Public Graduate Good 59/100

Boise State University

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Boise, Idaho

About Boise State University

Thinking about Boise State University, a college in Idaho where more students graduate in Business than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Boise State University is a public institution offering graduate degrees based in Boise, Idaho. It enrolls 17,674 students (a very large student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
87.2%
Graduation
51.9%
Net Price
$21,610
Median Earnings (10yr)
$51,658
Enrollment
17,674
Student : Faculty
19:1

Accreditor Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
59/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 57
Value 37
Affordability 29
Selectivity 28

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Boise State University admits 87.2% of applicants, which makes it open to most qualified applicants, so admission is unlikely to be the hurdle.

Acceptance Rate
87.2%
Easy
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test Policy Test Optional Applicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Boise State University is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Becoming less selective ↑ 6.5 pts since 2019
77.4%201977.5%202083.1%202183.9%202284%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $21,610 a year on average, it sits in line with what public colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$21,610
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
18%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
24%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees (in-state)
$9,048
Tuition & Fees (out-of-state)
$27,788
Room & Board (on-campus)
$14,884
Room & Board (off-campus)
$13,634
Books & Supplies
$800
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$6,459
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$6,553
Total Cost of Attendance
$28,224

Application fee: $50 (one-time, due at submission)


Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $18,165
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $17,974
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $20,731
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $23,573
  • Over $110,000
    $25,893

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$3,129
10% percentile
$5,670
25% percentile
$20,500
Median percentile
$27,000
75% percentile
$40,000
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $16,438 ↓ $4,062
No Pell $11,750 ↓ $8,750
Dependent students $13,000 ↓ $7,500
Independent students $15,863 ↓ $4,637
Female students $14,000 ↓ $6,500
Male students $14,000 ↓ $6,500
Pell recipients: 19.3% (3,962 students)No Pell: 13.8% (2,832 students)Dependent students: 15.3% (3,133 students)Independent students: 18.7% (3,823 students)Female students: 16.5% (3,374 students)Male students: 16.5% (3,374 students)Overall Median$20,500
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $8,250, less than completers ($20,500), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

52% of students who start here finish within six years, and 78% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
52%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
78%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $51,658 a year, close to the national median. Typical for most colleges, so what you study will matter more than where. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$51,658
Earning > $25K
78%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$44,000$46,000$48,000$51,000$53,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$35,700

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$51,300

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$39,700

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$45,600

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$46,100

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $15,600, about 30% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 17.8 pts across 6 years
59.3%1yr65.9%3yr71.3%5yr77.1%7yr
What this signals: Strong. 77% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 17,674 students, a sprawling student community. Worth knowing: 33% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
17,674
Part-Time
20%
First-Generation
33%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
White 69.2% 12,227
Hispanic 15.9% 2,807
Other 6.6% 1,163
Asian 2.6% 463
Black 2.2% 384
International 0.7% 120
White: 69.2% (12,227 students)Hispanic: 15.9% (2,807 students)Other: 6.6% (1,163 students)Asian: 2.6% (463 students)Black: 2.2% (384 students)International: 0.7% (120 students)Total17,674

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Boise State University. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Midsize City Boise, Idaho
Housing
Partly residential 2,906 beds available
Adult Learners
15% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Health graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Boise State University offers an extensive catalog of programs: 145 distinct programs across 23 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

13 Programs
12 Programs
5 Programs
8 Programs
11 Programs
3 Programs

Faculty & Resources

There are 19 students for every instructor here: on the higher side, so larger classes are common.

Student : Faculty
19:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Instruction / Student
$9,317
Annual instructional spending per enrolled student
Endowment
$146M
Solid financial position
Avg Faculty Salary
$84,765
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

815 instructional faculty across 6 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 216 27% $104,998
Associate Professors 228 28% $92,800
Assistant Professors 168 21% $81,562
Instructors 21 3% $50,775
Lecturers 137 17% $54,602
No Rank 45 6% $66,577

Pros & Cons of Boise State University

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Boise State University is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Accessible admissions for most applicants
  • Solid post-graduation earnings
CONS
  • Class sizes are on the higher side
  • Below-average completion rate
  • Predominantly serves middle- and upper-income families
Best for: Based on the data, Boise State University is a fit for students who want a clear path to start college without a competitive admissions barrier.

Frequently Asked Questions about Boise State University

The questions families ask most about Boise State University, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Boise State University hard to get into?
Not especially. Boise State University admits most qualified applicants, with an acceptance rate of 87.2%. Plan around cost and whether students finish, not your odds of getting in.
What is the acceptance rate at Boise State University?
87.2% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Boise State University cost?
Budget around $21,610 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Boise State University worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $51,658 a year against a net price of $21,610, about 2.4 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Boise State University known for?
Mostly Nursing, Allied Health Diagnostic, Social Work. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Boise State University graduates earn?
About $51,658 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Boise State University accredited?
Yes. Boise State University is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities.
How many students attend Boise State University?
17,674 students. Large, so expect big lectures and more independence in finding your own footing. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Boise State University?
52% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Boise State University a public or private college?
It is Public. Public, so in-state students usually pay materially less than everyone else.
Where is Boise State University located?
Boise State University is located in Boise, Idaho.
What programs does Boise State University offer?
145 different programs, most commonly Nursing, Allied Health Diagnostic, Social Work. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Boise State University?
19 students per instructor. About average, so a mix of seminars and larger lectures. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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