Idaho State University reported 13,533 students in its Fall 2026 Census Day enrollment count released Oct. 16, a decrease of 377 students, or 2.7 percent, from Fall 2025.
The university recorded 1,532 first-time undergraduate students. Although enrollment declined from last fall, total enrollment has increased 10 percent since Fall 2021, when Idaho State reported 12,157 students.
Robert Wagner said the university is serving students with varied backgrounds and needs. “We must meet them where they are,” Wagner said, referring to flexible programs, supportive environments and practical training.
Housing and Student Services
Enrollment growth since Fall 2021 created a need for additional housing on the Pocatello campus. Idaho State partnered with Radnor Property Group on a planned 370-bed housing unit.
The university also expanded student support services. The Bengal Success Center, which began operating in Pocatello in March 2025, provided more than 40,000 individualized services to nearly 8,500 students during the past 12 months. An extension of the center opened at the Idaho Falls campus.
Idaho applications submitted through the Apply Idaho system declined 7.7 percent. Despite that statewide decrease, undergraduate enrollment in Idaho Falls increased 12.5 percent across several programs. The largest gains there came in elementary education and nursing.
Academic and Workforce Programs
Enrollment in health sciences degree programs remained steady, while programs connected to nuclear-industry careers grew 13.7 percent. Idaho State identified itself as a primary talent pipeline for Idaho National Laboratory, where more than 1,150 university alumni work.
The university’s Certified Nurse Anesthetist doctoral program remains the only program of its kind in Idaho. Idaho State also plans to offer radiographic science at the Idaho Falls campus and expand dental hygiene to its Meridian campus.
Last spring, Idaho State became the first university in the state to offer three-year applied bachelor’s degree programs. The offerings include applied degrees in law enforcement management and leadership, business and professional sales, and intelligent and trustworthy digital systems.
The Albion Center for Professional Development reported 2,624 students enrolled this fall. Workforce Training enrollment rose from fiscal year 2025 to fiscal year 2026, with growth in apprenticeship programs, CPR training, emergency medical technician training and phlebotomy.
Those four Workforce Training programs served 125 more students than in the previous fiscal year, an 11.12 percent increase in participation.