Public · University

Boise State University

Boise, Idaho · Midsize city

#3 for grad earnings in Idaho#4 graduation rate in Idaho
87.2%
Admit rate
$21,610
Avg net price
60%
Graduation rate
$51,658
Median earnings

Boise State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Boise, Idaho (midsize city setting), enrolling 17,674 undergraduates.

PublicLarge · 17,674 undergradsMidsize cityAccessible · 87% admitNCAA Division I-FBS · Mountain West ConferenceCold winters

About Boise, Idaho

Boise is the capital and most populous city in the U.S. state of Idaho. The origin of the name is uncertain. One account credits Capt. B. L. E. Bonneville of the U.S. Army as its source. After trekking for weeks through dry and rough terrain, his exploration party reached an overlook with a view of the Boise River Valley. Boise is a regional hub for jazz, theater, and indie music. The Gene Harris Jazz Festival is hosted in Boise each spring. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Midsize city
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
1 mile to Boise, ID
To the ocean
385 miles
Nearest airport
3 miles to Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field (BOI) · major hub

How Boise State University compares

Selectivity87.2%

More selective than 30% · #5 most selective of 7 in Idaho

Graduation rate60%

Higher than 60% · #4 of 8 in Idaho

First-year retention79%

Higher than 59%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$51,658

Higher than 43% · #3 of 9 in Idaho

Average net price$21,610

Cheaper than 43% · #6 cheapest of 9 in Idaho

Median debt at graduation$20,500

Lower than 72%

Student–faculty ratio20 : 1

Lower than 10%

Undergraduate enrollment17,674

Larger than 94%

Percentiles compare Boise State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Idaho.

Boise State University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

20,889students
  • Undergraduate17,67485%
  • Graduate3,21515%

Undergraduates by gender

17,674undergrads
  • Women10,06057%
  • Men7,61443%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White69%
  • Black2.2%
  • Hispanic16%
  • Asian2.6%
  • Other or multiracial10%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
17,674
Graduate enrollment
3,215
Student–faculty ratio
20 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
18%
First-generation students
33%
Students over 25
15%
Median family income
$42,915
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$88,983
Endowment
$165,407,637

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 3,122 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Idaho65%
  • Other U.S. states35%

A regional draw: about 65% of first-years come from Idaho, the rest from elsewhere.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
87.2%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite
Average GPA
3.44

Cost

In-state tuition
$9,048
Out-of-state tuition
$27,788
Room & board
$14,884
Books & supplies
$800
Total cost of attendance
$28,224
Average net price
$21,610

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
60%
Graduated on time (4 years)
41%
First-year retention
79%
Transferred to another college
22%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$45,251
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$51,658
Median debt at graduation
$20,500
Students with federal loans
24%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
47%

About 19% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
41%
Low-income (Pell)
45%
First-generation
47%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
2,906
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
16%
Housing charge (year)
$7,468
Meal plan (year)
$5,446
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division I-FBS
Football conference
Mountain West Conference
Varsity athletes
490 (215 men · 275 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (10)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)181
Football117
Soccer39
Basketball32
Softball24
Tennis21
Gymnastics20
Beach Volleyball20
Golf18
Volleyball18

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
0.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
33
Property offenses (2022–2024)
36

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (27,198 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

23reported offenses a year
11 violent a year12 property a year

By offense type, per year

Motor vehicle theft
11
Rape
6.3
Fondling
3.7
Arson
1.3
Aggravated assault
1.0

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$18,165
$30–48k
$17,974
$48–75k
$20,731
$75–110k
$23,573
$110k+
$25,893

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$92,625

$20,731/year × about 4.5 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

68%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$6,629
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 68% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $6,629. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 3,064 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$51,658
Typical debt at graduation
$20,500
Debt vs. one year's pay
40%
Out-earn a HS grad
57%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.0 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$47,149
Men
$57,974

Men out-earn women by $10,825 (23%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
93°F
Winter low
25°F
Annual rain
11.5″
Annual snow
17.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.00.81.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Boise Air Terminal, ID US station (3.2 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Boise State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Boise State University side by side →

Colleges near Boise State University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.