Boise State University (Boise State) is a public research university based in Boise, Idaho. Boise State is Idaho’s largest public university and a metropolitan research institution in the state capital, with academic strengths in engineering, computing, business, health, education, public service, arts, humanities, and interdisciplinary innovation. The institution traces its development to 1932, and its present academic identity reflects a long pattern of growth rather than a single modern expansion. The institution opened in 1932 as Boise Junior College with 70 students. It became a four-year college in 1965, adopted the Boise State University name in 1974, and continued expanding its graduate, doctoral, research, online, and metropolitan missions. Academically, Boise State supports a broad mix of undergraduate, graduate, doctoral, certificate, and interdisciplinary study. Representative undergraduate choices include Computer Science BS, Civil Engineering BS, Electrical Engineering BS, Mechanical Engineering BS, Materials Science and Engineering BS, Business Administration BBA. Graduate study includes options such as Business Administration MBA, Computer Science MS, Cyber Operations and Resilience MS, Electrical and Computer Engineering MS, Materials Science and Engineering MS, while doctoral education extends into fields including Computing PhD, Materials Science and Engineering PhD, Biomolecular Sciences PhD, Ecology, Evolution and Behavior PhD. Research is especially visible in materials science, computing, cybersecurity, engineering, biomolecular science, energy, public policy, education, health, geoscience, and interdisciplinary technology. Boise’s growing technology and government sectors provide a strong environment for applied partnerships. The campus sits along the Boise River near downtown and state government, giving students access to employers, healthcare systems, technology firms, public agencies, outdoor recreation, arts, and a rapidly growing metropolitan economy. For current cost planning, For 2026–27, full-time undergraduates taking 11–16 credits pay $9,789 annually in tuition and fees as Idaho residents and $29,477 as nonresidents before housing, food, books, transportation, insurance, and course-specific charges. These published amounts are planning figures and can change with residency, program, credit load, housing, insurance, or board action at Boise State University, where representative academic pathways at the university include Computer Science BS and Civil Engineering BS. First-year applicants use Boise State’s undergraduate application and provide the required academic record. Admission standards and scholarship review vary by applicant type, while selected majors and graduate programs may require additional prerequisites or supplemental materials. Career opportunities are supported by Boise’s technology, semiconductor, government, healthcare, engineering, construction, finance, education, nonprofit, and outdoor-industry sectors. Taken together, Boise State University is best understood as an institution whose academic portfolio, research mission, student support, and regional setting are closely connected. Boise State also uses certificates, accelerated pathways, online options, and other nontraditional formats to extend selected academic areas beyond the standard four-year or graduate sequence. The university’s location in Boise gives students access to the civic, research, cultural, health, business, and public-sector networks that shape its surrounding region. Students comparing programs should review the live catalog because degree titles, concentrations, delivery formats, prerequisites, and admission cycles can differ by college at Boise State University, where representative academic pathways at the university include Computer Science BS and Civil Engineering BS.