Which Idaho College Is the Top Party School in the State? Top 3 Revealed

We may not like to admit it, but Idaho’s still one of the fastest-growing states in the country. US News and World Report, we’re still #1 for Net Migration and #3 for the growth of a younger population. Even though we’ve grown, we’re not exactly the biggest state in the country. 

According to WiseVoter, Idaho ranks #39 when it comes to the largest population. We have fewer people than many states. We have fewer colleges too. So, it’s not a big surprise that there’s not a lot of competition regarding the title of “Top Party School.” 

There are really only eight strong contenders. Here’s a look at who they are and how hard each school is to get into. 

Idaho’s Top 3 Party Schools Revealed

We hate to stereotype, but you know right away that the title isn’t going to BYU-Idaho. The school has an honor code stating that students are expected to “abstain from alcoholic beverages, tobacco, tea, coffee, vaping, and substance abuse.” They’ve got a strict set of rules when it comes to visiting the apartments of someone of the opposite gender. For example, visitors of the opposite gender are not allowed in bedrooms at any time and there must always be at least three people in the apartment during the visit. There’s also a curfew of midnight Saturday-Thursday and 1 a.m. on Fridays. It’s been quite a while since we’ve been in college, but we never remember parties ending that early. 

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When Niche.com put together their list of the “Top Party Schools in Idaho” they looked at factors like student surveys about a school’s party scene that they conducted themselves, access to bars, the school’s athletics grade, the school’s Greek life grade and access to restaurants. 

It might be the hardest school to get into, but The College of Idaho ranked #3 on the list of Top Party Schools in Idaho. 62% of the students surveyed say that varsity sports are a big part of campus life and 55% say that the Greek Life there is “average.” Only 5% of students say you’ll feel a little awkward if you don’t drink.

It’s no surprise that it came down to Boise State vs the University of Idaho for the title of “Top Party School.” 

For years, Boise State had the upper hand if you’re looking at athletics and the tailgate parties that come with it. As an FBS team, Boise State’s been to 21 bowl games and won 13 of them, including the Fiesta Bowl in 2007, 2010 and 2014. But the team had a rocky start in 2023, while the Idaho Vandals are absolutely crushing it. At press time, the Vandals are 3-1, ranked #1 in their conference, beat an FBS opponent and ranked #4 in the FCS States Perform Top 25. 

When it comes to Greek Life? There’s no doubt that it means a lot more in Moscow than it does in Boise. 54% of students polled say Greek life is “pretty big.” 21% of male students are in a frat. 22% of the women are in a sorority. Frat parties are the second biggest social event of the year, second only to Homecoming. 

In Boise, half of the students polled say that Greek Life is “average” and you won’t feel like an outsider if decide NOT to rush one. In fact, Niche doesn’t even break down how many men and women have chosen to go Greek. Frat parties don’t even show up on the list of the biggest social events of the year at BSU. Football games are #1. Spring Fling is #4. Boise Music Festival and Treefort don’t take place on campus, but made the list anyway. 

Who Wins the “Party School” Crown?

Those “nasty and inebriated" Vandals! Based on Niche’s data, the party scene at U of I earned an “A” and 43% of the students that responded to Niche’s survey said there are lots of party options Wednesday-Saturday.

By the way, “nasty and inebriated” was a term coined by former BSU president, Bob Kustra. According to an old AP article, he didn’t realize how harsh that sounded until after the press conference he said it at. He had just read an article called “Reasons to Hate Boise State” and was pretty upset.