Information for Idaho State University Students

Independent Study in Idaho (ISI) offers over 100 online, self-paced courses that you can register for at any time. ISI courses are not included in your ISU tuition and fees; if you enroll in an ISI class, you will need to pay for the ISI class in addition to your ISU tuition and fees.

• Undergraduate ISI courses cost $160/credit + $30 administrative fee
• Graduate ISI courses cost $200/credit + $30 administrative fee
• There are no out-of-state fees for ISI courses—the cost is the same for all students

It is important to note that ISI courses do not count toward your credit-hour load and cannot be used to establish full or part-time status for financial aid because they will not show up on your ISU transcript until you complete the course (and, in some cases, have the classes transferred to ISU).

You can take ISI courses even if you are not enrolled at ISU. If you decide to take a semester off from ISU, you can still enroll in ISI classes. The cost for ISI classes remains the same as listed above.

Courses you complete through Independent Study in Idaho count toward the minimum 120 credits ISU students need to graduate, and upper-division ISI courses count toward the minimum 36 credits ISU students need in upper-division courses.

ISI courses are sponsored by three different Idaho colleges and universities: University of Idaho (U of I), Idaho State University (ISU), and Lewis Clark State College (LCSC). ISI courses sponsored by ISU count toward a student’s institutional GPA and ISU residency requirements.  Additionally, an ISU-sponsored ISI course grade can be used to exclude a previously earned grade in the same course.

If you take an ISI course sponsored by ISU, after completing the ISI class it will show up on your ISU transcript. If you take an ISI course sponsored by U of I or LCSC, after completing the ISI class it will show up on a transcript from the sponsoring institution. You can then have that transcript sent to ISU, and your ISI courses will show up on your ISU transcript as transfer credits.

ISI offers courses that fulfill Idaho GEM requirements, including Written Communication, Oral Communication, Mathematical Ways of Knowing, Scientific Ways of Knowing, Humanistic and Artistic Ways of Knowing, and Social and Behavioral Ways of Knowing.

If you have any questions, please email us at indepst@tincyn.net.