Boise State is Idaho’s metropolitan research university, located in the state’s population center and capital city, a hub of government, business, the arts, health care, industry and technology. The campus is home of 10 Idaho Professor of the Year honorees since 1990 and the 2005 national champion student debate and speech team. Boise State is the largest university in Idaho with an all-time state enrollment record of 18,876 students.
The university offers more than 190 fields of interest. Undergraduate, graduate and technical programs are available in eight colleges: Arts and Sciences, Business and Economics, Education, Engineering, Graduate Studies, Health Sciences, Social Sciences and Public Affairs, and Applied Technology. Students can also study abroad, participate in one of the largest internship programs in the Northwest, and work with professors on health-related research to fight cancer, arthritis and Alzheimer’s disease, among others.
Campus life offers adventure and activity. More than 200 student organizations, new residence halls along the Boise River Greenbelt and a state-of-the-art Student Recreation Center provide opportunities for both individual development and fun. More than one million visitors come to campus annually for Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winning speakers, Bronco football, Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Celebration and other events.
General
- Emerging metropolitan research university of distinction achieving its vision through academic excellence, public engagement, a vibrant culture and exceptional research
- Reflecting the character of Idaho’s capital city – a center of business, government, technology, health care and the arts
- Largest university in Idaho with 18,876 students – an all-time state fall enrollment record for the ninth time in 10 years
- Endowed funding administered by the Boise State Foundation totals more than $52 million with total assets in excess of $85 million
- University generates $330 million in economic impact on the state in jobs, earnings and sales while educating the work force of tomorrow
Academics
- Offers undergraduate, graduate and technical programs in eight colleges with more than 190 fields of interest
- Increased number of doctorate degrees to four with approval of Ph.D. programs in electrical and computer engineering and geosciences
- Offers Idaho’s first Executive MBA program
- Produced two Rhodes Scholars, a Truman Scholar, a Mitchell Scholar, USA Today Academic All-American, several NCAA Academic All-Americans, several NCAA post-graduate scholars, and many Fulbright scholars and professors
- Customized education with Internet-based courses and classes available in Canyon County, Mountain Home, Twin Falls and Gowen Field
- Offered study abroad opportunities in more than 50 countries in 2004-05
- Signed formal international partnerships with the University of Cagliari in Italy, University of Calgary in Canada, Asia University in Tokyo and 19 others
- College of Engineering moved up from 19th to 12th place in the U.S. News and World Report list of best engineering programs among public, comprehensive universities
- College of Business and Economics is rated among the top third in the nation with its AACSB international accreditation
- Largest undergraduate nursing program in the state
- Only university in United States to offer a master of science degree in raptor biology
Faculty
- Since 1990, the top professor in the state of Idaho has come from Boise State 10 times as selected by the Carnegie Foundation for extraordinary dedication to undergraduate teaching
- Dean of the College of Engineering Cheryl Schrader was one of 11 recipients nationwide of the 2005 Presidential Award for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering mentoring
- Award-winning faculty include Idaho Environmental Educator of the Year, national Marketing Educator of the Year and Idaho Nurse of the Year for Academic Education
- Kinesiology professor Werner Hoeger competed in the 2002 and 2006 Olympic Winter Games in the sport of luge as the oldest U.S. male athlete
- Professor Justin Moore won an international mathematics prize in 2006 by capturing the Young Scholar's Competition at a symposium celebrating the 100th anniversary of the birth of famous Austrian mathematician Kurt Goedel
- Provides expert commentary for the NBC Today show, New York Times, Washington Post and USA Today
- Serve as consultants internationally at The Hague, the Chinese National Academy of Sciences and the United Nations
Students
- 1,660 Service-Learning students contributed 35,465 hours of service to the Treasure Valley in 2005-06
- Talkin' Broncos debate and speech team won the 2005 national championship
- A Boise State student was the only Idahoan named to the 2005 All-USA College Academic Team by USA Today
- A Boise State graduate won a full Clarendon Scholarship to Oxford in England in 2005
- Students and faculty side-by-side, with undergraduate students involved in research, a student/faculty ratio of 19:1 and an average class size of 28 students
- Students have recently won national awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Kappa Sigma, American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the National Environmental Health Association
