| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Type | Public community college; campus-based, with some online courses |
| Campus | 1, in Idaho Falls, Idaho, plus outreach centers in Rexburg, Salmon and Driggs |
| Credentials | Technical certificates (basic, intermediate and advanced), AAS degrees, transfer associate degrees, and two state-approved applied bachelor’s degrees (BAS) |
| Typical length | One semester for the shortest certificates; two semesters for most intermediate certificates; four semesters for most AAS degrees |
| Accreditation | Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), accredited since 1982 |
| Federal aid | Yes, for most credit programs; the Bookkeeping certificate and the Digital Forensics BAS are listed as not aid-eligible |
| 2026-27 tuition | $155 per credit for in-district Idaho students; $310 out-of-state |
| Students | 3,351 in fall 2025 |
| Founded | 1969, as a vocational-technical school; a community college since 2017 |
| Facts checked | October 2026 |
Idaho Falls’ public community college
College of Eastern Idaho, known as CEI, is a public community college in Idaho Falls and one of Idaho’s four community colleges. It was founded in 1969 as a vocational-technical school, Eastern Idaho Technical College, and became a community college in 2017, adding transfer degrees to its career programs. Career-technical programs remain a large part of its work, from welding and diesel to nursing and dental care.
Enrollment was 3,351 in fall 2025, up 10% on the year before, according to the Idaho State Board of Education; 622 of those students were in career-technical programs. In August 2026 the college opened its Future Tech Building and began its first dental hygiene class. The State Board approved CEI’s first two bachelor’s degrees, in operations management and digital forensics, in December 2023.
Career programs at CEI, all taught in Idaho Falls
CEI’s program finder lists 23 credit programs, and its workforce division runs non-credit courses such as CNA, phlebotomy technician and trade apprenticeship classes. Every credit program below is taught at the Idaho Falls campus. CEI awards three levels of technical certificate (BTC, ITC and ATC), so one program often has several exit points. The table lists published program fees; tuition comes on top.
| Program | Credential | Length | Schedule and starts | Prepares for | Published program costs (2026-27 unless noted) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing (ADN) | AAS | 4 semesters full-time; 6 on the alternative schedule; 3-semester LPN-to-RN bridge | Fall and spring entry; competitive | NCLEX-RN | – |
| Practical Nursing | Intermediate Technical Certificate, 46 credits | 3 semesters (2 with prerequisites done) | Competitive entry | NCLEX-PN | About $10,400 (CEI estimate at the earlier $150 per credit rate) |
| Surgical Technology | AAS, 29 prerequisite + 34 professional credits | As little as 18 months | Apply by 1 April | NBSTSA CST | – |
| Dental Hygiene | AAS, 31 prerequisite + 55 program credits | 4 semesters | 10 seats each fall | – | $2,000 supply fee for DH 101C, plus tuition |
| Dental Assisting | Technical certificate, 32-34 credits | 2 semesters (about 9 months) | Fall start; apply by 1 July | NOCTI dental assisting assessment | – |
| Medical Assisting | Intermediate Technical Certificate, 37 credits | 8-10 months, including an 8-week externship | – | CMA (AAMA) | $462.50 program fees, plus tuition |
| Phlebotomy | Basic Technical Certificate, 16 credits | 1 semester | Fall or spring start | – | $521 program fees, plus tuition |
| Certified Phlebotomy Technician (non-credit) | Workforce course | 8 weeks, Tuesday and Thursday afternoons | – | NHA CPT | $1,599 plus $29 exam fee |
| Certified Nursing Assistant (non-credit) | Workforce course | 12 weeks in person or about 10 weeks hybrid | January, April, July and October | Idaho CNA skills and written exams | $1,115 |
| Welding Technology | AAS, 69 credits; ATC, 54; ITC, 30 | 4 semesters (AAS, ATC); 2 semesters (ITC) | – | – | $200-$375 lab and book fees per course, plus tuition |
| Automotive Technology | AAS, 69 credits; ATC, 54; ITC, 30 | 4 semesters (AAS) | – | – | – |
