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Boise State University (BSU) is a publicresearch university in Boise, Idaho, United States. Founded in 1932 by the Episcopal Church, it became an independent junior college in 1934 and has been awarding baccalaureate and master's degrees since 1965.[1] It became a public institution in 1969.
Boise State offers more than 100 graduate programs, including a variety of MBA programs and the MAcc program in the College of Business and Economics; master's and PhD programs in the Colleges of Engineering, Arts & Sciences, and Education; MPA program in the School of Public Service; and the MPH program in the College of Health Sciences. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity".[2] In the 2024 fiscal year, Boise State reported total research awards exceeding $83 million and research expenditures over $70 million.[3]
BSU Pavilion renamed Taco Bell Arena in June ($4 million for 15 years)
football team goes undefeated in regular season for the first time as a four-year school, wins its third straight WAC title and finishes 9th in the BCS rankings, but lost the Liberty Bowl in Memphis to Louisville in a match-up of the two best BCS non-AQ conference teams that year.
senior Ben Cherrington (157 lb.) wins NCAA national championship in wrestling; Cherrington and Tyler Sherfey are named the 2006 Pac-10 Conference Wrestler of the Year and Newcomer of the Year, respectively.
football team is undefeated for the second time in three years, wins fifth straight WAC title and earns first BCS berth in the Fiesta Bowl against Oklahoma in January 2007.
2007
football team wins the Fiesta Bowl in January in a thrilling overtime finish. BSU finished the 2006 season as the only undefeated team in the nation (after Ohio State lost to Florida in the national championship game), and placed #5 in the final AP poll, with one first place vote, BSU's highest ranking ever.
State of Idaho approves funding for a $35.9 million addition to Bronco Stadium. Expansion replaces the original press box (1970), adds luxury suites, club seats, and loge boxes in time for the 2008 season. The new capacity is 32,000.
BSU sells the film rights of the 2006 season to Michael Hoffman and Iron Circle Pictures, who will produce a documentary and later a feature film based on the story of the football program.
2006 football team wins two ESPY Awards in the categories of "Best Game" (2007 Fiesta Bowl) and "Best Play" (Game-winning Statue of Liberty play).
Fiesta Bowl MVP Jared Zabransky appears as the cover athlete of the popular EA Sports video game NCAA Football 08.
Boise State celebrates its 75th anniversary and announces "Destination Distinction," a campaign to raise $175 million.
2008
Broncos join the "10-20-20" club (10 football wins, 20 men's basketball wins, 20 women's basketball wins) for the 2007–08 season, only the 20th school since 1980 to achieve the feat.
undefeated football team retained the WAC title and again played TCU in the postseason, in the Fiesta Bowl, and BSU won 17–10.
Campus
The Script error: No such module "convert". campus is located near downtown Boise, on the south bank of the Boise River, opposite Julia Davis Park. With more than 170 buildings, the campus is at an elevation of Script error: No such module "convert". above sea level, bounded by Capitol Boulevard on the west and Broadway Avenue to the east. Through the 1930s, the site was the city's airport.
The university library is named for grocery pioneer Joe Albertson. It houses more than 650,000 books, over 130,000 periodicals, 107 public terminals for student use, and access to over 300 online databases.[4]
Morrison Center
The Velma V. Morrison Center for the Performing Arts has 2,000 seats in its primary performance hall, and hosts a wide variety of fine arts performances, including the Broadway in Boise series, concerts and other events.[5] The venue opened its doors in April 1984.
Computer Science Department
The computer science department moved away from the main campus to a new building in downtown Boise. The CS department occupies 53,549 gross square feet, the full second and third floors of the building. The university's CS program is now located in the same building as Clearwater Analytics and within short walking distance of about 20 more of Boise's top technology companies.[6]
Micron Center for Materials Research
The Micron Center for Materials Research was established with a $25 million gift from Micron Technology, which is headquartered in Boise.[7] Completed in 2020, the building was designed by Hummel Architects and Anderson Mason Dale Architects, with Hoffman Construction as lead contractor. The building is designed with one research wing, home to sensitive equipment, and state of the art research laboratories, and a second wing, to hold classrooms, and office space. This latest donation by Micron marks a total of $40 million invested in materials science and engineering programs and associated research at BSU,[8] resulting in a full complement of degrees in materials science and engineering including bachelor's, master's and doctoral programs.
