for attending Lewis-Clark State College is approximately $15,635, with a median student debt of $18,500. About 24% of students receive Pell Grants, indicating a significant number of low-income students benefit from financial aid. Those who thrive here typically pursue degrees in high-demand fields such as health professions, business, and computer science.

Rankings

Can I Get In?

How selective Lewis-Clark State College is — and how your numbers stack up.

Tool

Will I Be Accepted?

Enter your credentials to see your chances at this school.

3.0
Test Score
1050
21

Academics & Admissions

Is It Hard to Get Into Lewis-Clark State College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

As a public institution in Lewiston, Idaho, Lewis-Clark State College admits most of the students who apply; the acceptance rate is roughly 88%. The graduation rate is roughly 43%.

Acceptance Rate
88%
Retention Rate
61%
Full-Time Faculty
96%
Faculty Salary (mo)
$7,551
Student–Faculty Ratio
15:1
Diversity Index
0.48
First-Gen Students
40%
Applicants
3,938
Admitted
3,417

Inside the Admissions Office

School-reported Common Data Set · 2025-26

The acceptance rate tells you how hard Lewis-Clark State College is to get into. Its Common Data Set tells you what happens once you are admitted: how many students say yes, how many arrived without test scores, and whether applying early tilts the odds. 16% of admitted students go on to enroll here, making it a school most admitted students ultimately pass on.

Yield Rate
16%
of admits enroll
Submitted SAT
44%
of enrolled freshmen
Submitted ACT
3%
of enrolled freshmen

There is an early lane. Lewis-Clark offers Early Action, so you can apply ahead of the regular deadline and hear back sooner without committing to enroll.

Test-optional, in practice. Only about 47% of enrolled freshmen submitted an SAT or ACT score, so a strong application without test scores is genuinely competitive here, not a long shot.

Source: Lewis-Clark State College's Common Data Set, 2025-26 View the source document on collegedata.fyi →

Can I Afford It?

What you'll actually pay after grants and aid — not the sticker price.

Cost & Financial Aid

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Lewis-Clark State College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Lewis-Clark State College is $22,028, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $15,635. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $13,080 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $18,500 in federal student loans.

In-State Tuition
$7,610
Out-of-State
$22,028
Avg Net Price
$15,635
Median Debt
$18,500
Pell Grant Rate
24%
Federal Loan Rate
26%

What Families Actually Pay

Family Income $0–$30K
$13,080
Family Income $30K–$48K
$14,044
Family Income $48K–$75K
$15,127
Family Income $110K+
$19,004

What Happens After?

Earnings, debt, and where graduates actually land.

Students Like You

Tell us a little about yourself to see what students like you have typically experienced at Lewis-Clark State College — the net price for your income, your admission odds, and the outcomes that follow. These are patterns from federal data, not predictions.

Compare schools in the full simulator →Sources: College Scorecard, Common Data Set, Opportunity Insights · today's dollars (CPI-adjusted) · descriptive, not predictive

Graduate Outcomes

Is Lewis-Clark State College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Lewis-Clark State College earn a median of $46,001, roughly in line with the national average for college graduates.

6 Years After Entry
$42,133
8 Years
$45,231
10 Years
$46,001
Debt-to-Earnings
0.4x
Earning > $25K
61%

Earnings Trajectory

$42,133 6yr $45,231 8yr $46,001 10yr

Graduation by Timeframe

100% (63)
15%
100% (63)
15%
100% (63)
15%
100% (63)
15%

How Lewis-Clark Compares

Dot right of center = above national average.

NATIONAL AVGGraduation43%Earnings 10yr$46KNet Price$16KRetention61%Median Debt$19KPell Grant Rate24%

Net Price by Family Income

What families actually pay after aid, by income bracket.

$13K$0-30K$14K$30-48K$15K$48-75K$19K$110K+

The Mobility Equation

Mobility = Access x Success. How many low-income students get in, and how many reach the top 20%?

ACCESS% from bottom 20%12.5%SUCCESS% who reach top 20%17.0%MOBILITY2.13%

College ROI Calculator

Is Lewis-Clark State College Worth It?

A data-driven look at the return on your educational investment — using real federal data.

Yes — for most students, Lewis-Clark State College delivers a positive return. Over four years, the typical net price is $15,635/year ($62,540 total). Graduates earn $46,001 at ten years, and over a 20-year career we project $1,015,082 in total earnings — a net gain of $952,542 (16.2× your investment). The median debt is $18,500, which takes less than a year to pay back at typical earnings. With a 43% graduation rate, the path to that return is well-tested. This is a exceptional ROI compared to national averages.

Total Cost (4yr)
$62,540
Projected 20yr Earnings
$1,015,082
Net Return
$952,542
ROI Multiple
16.2×
Cost Per Year
$15,635
Median Debt
$18,500
Debt Payback
Less than 1 yr
Graduation Rate
43%

Does It Change Lives?