| Diesel Technology | AAS, 69 credits; ATC, 54; ITC, 30 | 29 months (AAS) | – | – | – |
| Mechatronics Engineering Technology | AAS, 71-72 credits (through the Energy Systems Technology ITC) | About 4 semesters | – | – | – |
| Information Assurance & Cybersecurity | AAS, 60 credits; ITC, 30; Specialized Certificate, 24 | – | Day cohorts in fall, evening cohorts in spring | CompTIA A+, Network+, Linux+, Security+ | – |
| Information Technology Services | AAS, 60 credits; ITC, 30; BTC | – | Day cohorts in fall, evening cohorts in spring | CompTIA, Microsoft, Cisco and AWS exams | – |
| Legal Studies and Paralegal Training | AAS, 60 credits; ITC, 31; BTC | 4 semesters (AAS); 2 (ITC) | First-year courses two mornings a week | – | – |
| Business Management; Bookkeeping | AAS, 60 credits; ITC, 31; Bookkeeping BTC, 16 | 4 semesters (AAS); 2 (ITC) | Business Management: fall, spring or summer start; Bookkeeping: part-time over one spring and one fall | – | – |
| Operations Management; Digital Forensics and Analytics | BAS (Operations Management 121 credits) | – | – | – | $285 per credit in-state, $570 out-of-state |
Programmatic accreditation: CEI’s program page lists Registered Nursing’s ACEN status as continuing accreditation, and Practical Nursing is an ACEN candidate for initial accreditation, a status that runs from December 2024 to December 2026. CEI says Surgical Technology and Medical Assisting are accredited by CAAHEP. Dental Hygiene received CODA initial accreditation in February 2026. Information Assurance & Cybersecurity holds the NSA’s CAE-CD designation.
CEI also sells online Medical Billing and Coding ($3,524) and Medical Administrative Assistant with Medical Billing and Coding ($4,024) courses through the national provider Ed2Go. These are self-paced, non-credit courses, not CEI programs taught in Idaho Falls. CEI has no medical laboratory technician program.
What the main programs cover
Registered Nursing
The associate degree in nursing takes four semesters full-time, or six on an alternative schedule for students who need a slower pace. Licensed practical nurses can take a three-semester LPN-to-RN bridge that starts in summer. Entry is competitive, with deadlines of 1 March for the fall full-time cohort and the bridge, and 1 October for the spring full-time and alternative-schedule cohorts. Classes meet in the Health Education Building, and the program includes clinical rotations. CEI reports that 92.8% of students finished within the normal program length in 2025. Graduates sit the NCLEX-RN.
Practical Nursing
The practical nursing certificate is 46 credits over three semesters, or two for students who have already completed the prerequisites. Like the RN program, it has a separate competitive application, with deadlines of 1 March and 1 October, and includes clinical rotations. It is approved by the Idaho Board of Nursing, and graduates sit the NCLEX-PN for an LPN license. The program became an ACEN candidate for initial accreditation in December 2024; candidacy is not the same as accreditation. CEI reports completion of 95% in 2025.
Surgical Technology
Students complete 29 credits of prerequisites before applying, then 34 professional credits, so the program can take as little as 18 months. Applications are due by 1 April, and students applying for fall 2027 face three new prerequisites. The professional phase includes clinical rotations, and graduates sit the Certified Surgical Technologist (CST) exam run by the NBSTSA. Surgical technology is among the programs CEI planned to house in the new Future Tech Building, and the college reports 78% retention for 2023-24.
Dental Hygiene
Dental hygiene is the college’s newest health degree. Students finish 31 prerequisite credits, then take 55 program credits over four semesters, with patient care in the Building 6 dental clinic. The program takes 10 students each fall. Applications for the first cohort ran from 9 March to 6 April 2026, and that cohort of 10 started in August 2026. Because no class has graduated yet, there are no board exam results to report. CODA granted initial accreditation in February 2026.
