Boise State University Acceptance Rate & Admissions

With an admission rate of 87.2%, Boise State University admitted a larger share of applicants than comparable institutions. That figure is above the median of 78.1% for comparable institutions (same type and size), so the reported outcome sits higher than its peer reference point.

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 16,082 first-year applicants and 14,025 admitted applicants.

Boise State University has a substantial transfer presence alongside a broad undergraduate population. An estimated 36.1% of undergraduates entered as transfers or part-time students, and 18.1% of undergraduates receive Pell Grants.

Federal enrollment data list 17,674 undergraduates, a mix that includes students arriving through both direct entry and prior college coursework. In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported 3,037 degree-seeking transfer applicants, 2,532 admitted, and 1,489 enrolled.

The enrollment and transfer figures describe the students who attend rather than admission priorities or any applicant’s odds.

For enrolled students, the available persistence measures point to completion rates below those at comparable institutions. Among full-time bachelor’s-seeking first-year entrants, 78.8% returned for a second year, compared with the peer median of 83.1% for comparable institutions.

The first-time full-time cohort posted a six-year graduation rate of 60.2%, below the comparable-institution median of 65.0%. Pell recipients in the first-time full-time cohort had a six-year completion rate of 51.9%, below the overall rate by 8.3 percentage points.

Enrolled students can expect the published measures to track second-year return and completion within six years, not to predict an individual outcome. The peer comparisons and Pell figure both indicate lower completion rates than their relevant reference points.