Boise State has set a new fall enrollment record of 19,930 degree-seeking students — up .5 percent over fall 2019, and the highest number reported for Boise State since the Oct. 15 census date was instituted by the State Board of Education in 2012.
“Our university community worked together brilliantly to offer our students a unique, relevant and high-quality college experience this fall, in spite of the special challenges all of higher education has faced. We worked to create genuine opportunities for students, and those students will go on to make a real impact in the state with their talents,” said Dr. Marlene Tromp, Boise State president. “Though the budget concerns produced by COVID continue, I am incredibly proud of the resilient nature of this university, and I am pleased that so many students and families have placed their trust in us to empower them to create their best future.”
The fall number includes 16,975 undergraduate students and 2,955 graduate students. Doctoral student enrollment for fall 2020 is 407, and master’s student enrollment is 2,441. Doctoral student enrollment has nearly doubled in the past five years, up from 280 students in 2016. Master’s enrollment has increased 16 percent during the same five-year period.
Overall enrollment is 24,103, down 8.3 percent over last year. The decline is attributed to a steep drop in the number of high school students taking advantage of dual credit opportunities at their Idaho high schools.
“The pandemic has disrupted high school calendars, and a number of dual-credit classes have been pushed later into the year,” said Mark Wheeler, dean of Boise State’s Division of Extended Studies. “As of right now, we have 3,630 dual-credit students enrolled — but that’s 37 percent fewer than last year on this date.“
Also of note related to the COVID pandemic, this fall a total of 3,757 undergraduates, or 18 percent, are taking in-person or hybrid courses only; 11,076 (or 53 percent) are taking a blend of courses that include at least one in-person or hybrid course and at least one online or remote course. In total, 71 percent of Boise State’s undergraduates are taking at least one course in an in-person format. The remaining 29 percent are taking courses in an online or remote format, or some combination of online and remote.
Boise State’s campus remains open. The university has taken a number of steps — including requiring facial coverings, physical distancing, testing, a phone app for daily health checks, a student pledge to adhere to health guidelines, a robust contact tracing program and limiting event numbers — to keep campus safe. The university’s campus reintegration plan was called out as a national model. For more COVID-related information, visit boisestate.edu/coronavirus-response.