Welding Technology
Students spend about two hours a day in class and about four and a half hours a day in the shop. They learn shielded metal arc (SMAW), gas metal arc (GMAW), gas tungsten arc (GTAW) and flux-cored (FCAW) welding, plus oxy-fuel, plasma arc and air carbon arc cutting, and work toward four AWS plate and four AWS pipe positions. Instructors hold ASME Certified Instructor and AWS Certified Welding Inspector credentials. The 30-credit certificate takes two semesters; the 54-credit certificate and the 69-credit AAS take four.
Information Assurance & Cybersecurity
The cybersecurity AAS is 60 credits, with a 30-credit two-semester certificate and a 24-credit specialized certificate as shorter options. Day cohorts start in fall and evening cohorts in spring. Courses prepare for CompTIA A+, Network+, Linux+ and Security+ and use security tools such as Splunk and Security Onion. The program carries the NSA’s Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) designation.
Tuition, fees and how students pay
CEI charges by the credit, and the rate depends on where a student lives. These are the 2026-27 rates on the college’s tuition and fees page, which says they may change with board approval.
| 2026-27, per credit | Amount |
|---|---|
| In-district Idaho students | $155 |
| Idaho students from outside the college district | $155 plus a $50 out-of-district fee, capped at $500 a semester (not charged in summer) |
| Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) | $210 |
| Out-of-state | $310 |
| Bachelor’s (BAS) courses | $285 in-state; $570 out-of-state |
| Support and services fee | $200 per semester (all students except Early College) |
| Online course fee | $15 per credit |
For a full-time year of two 12-credit semesters, tuition and the support fee come to $4,120 for in-district students, $5,120 for Idahoans from outside the district, $5,440 at the WUE rate and $7,840 for out-of-state students, before course fees and books. Course fees are extra: most lab, test and supply fees run $16 to $400, nursing testing fees about $870 to $1,340 per course, and Automotive and Diesel students pay $55 a semester for coveralls and laundry. Niche puts the average net price at $8,430 a year.
CEI takes federal student aid for most credit programs, but the Bookkeeping certificate and the Digital Forensics and Analytics BAS are listed as not aid-eligible. Idaho LAUNCH may cover up to 80% of tuition for eligible workforce courses such as CNA and phlebotomy technician, and WIOA vouchers are accepted for the Ed2Go courses.
Open admission, with separate entry for health programs
CEI is open-admission. Registered Nursing, Practical Nursing, Surgical Technology and Dental Hygiene need a separate, competitive application with fixed deadlines, and Dental Assisting takes applications until 1 July for fall.
Most career-technical programs start in fall. Business programs accept fall, spring or summer starts; Cybersecurity and IT Services start day cohorts in fall and evening cohorts in spring; CNA starts four times a year. Most programs are taught in person in Idaho Falls. CEI Online offers some courses for a $15 per credit fee, and a few second-year Legal Studies courses are online.
Accreditation and results
CEI has been accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities since 1982, after candidacy from 1976. Its Spring 2026 Mid-Cycle Review found the college substantially compliant with NWCCU’s standards, and its next item is an ad hoc report due in fall 2027. NWCCU lists no sanction.
CEI’s RN graduates had a first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate of 92.31% in 2025, and every first-time PN tester passed the NCLEX-PN in 2023, 2024 and 2025, according to the Idaho Board of Nursing. Other figures come from CEI’s program pages, which do not always give a definition or end year.
| Measure | Result | Period and source |
|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, first-time NCLEX-RN pass rate | 92.31% (104 testers); 98.89% in 2024; 96.84% in 2023 | 2025, Idaho Board of Nursing |
| Practical Nursing, first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate | 100% in each year (22, 18 and 25 testers) | 2025, 2024 and 2023, Idaho Board of Nursing |
| Registered Nursing, graduates employed as RNs within 12 months | 98% | 2024 graduates, CEI program page |
| Surgical Technology, CST exam pass rate | 93% (84% five-year average); placement 100% | 2023-24, CEI program page |
| Medical Assisting, CMA exam pass rate | 94.74% average; placement 100% | 2020-24, CEI program page |
| Placement, five-year averages | Automotive 97.78%, Diesel 100%, IT Services 86%, Cybersecurity 85% | CEI program pages; end year and definition not stated |
| Graduation rate | 39% within 150% of normal time | Full-time, first-time students entering fall 2021, College Navigator |
| Retention | 60% of full-time and 46% of part-time students returned | Fall 2023 to fall 2024, College Navigator |
The federal graduation rate, from College Navigator, counts only full-time students attending for the first time, while most CEI students study part-time.
