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Cost & financial aid brief

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# Boise State University Tuition, Costs & Financial Aid

Updated October 21, 2026

[Overview](/school/boise-state-university/)Cost & aid[Outcomes](/school/boise-state-university/outcomes/)[Admissions](/school/boise-state-university/admissions/)[Majors](/school/boise-state-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/boise-state-university/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much does Boise State University cost after financial aid?

Boise State University has a published annual cost of $28,224 before aid is applied. In-state tuition and fees are $9,048, room and board are $14,884, and out-of-state tuition and fees are $27,788.

For aid recipients, the average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $21,610, with average aid reducing the published cost by $6,614. Comparable institutions (same type and size) have a peer median net price of $15,634; Boise State’s average is $5,976 above that figure.

Azimuth ranks Boise State University #619 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions. Aid lowers the listed cost, though the average price remains above the peer median.

Boise State University has an average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, of $21,610. That sits $5,976 above the peer median of $15,634, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size).

Azimuth places its affordability pillar in the 56th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $20,500, $424 above the comparable-institution median of $20,076.

Average net price is $18,165 for aid recipients from families earning under $30,000 and $25,893 for families earning over $110,000. Higher aid-recipient costs coincide with debt that matches the comparable benchmark.

The income-band pattern is uneven at the lower end before becoming steadily higher for upper-income families. Average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/) is $18,165 for the lowest family-income band, $17,974 for the next band, $20,731 for the middle band, $23,573 for the next-highest band, and $25,893 for the highest band.

Pell Grants reach 18.1% of undergraduates, providing financial-access context for the lowest band. The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,728.

Average net price by family income

**$0–30K**
$18,165

**$30–48K**
$17,974

**$48–75K**
$20,731

**$75–110K**
$23,573

**$110K+**
$25,893

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Overall average annual net price: **$21,610**. After grants and scholarships, including living costs. [Source and coverage](#cost-data-notes).

Boise State’s aid pattern reduces the listed price for recipients, but the remaining cost varies by family income. Aid covers about 23% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, and the sticker-to-net gap is $6,614.

The income-band figures place the next-lowest band slightly below the lowest band, then move upward through the middle and upper bands. That pattern shows lower average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/)s in the lower and middle income ranges than in the upper ranges, rather than a uniform discount across families.

These are averages for aid recipients, so they describe the pricing pattern rather than any individual aid package.

Boise State University posts a cost of attendance of $28,224, with aid-recipient prices varying by family income. The average [net price](/analysis/is-college-worth-it-part-1-the-net-price-illusion/), what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $18,165 for the lowest family-income band, $17,974 for the lower-middle band, $20,731 for the middle band, $23,573 for the upper-middle band, and $25,893 for the highest band.

The spread between the lowest and highest bands is $7,728. Azimuth ranks the university #619 for affordability among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid offsets part of the published price, though the overall aid-recipient cost sits above the comparable-peer midpoint. Aid covers about 23% of the published cost for the average aid recipient, or $6,614 in savings.

Across all aid recipients, the average net price is $21,610. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $15,634, making Boise State’s figure $5,976 above.

Published in-state tuition is $9,048, and out-of-state tuition is $27,788. Federal borrowing at completion matches the comparable-institution median, but many undergraduates borrow.

Among borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $20,500. That is above the $20,076 peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size), with a gap of $424.

81.3% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans, and that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month if repaid over ten years. [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowers have median borrowing of $18,968.

## Student loans: what does repayment look like?

Federal borrowing is widespread at Boise State University: 81.3% of federal aid recipients take federal loans. Among borrowers who complete a degree, median federal student debt is $20,500, which is above the peer median of $20,076 for comparable institutions (same type and size).

In its 2024-25 Common Data Set, the university reported that 47% of graduates in the cohort borrowed from any source. The average cumulative debt per borrower was $27,864.

Federal loans were held by 46% of graduates, including those who also held private loans, at an average of $20,448. A smaller share of graduates, 10%, held private loans averaging $39,644.

Parents who borrow through the separate [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) program hold a median of $18,968.

Earnings at Boise State University run above what the model predicts for similar students, but debt sits slightly above the peer median. The median four years after completion is $64,791 among federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled.

That figure falls in the 65th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $4,697 more than the model expects for similar students.

That gap sits at the 70th percentile. The program mix yields earnings scenarios of $64,791 typically, $47,575 in a downside case and $94,098 in an upside case.

Borrowers who finish carry a median of $20,500 in federal loans. That is $424 above the peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size).

If repaid over ten years, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month.

Parent borrowers have median [Parent PLUS](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/) borrowing of $18,968, a separate figure from student federal borrowing. For borrowers with median federal debt, that debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $233 a month if repaid over ten years.

[Repayment figures](#combined-borrowing) are in the Financial GPS card below. [Borrowing populations and model assumptions](#cost-data-notes).

## Parent loans: what can the family afford?

[How Parent PLUS borrowing affects families](/analysis/ou-what-happens-when-parents-borrow-too/)

**Median Parent PLUS debt**
$18,968

**Estimated parent payment**
$241/mo

Modeled Parent PLUS pressure by income

| Household income | Share of income above basic expenses | Risk level |
| --- | --- | --- |
| $35,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $50,000 | No room | High pressure |
| $75,000 | 14.2% | High pressure |
| $100,000 | 6.4% | Caution |
| $150,000 | 3.0% | Safe |
| $200,000 | 2.0% | Safe |

The 10-year payment on the median Parent PLUS balance, as a share of household income above basic expenses ($54,640 a year: 200% of the 2026 federal poverty guideline for a household of three). No room is High pressure. [Open the parent tool for your own numbers](/financial-gps/?tool=parent&school=boise-state-university#parent-tool). [Read the assumptions and limits](#cost-data-notes).

## Student and parent loans: the monthly payments

Financial GPS

### What does repayment look like?

**Institution median student debt**
$20,500

**Institution Parent PLUS debt**
$18,968

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

**Estimated student payment · monthly**
$233/mo

**Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly**
$241/mo

**Modeled student + parent payments**
$474/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

#### Student payment as a share of available income

At median graduate earnings of $64,791, with a $23,940 annual allowance for basic expenses:

**6.8%** of income above the allowance · Excellent

1.  Excellent Under 8% · selected scenario
2.  Good 8–under 12%
3.  Concerning 12–20%
4.  High risk Over 20%

How this estimate works

These are modeled earnings scenarios, not observed earnings percentiles. Annual student payments ÷ (earnings − basic-expense allowance). The starting allowance, $23,940, uses the published framework’s 2026 baseline; it is not a current local living-cost estimate. Change it for your budget, including taxes and other obligations. This combines school-level figures for illustration, not a typical individual’s budget or an official school rating. Parent PLUS is separate.

[Read the framework and its limits](/analysis/financial-gps-framework/).

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

[Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS](/financial-gps/?tool=student&school=boise-state-university#student-tool)

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).

**Net price and borrowing.** The 2023–24 income-band averages include living costs and cover eligible first-time, full-time aid recipients; public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. They are not individual aid offers. Peer matching supplies overall net prices, not matched income-band averages. [College Scorecard data and documentation](https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/).

A personal student-risk assessment also needs your major and borrowing plan; these school-level illustrations do not assign you a personal risk zone.

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates. Private-loan figures from the Common Data Set are separate from these federal repayment illustrations.