Mobility, social capital, and innovation — does it move people up?

Social Mobility

Data: Raj Chetty's Mobility Report Card · 30M+ anonymized tax records

Does Lewis-Clark State College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Lewis-Clark State College is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 2.13%, among the highest in the country. Access is a real strength here. Roughly 12.5% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile, a high share that gives low-income students a real foothold. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 17% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $66,000, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

Mobility Rate
2.13%
Bottom 20% → Top 20%
Success Rate
17.0%
If bottom 20% get in
From Bottom 20%
12.5%
Share of students
Parent Median Income
$89,671
today's $ (2015 cohort data)

Social Capital

Data: Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas

How Connected Is Lewis-Clark State College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs above average at Lewis-Clark State College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.07, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.03), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 8% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Economic Connectedness
1.07
Cross-class friendships
Friending Bias
0.03
Lower = more inclusive
Volunteering Rate
8.0%
Support Ratio
0.99
Community support

Research Note

267%
Low-income students at colleges in the top quartile of economic connectedness are 267% more likely to reach the top income quintile than peers at the least-connected schools.
Data from CollegeRanker’s review of 5,745 U.S. colleges (n=1,503). Quartile comparison of mean bottom-quintile success rate, split by economic connectedness (Opportunity Insights Social Capital Atlas × Mobility Report Card).

Institutional Finances

Data: NCES IPEDS

Federal Grants
$860,174
Investment Income
$71,528

Top Programs

The fields Lewis-Clark State College awards the most degrees in, by share of completions. Where federal field-of-study data exists, we show what graduates in that major earned early in their careers. Each links to its degree guide — or see what someone with your income, scores, and major would pay and earn here in the Students Like You simulator.

Early-career median earnings by major (typically 1–2 years after completion, bachelor's level where available), in today's dollars (CPI-adjusted). Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard field of study. Distinct from the school-wide 10-year median; suppressed for small programs.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is It Hard to Get Into Lewis-Clark State College? Acceptance Rate & Requirements

As a public institution in Lewiston, Idaho, Lewis-Clark State College admits most of the students who apply; the acceptance rate is roughly 88%. The graduation rate is roughly 43%.

How Much Does It Cost to Attend Lewis-Clark State College? Tuition, Net Price & Aid

Published tuition at Lewis-Clark State College is $22,028, but few families pay that. The number to watch is net price, what students actually pay each year after federal grants and institutional scholarships. Here it averages about $15,635. Students from families earning under $30,000 typically pay closer to $13,080 after need-based grants. The median graduate leaves with about $18,500 in federal student loans.

Is Lewis-Clark State College Worth It? Graduate Earnings & ROI

Ten years out, alumni of Lewis-Clark State College earn a median of $46,001, roughly in line with the national average for college graduates.

Does Lewis-Clark State College Drive Upward Mobility? Economic Mobility & Low-Income Outcomes

Lewis-Clark State College is a genuine engine of upward mobility. Its mobility rate, the share of students who start in the bottom income quintile and climb to the top, is 2.13%, among the highest in the country. Access is a real strength here. Roughly 12.5% of students come from families in the bottom income quintile, a high share that gives low-income students a real foothold. Among bottom-quintile students who attend, roughly 17% go on to reach the top of the income ladder. The median family income of students sits near $66,000, a snapshot of the campus's socioeconomic mix.

How Connected Is Lewis-Clark State College? Social Capital & Cross-Class Networks

Social capital, the web of cross-class friendships that researchers link to long-run upward mobility, runs above average at Lewis-Clark State College. Its economic connectedness score is 1.07, where about 1.0 is the national norm. Its friending bias is low (0.03), a sign that students from different economic backgrounds actually mix rather than self-segregate. Around 8% of students take part in civic and volunteering activity.

Does Lewis-Clark State College offer Early Decision?

No. Lewis-Clark State College does not report a binding Early Decision plan, though it does offer a non-binding Early Action option (2025-26 Common Data Set).

Is Lewis-Clark State College really test-optional?

In practice, yes. Only about 47% of enrolled first-year students submitted an SAT or ACT score, so a strong application without test scores is genuinely competitive at Lewis-Clark State College (2025-26 Common Data Set).

What percentage of admitted students enroll at Lewis-Clark State College?

About 16% of admitted students choose to enroll at Lewis-Clark State College — its yield rate (2025-26 Common Data Set). Yield reflects how often a school wins when applicants weigh competing offers.

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Schools with similar outcomes, selectivity, and student profiles to Lewis-Clark State College.

The State of American Higher Education Outcomes for 2026 — report cover Download PDF

The 2026 Annual Report

The State of American Higher Education Outcomes

Every state graded on what graduates earn, how far they climb, and what college really costs — the hidden geography of economic mobility, in one report.

Free · 21 pages · 5,745 institutions · 100% federal data, no surveys