In 2025, researchers from Boise State's Nagarajan Lab received a five-year federal biochemistry grant, the first of its kind awarded in Idaho, to advance molecular research and interdisciplinary science education.[9]
Other campuses
Extended Studies at Boise State offers regional programming at the College of Western Idaho in Nampa, Mountain Home Air Force Base, Gowen Field, Twin Falls, Lewiston, and Coeur d'Alene.[10] BSU also offers 29 degrees and certificates fully online.[11] Beginning in 2016, Boise State began partnering with the Harvard Business School to offer the Harvard Business School Online business fundamentals program to Idaho students and the business community. This collaboration is the only such Harvard collaboration with a public U.S. university.[12]
Academics and organization
Boise State's more than 190 fields of study are organized into the following colleges and schools:[13]
The university also has an honors college.[14] Within the College of Arts and Sciences is the School of the Environment,[15] approved by the Idaho State Board of Education in 2022 and established in 2023.[16][17]
Boise State's fall enrollment in 2016 was 23,886 students, and approximately 76 percent of these students were Idaho residents.[18] More than 90 percent of Boise State's first-year students come directly from high school.[18]
In the 2015–16 school year, Boise State awarded diplomas to 3,916 distinct graduates, including 18 doctorates, 10 education specialists, 670 master's and 2,998 bachelor's degrees.[19]Template:Better source needed The university is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research spending and doctorate production".[2] According to the National Science Foundation, the university received approximately $48 million in research and development funding in 2022, ranking it 217th in the nation for research revenue and expenditures at that time.[20]
Publishing
In 1971, the university published the Western Writers Series, monographs focusing on authors of the American Frontier and American West.[21] BSU ceased publishing new titles at the end of 2006.[22] The university maintains an on-line library of publications and documents related to Idaho history through the Albertsons Library.[23]
The Center for Idaho History and Politics offers a nine-credit place-based field school called "Investigate Boise" which focuses on heritage, government, and urban affairs. Each series of classes results in a student written and faculty edited publication.[24]
For the 2024–2025 academic year, the middle 50% of enrolled students scored between 1050 and 1360 on the SAT (with a 50th percentile of 1210), between 530 and 680 on the SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing section (50th percentile: 610), and between 520 and 680 on the SAT Math section (50th percentile: 600).[25]
Athletics
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File:BSUwide.jpgBoise State vs Fresno State on The Blue Turf, November 9th 2018
Boise State Football has a long history of success starting with the junior college days and the national championship team of 1958, coached by the father of Bronco football, Lyle Smith. Now named Lyle Smith Field in Albertsons Stadium, the synthetic turf field was standard green before 1986. "The Blue" was the idea of athletic directorGene Bleymaier and was the first non-green football field in the country. This field is also nicknamed "The Smurf Turf" due to its color. Through 2019, Boise State's home record was Template:Winpct in 34 seasons on The Blue, with fifteen conference championships.[26]
Ground was broken after the 1969 season, and it opened in September 1970 with a capacity of 14,500. Subsequent expansions were completed in 1975 and 1997, and current capacity sits at around 37,000.
ExtraMile Arena
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Known as the "Boise State University Pavilion" until June 2004, and "Taco Bell Arena" between 2004 and 2019,[27] ExtraMile Arena is home to BSU basketball, wrestling, women's gymnastics, community events, and several concerts each year. Opened in May 1982, the arena seats 12,380 on three levels. It has hosted rounds one and two of the NCAA basketball tournament on nine occasions from 1983 to 2018, and the third and fourth rounds of the NCAA women's tournament in 2002.
The construction of the pavilion began in February 1980 on the site of the tennis courts and a portion of the BSU baseball field. The Bronco baseball team played their home games in 1980 at Borah Field (now Bill Wigle Field) at Borah High School, and the program was discontinued that May. The tennis courts were rebuilt immediately west of the arena, on the former baseball field (infield & right field).
Boise State's enrollment for the 2023–24 year was 26,727 students, with approximately 69 percent Idaho residents.[18] Boise State University has the largest graduate enrollment in Idaho.[29] More than 90 percent of Boise State's first-year students come directly from high school.[18]
Housing
At Boise State "18% of the students live in college-owned, -operated or -affiliated housing and 82% of students live off campus."[30]
Social fraternities and sororities
Boise State has seen an increase in its Greek community; as of fall of 2023, there are 8 Panhellenic sororities and 11 fraternities active on campus. In 2023, the fraternity Alpha Kappa Lambda was suspended for a period of four years due to hazing rituals and incidents of alcohol abuse.[31]
Rankings
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