- One of the largest internship programs in the Northwest with 1,300 job placements annually
- More than $79 million awarded in financial aid for 2004-05 to about 12,000 students
Research
- Received $23.8 million for research and sponsored projects for fiscal year 2006
- Fastest growing biomolecular research program in Idaho supports researchers studying Alzheimer’s disease, breast cancer, artificial cartilage, chemotherapeutic drugs and other areas
- Part of two new Federal Aviation Administration research centers with other universities such as MIT, Stanford, Harvard and Cal Berkeley
- More than 50 centers and institutes on campus working for the common good of Idaho and beyond, including the Center for Health Policy, Idaho Council on Economic Education and Andrus Center for Public Policy
- Recipient of $16.1 million grant along with sister institutions in Idaho from the National Institutes of Health to establish the Network for Biomedical Research Excellence
- Conducts funded research for faculty and students in Asia, Europe, Greenland, South and Central America, and other countries
Campus Life
- New residence halls and apartments increased campus housing capacity by 63 percent in 2004, including seven Ivy League-modeled residential colleges for faculty and students
- Vibrant campus life with more than 200 student organizations
- Award-winning $12 million Student Recreation Center with one of the largest collegiate climbing gyms in the United States (6,800 square foot rock wall)
- Intercollegiate athletics features 18 sports, including a nationally recognized football program that competes on the blue turf of Bronco Stadium
- More than one million people annually attend campus cultural, athletic and entertainment events
Facilities
- 175-acre main campus situated less than a mile from Boise's bustling downtown
- Six residential halls on campus house more than 1,000 students in shared and single rooms; near campus, five university-owned apartment complexes have mostly one- and two-bedroom units with various amenities
- Main academic facilities include Engineering Complex, Applied Technology Complex, Albertsons Library, Communication Building, Kinesiology Building and Annex, Liberal Arts Building, Math/Geosciences Building, Business Building, Education Building, Science/Nursing Building, Public Affairs and Arts West Building and the Multipurpose Classroom Building
- Entertainment and athletic facilities include Bronco Stadium (30,750 capacity), Taco Bell Arena (12,400), Morrison Center Main Hall (2,000) and Centennial Amphitheatre (800)
- Student Union venues are the Grace Jordan Grand Ballroom (1,000) and Special Events Center (435) in addition to the Boise State Bookstore and Bronco Shop
- University operates the 150-acre BSU West site and the Canyon County Center, where a variety of academic, non-credit and applied technology courses are offered
- Additional education centers at Mountain Home Air Force Base, Gowen Field and Twin Falls
Community
- Guest speakers on campus include illustrious figures such as Seymour Hersh, Mary Robinson, Kurt Vonnegut, Lech Walesa, Walter Mondale, Gloria Steinem, Danny Glover, E.O. Wilson, Peter Jennings, Ralph Nader, George McGovern and John Wooden
- Annual Gene Harris Jazz Festival brings world-famous jazz artists to Boise
- Hosts Martin Luther King Jr. Human Rights Celebration every January
- Connected to Idaho community, serving more than 30,000 people annually in workshops, short courses, apprenticeship training and other non-credit programs
- Outstanding alumni include Micron Technology CEO Steve Appleton and Hollywood filmmaker and Boise State's first Rhodes Scholar Michael Hoffman
- TechConnect honored by national Small Business Administration with best practices award in 2005
- Alumnus Mick Sharkey was named the 2006 Idaho Teacher of the Year at Parma High School
City of Boise
- "Welcome to Boise, Idaho, the last great place in the American West – where housing remains affordable, Western culture still thrives, and access to the nation’s wildest state begins within city limits." – National Geographic Adventure magazine in September 2006
- No. 8 Best Place to Live by Money magazine in July 2006
- "Sitting at the junction of the arid plateau of the high desert and the western foothills of the Rocky Mountains, the capital of Idaho offers all the outdoor advantages of more ballyhooed Western towns but with less, well, ballyhoo." – The New York Times in July 2006
- Top 10 Places for Outdoor Activities by Sperling's Best Places in October 2005
- "The secret to living large affordably – do it in a small city like Boise…Despite its diminutive size, I conclude, this city has star quality." – National Geographic Traveler magazine in March 2006
- No. 4 Best Walking City in the U.S. by Prevention magazine in April 2006
- "A rejuvenated downtown and a budding arts community mean that after a day of rafting…you don’t have to turn in once the sun fades." - The New York Times in July 2006
- No. 1 by Forbes magazine in its 2005 Best Places for Business and Careers
- No. 2 by Inc. magazine in its 2005 Best Places rankings for job growth
- No. 1 by Bike magazine for best places to live and bike in 2003
- Named one of the hottest tech cities by Newsweek magazine in 1998






