Checked 15 Nov 2026 by the team. Sources are listed at the end of the page.
Idaho POST college credits count toward the intermediate and advanced certificates under IDAPA 11.11.01.072. One semester credit equals 20 POST training hours. A peace officer's advanced certificate pairs training hours with 15 to 60 college credits, or a degree, and 8 to 13 years of service. Credit must come from a regionally accredited college, shown on an official transcript.
Under IDAPA 11.11.01.071 and .072, Idaho POST counts one semester college credit as one credit and as 20 POST training hours, and the advanced peace officer certificate needs a basic certificate, intermediate eligibility and a set mix of training hours, college credits (15 to 60) or a degree, and years of experience, with credit from a regionally accredited college shown on an official transcript.
The rule asks for 15 to 60 college credits for the advanced certificate (with 500 to 1,200 hours and 8 to 13 years); 1 credit = 20 POST training hours. The legal source is IDAPA 11.11.01.071.
| Advanced peace officer certificate (IDAPA 11.11.01.072.02) | Training hours and college credits | Years of experience |
|---|---|---|
| Column 1 | 500 hours and 15 credits | 13 or more |
| Column 2 | 600 hours and 20 credits | 12 |
| Column 3 | 700 hours and 30 credits | 11 |
| Column 4 | 800 hours and 40 credits | 10 |
| Column 5 | 900 hours and 45 credits | 9 |
| Column 6 | 1,200 hours and 60 credits | 8 |
| Degree | Associate / bachelor's / master's or PhD | 8 / 6 / 4 |
Idaho Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council, Idaho State Police decides how this rule applies to you. We read its published rule and the pages below; each was checked on 15 Nov 2026.
Each course below is ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended for college credit. Whether it counts here is the decision of the college and of Idaho Peace Officer Standards and Training (POST) Council, Idaho State Police.
Criminology is the course officers ask about most; NCCRS-recommended
Self-paced online Introduction to Criminology course (Criminology 150). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Psychology for de-escalation and crisis work; ACE-recommended and NCCRS-recommended
Self-paced online Introduction to Psychology course (Psychology 110). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Sociology of communities and crime; ACE-recommended and NCCRS-recommended
Self-paced online Introduction to Sociology course (Sociology 110). ACE and NCCRS recommend 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Mental illness and behaviour officers meet on calls; NCCRS-recommended
Self-paced online Abnormal Psychology course (Psychology 180). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Ethics and decision-making; NCCRS-recommended
Self-paced online Ethics in the Social Sciences course (Social Science 110). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →
Report writing and a core course for any degree; NCCRS-recommended
Self-paced online English Composition 1 course (ENG 101). NCCRS recommends 3 semester credits; each college decides how it applies them.
See the course →TESU, UoPeople and Newlane are partner colleges that consider ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended credit; ask the college in writing which courses it will review, and ask POST in writing whether its transcript will count.
ACE and NCCRS have over 2,100 cooperating colleges that will consider accepting credits; the final decision is with the universities.
| Option | Price | For this rule | Price checked |
|---|---|---|---|
| UPI Study PRO | $99 a month, every course | $99 for each month you are subscribed; take as many courses as you finish in that time | 15 Nov 2026 |
| Sophia Learning monthly plan | $99 a month | General education such as psychology, sociology and writing | 15 Nov 2026 |
| StraighterLine membership | $99 a month plus a course fee | Membership plus a one-time fee per course | 15 Nov 2026 |
Idaho community colleges often give credit for the POST academy itself; ask yours. Check each college's own tuition page for its per-credit price, and ask your agency about tuition help.
UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited. ACE and NCCRS review our courses and recommend credit; a college decides whether to give that credit and records it on its own transcript.
Ask the college in writing which courses it will review, and ask Idaho POST in writing that a transcript from that college will count toward your certificate, before you enrol.
Idaho POST's rules are IDAPA 11.11.01. Section 071 says one semester hour from a college equals one college credit, a quarter hour equals two-thirds of a credit, and one college credit can be converted to 20 POST training hours. If credit was awarded for POST training, you count it as hours or as credit, whichever helps you more. You prove it with an official college transcript.
The rules define college credit as credit awarded by a college accredited by a regional accrediting agency. That is the gate: a course counts with POST once it sits on such a college's transcript.
For peace officers, the intermediate certificate needs a current basic certificate and one of these: 600 POST training hours with 8 or more years of experience, 800 hours with 7, 1,200 with 6, 1,600 with 5 or 1,800 with 4. An associate degree with 4 years or a bachelor's degree with 2 years also qualifies. The hours may be a mix of training and college credit, at 20 hours per credit.
So 30 college credits add 600 hours to your total. For many officers that is the fastest way to move a column to the right.
The advanced certificate needs a basic certificate, intermediate eligibility, and a column from the table: training hours plus college credits, with years of experience. It runs from 500 hours and 15 credits with 13 or more years, to 1,200 hours and 60 credits with 8 years. An associate degree with 8 years, a bachelor's with 6, or a master's or doctorate with 4 also qualifies. The FBI National Academy and a few command schools stand in for the 15 credits at 13 years.
Detention officers have their own matching tables, and all applicants need at least six months' probation with their agency first.
Our criminology, psychology, sociology, ethics and writing courses are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended. They count with POST only after a regionally accredited college puts them on its transcript. Ask the college first which courses it will review; credit reaches POST via a college transcript. UPI Study is not a college and is not accredited.
Self-paced study suits shift work. Many officers take one course a month and plan the credits toward a degree, which itself moves them several years up the table.
POST's basic rule does not require college. Applicants need a high school diploma, a GED or another listed route; 15 credits at a regionally accredited college is one of those routes. Agencies may set their own higher bar, so check the job posting.
For peace officers, 15 to 60 credits, paired with 500 to 1,200 POST training hours and 13 down to 8 years of experience. A degree also qualifies: associate with 8 years, bachelor's with 6, master's or doctorate with 4.
One college credit equals 20 POST training hours under IDAPA 11.11.01.071. A quarter credit counts as two-thirds of a credit. For the intermediate certificate, credits and training hours can be combined to reach the hours in your column.
No. POST counts credit on an official transcript from a regionally accredited college. Our courses are ACE-recommended or NCCRS-recommended; a college decides whether to put them on its transcript. Ask the college and POST in writing first.
Some Idaho colleges award credit for the POST academy. If credit was awarded for POST training, the rules let you count it either as training hours or as college credit, whichever helps you more, but not both.
Yes. You need at least six consecutive months of probation with your employing agency before applying for an intermediate or advanced certificate, and your agency can require longer. Your agency submits the application with your documents.
Criminology, psychology, sociology, ethics and writing are on PRO. Ask your college and POST in writing first.