Before you enroll
- The bachelor’s degrees are new. The State Board of Education approved them in December 2023, but NWCCU’s directory still lists CEI’s degree level as associate, and the Digital Forensics and Analytics BAS is listed as not aid-eligible. Ask CEI about both before enrolling.
- Practical Nursing is a candidate for ACEN accreditation, not yet accredited; its candidacy runs to December 2026. Its NCLEX-PN pass rate has been 100% for three years.
- Dental Assisting does not claim CODA accreditation, and its page names the NOCTI assessment rather than the DANB exams. Dental Hygiene is CODA-accredited but has no graduates yet.
- Where you live changes the price. Idahoans from outside the college district pay $50 more per credit (up to $500 a semester), WUE students $210 and other out-of-state students $310, twice the in-district rate.
- The online medical billing and medical administrative assistant courses are run by Ed2Go, a third-party provider. They are non-credit and do not lead to a CEI degree.
One campus in Idaho Falls, plus outreach centers
All credit programs are taught at the main campus, 1600 S 25th E in Idaho Falls. Nursing and dental programs use the Health Education Building (Building 6), and the 88,000-square-foot Future Tech Building, opened in August 2026, was planned for mechatronics, healthcare, surgical technology, cybersecurity and agriculture technology programs. Workforce training also meets at other sites in Idaho Falls, including the Industry and Trades Center and the Yellowstone Training Center. CEI has outreach centers in Rexburg, Salmon and Driggs; the Salmon Valley center runs CNA classes as available.
Clinicals, externships and the dental clinic
Nursing and surgical technology students do clinical rotations, Medical Assisting ends with an 8-week externship in local medical offices, and dental hygiene students treat patients in the on-campus clinic. The Certified Phlebotomy Technician course uses a mock clinical setting and has no clinical rotation.
What students say
On Niche, College of Eastern Idaho is rated 4.1 out of 5 from 98 reviews, with an overall grade of B+ (checked 12 October 2026). Niche grades it A- for value and safety but C+ for academics. Reviewers most often praise small classes and hands-on learning, the nursing program, dual-credit courses and helpful staff and counselors. The most common complaints are the lack of dorms and traditional campus life, and, in Niche’s own summary of the reviews, poor communication from administrative staff over financial aid and billing. The reviews cover the whole college, and only a few were visible, so we could not check whether they were invited by the college or posted in bursts.
Facts checked October 2026.
Programs & Courses
Nursing and Health
- Registered Nursing (AAS)
- LPN-to-RN Bridge
- Practical Nursing
- Surgical Technology
- Dental Hygiene
- Dental Assisting
- Medical Assisting
- Phlebotomy (certificate)
Health Workforce Training (non-credit)
- Certified Nursing Assistant
- Certified Phlebotomy Technician
- Medical Billing and Coding (online, through Ed2Go)
- Medical Administrative Assistant with Medical Billing and Coding (online, through Ed2Go)
Skilled Trades and Industry
- Welding Technology
- Automotive Technology
- Diesel Technology
- Mechatronics Engineering Technology
- Energy Systems Technology
- Electrical, HVAC and Plumbing Apprenticeship courses (workforce)
Business and Legal
- Business Management
- Bookkeeping
- Entrepreneurship (certificate)
- Operations Management (BAS)
- Legal Studies and Paralegal Training
Computers and IT
- Information Assurance & Cybersecurity
- Information Technology Services
- Digital Forensics and Analytics (BAS)
University Transfer
- Associate of Arts
- Associate of Arts in Education
- Associate of Science
- Associate of Engineering
- Business (AA)
Campus Locations
Idaho Falls, ID 1600 S 25th E, Idaho Falls, ID 83404