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Boise, ID · Public · 17,674 undergraduates · urban

Boise State University

Less selective

Boise State places applied computing, engineering and business programs inside Idaho's fast-growing capital and technology center.

Rickmouser45 / CC BY-SA 4.0

Institutional profile

Regionally focused Strongest in affordability and academic standing.
Academic Steady Affordability Steady Career Emerging Mobility Emerging Experience Emerging
Academic standing Steady
Affordability Steady
Career outcomes Emerging
Mobility Emerging
Student experience Emerging
Admission
84% admitted

15,949 applicants in the reported year

Price by income
Resident and nonresident prices differ

Compare recent average annual costs by household income

Completion
59%

$51,658 median earnings 10 years after enrollment

What sets Boise State University apart

Academic design

Computer science offers emphases including cybersecurity, machine learning and entrepreneurship alongside broader engineering and business programs.

Campus pattern

Campus sits beside the Boise River and Greenbelt, immediately south of downtown.

Career & value signal

Boise's technology, semiconductor, government and manufacturing sectors provide a practical regional employment base.

Can I get in?

84% admitted

Start with the academic record, then make the intended direction and school-specific fit concrete.

Recent applicant pool

15,949

About 84 in every 100 applicants were admitted.

Admission rate 84%
Entering class

Record over scores

No score range is published for the entering class, so the transcript, the course rigor, and the required materials carry the file.

Testingnot considered
Return for a second year78.4%
Finish the degree59%

In the season card

Where your GPA sits in the entering class

The full entering-class GPA distribution for Boise State University, in nine bands from 4.0 down, with your own record marked on it.

See where I land

In the season card

What Boise State University weighs when it reads a file

See how this college describes the role of grades, testing, essays, recommendations, activities, and demonstrated interest.

  • Course rigor  
  • GPA  
  • Test scores  
  • Essay  
  • Recommendations  
  • Extracurriculars  
  • Demonstrated interest  
See what counts here

What moves the application

The evidence that separates a strong file

01

Show preparation for this curriculum

Computer science offers emphases including cybersecurity, machine learning and entrepreneurship alongside broader engineering and business programs.

02

Make institutional fit specific

Boise State places applied computing, engineering and business programs inside Idaho's fast-growing capital and technology center.

03

Use the application route carefully

Keep academic direction and school-specific choices coherent across the application.

How to apply

Rounds, route, and required materials

Build the calendar around the earliest realistic application round and assemble each required item once.

Regular DecisionDec 15
Application routeInstitution application

$50 application fee

Major and program admission

Some fields have their own entry path.

The college admit rate above covers the university as a whole. These requirements apply only to the named program.

BusinessAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Teacher preparationAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

EngineeringAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

NursingAdmits separately

What this program asks for, and when it closes.

Can I afford it?

Compare annual cost by household income.

Start with the average net price for your income range, then set that estimate beside your other realistic options.

Published annual cost$34,269
Average annual cost after aid, in-state$22,000
Affordability profileSteady

College funding

Scholarships and financial aid

Review available aid, application requirements, and renewal terms.

Boise State University publishes five merit awards, the largest reaching $10,000 to $20,000 a year. No separate scholarship application is required; the college uses the admission application. All of them renew past the first year.

Automatic consideration An award under $5,000 a year

Open across the university · Merit · Guaranteed at a stated threshold · Renews each year · Has a dated deadline

Automatic consideration An award under $5,000 a year

Open across the university · Merit · Guaranteed at a stated threshold · Renews each year · Has a dated deadline

Automatic consideration An award under $5,000 a year

Open across the university · Merit and financial need · Guaranteed at a stated threshold · Renews each year · Has a dated deadline

Automatic consideration An award reaching $5,000 to $10,000 a year

Open across the university · Merit · Guaranteed at a stated threshold · Renews each year · Has a dated deadline

Automatic consideration An award reaching $10,000 to $20,000 a year

Open across the university · Merit · Guaranteed at a stated threshold · Renews each year · Has a dated deadline

In the season card

These five awards, by name

What each one is called, what it pays, what it asks of you, and the dates five of them close - which is usually earlier than the application for admission.

  • The name of each award 
  • What it pays 
  • The grades and scores it asks for 
  • The deadline 
  • What to send, and where 
See the full read
Open financial aid plan

In the season card

Average annual cost by household income at Boise State University

Compare recent average net prices across five federal income ranges and estimate a 4-year cost for yours.

  • $0–30k 
  • $30–48k 
  • $48–75k 
  • $75–110k 
  • $110k+ 
Open the price by income

Is it worth it?

Completion, debt, and earnings

Read completion, borrowing, field mix, and earnings together. One university-wide earnings figure does not describe every student path.

Complete within 8 years59%

Degree completion across the reported entering cohort

Return after year one78.4%

First-year students who return for year two

Median federal debtWhat students owe on the way out

And what that comes to against what they earn.

Median earnings$51,658

Reported 10 years after enrollment

Academic portfolio

Largest bachelor’s fields

How many students finish in each field, and median earnings four years after completing the program.

Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions

Recent graduates272
Median earnings$89,863

Communication and Media Studies

Recent graduates197
Median earnings$53,278

What is campus life like?

Boise State University beyond the classroom

Campus sits beside the Boise River and Greenbelt, immediately south of downtown.

Academics

A defining academic feature

Computer science offers emphases including cybersecurity, machine learning and entrepreneurship alongside broader engineering and business programs.

Campus setting

What shapes an ordinary week

Campus sits beside the Boise River and Greenbelt, immediately south of downtown.

Career & value

Where the degree can lead

Boise's technology, semiconductor, government and manufacturing sectors provide a practical regional employment base.

17,674 undergraduatesMountain Westurban settingCampus housing available