How to Apply to Engineering at Boise State: Admission by Unweighted High School GPA With No Test Scores, a College of Engineering With Civil, Electrical, Computer, Mechanical, Materials and Engineering Plus Majors, for Domestic and International (Including Chinese) Applicants and Transfer Students

Undergraduate engineering at Boise State University is offered by the College of Engineering (COEN). This guide follows the university’s website and is organised for U.S. domestic applicants, international applicants, applicants from China and transfer students. Computer science is also in COEN and has its own guide on this site, so it is not covered here.

1. Engineering degrees in COEN

• Scale: the Choosing a Major page says COEN has seven departments and two programs with 10 undergraduate degree options. The programs page lists these undergraduate programs: Artificial Intelligence Science, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Construction Management, Cyber Operations and Resilience (online), Electrical Engineering, Engineering Plus, Materials Science and Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering. Computer engineering is called Computer Engineering on the college page and Computer Systems Engineering on the electrical and computer engineering and Choosing a Major pages.
• Degrees and credits: the degree is a Bachelor of Science. The Civil Engineering four-year plan shows 123 credits in the 2026–2027 catalog; credits for the other majors are not stated on the pages we read.
• Electrical and Computer Engineering offers B.S. degrees in Electrical Engineering and Computer Engineering. Electrical Engineering includes 12 flexible credits of technical and ECE electives, with emphasis areas in Biomedical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Integrated Circuit Design, Semiconductor Devices and Processing, Signals, Systems and Controls, and Power Systems Engineering, and a year-long team design project with industry sponsors.
• Civil Engineering covers structural, geotechnical, environmental/water resources, transportation and materials engineering; first-year students take CE-EC 100, CE 200 (with design competitions such as steel bridge and concrete canoe) and CE 280.
• Mechanical Engineering has a new curriculum with a four-year sequence of design courses; students use the Engineering Innovation Studio’s manufacturing equipment.
• Engineering Plus is described as an ABET-accredited, flexible Bachelor of Science in Engineering that can be earned in as few as 8 semesters, with plus/pathway electives chosen by the student. The page lists transfer, second degree, study abroad, ROTC, honors, military credit and specific interests (robotics, business, sustainability) among the students it suits.
• ABET accreditation: the Materials Science and Engineering page says its B.S. is ABET accredited, and so does the Engineering Plus page. The pages we read do not state accreditation for the other majors; check department pages or ABET’s website.
• Internships and co-ops: COEN’s future students page says 82% of undergraduates work in research labs or have internships, while the student hub page says 80% (the two figures differ). The civil engineering page encourages internships and co-ops; we did not find a described paid co-op program.

2. Admission and choosing a major

• Applying to the university: COEN’s future students page says to apply through the university’s admissions page. The first-year pages review applicants on cumulative unweighted high school GPA, with no separate engineering section or engineering GPA threshold on the pages we read.
• Direct entry to a specific major, conditions for entering a department, enrollment caps, and internal transfer into COEN: not stated on the admissions or COEN pages we read; ask the COEN advising office (AdviseENGR@boisestate.edu). The site says admitted students attend orientation and meet a department advisor, and the COEN advising team helps with course planning and choosing a major; there are Choosing a Major and first-year advising pages.
• If you are unsure: contact COEN advising. The Engineering Plus page lists students “transitioning in or out of another engineering program” among those it suits.

3. Prerequisites and credit

• High school courses: the admissions pages we read list no required high school courses and no math, physics or chemistry prerequisites. The electrical engineering four-year plan (labeled catalog year 2025–26) starts with MATH 170 (Calculus I), PHYS 211/L (Physics I with Calculus) and ECE 180; the civil engineering 2026–2027 plan has MATH 170 in the first semester and MATH 175 (Calculus II) and PHYS 211 in the second. These are course plans, not entry requirements stated by the website.
• Math placement test: not described on the pages we read.
• AP/IB credit (Registrar pages; send scores to school code 4018; credit posts after the 10th day of the first semester): AP Calculus AB with a 3 earns MATH 170 (4 credits); Calculus BC with a 3 earns MATH 170 and 175 (8 credits); AP Chemistry with a 4 earns CHEM 111; AP Physics C: Electricity and Magnetism with a 4 earns PHYS 212/212L (5 credits). IB Mathematics: Analysis and Approaches HL with a 4 earns MATH 170 and 175 (8 credits) and SL with a 4 earns MATH 170 (4 credits); IB Chemistry HL with a 4 earns CHEM 111 and 111L (4 credits); IB Physics HL with a 5 earns PHYS 111 and 112 (8 credits). Credit for prior learning is capped at one-third of the credits needed to graduate and does not count toward residency. Whether it satisfies a particular engineering major’s required course is for the department to confirm.

4. Deadlines, materials and fees (fall 2027 entry)

• Deadlines (admissions apply page): nonresident application and scholarship priority deadline December 15, 2026; resident February 15, 2027; standard application deadline May 1, 2027, which is also the intent-to-enroll deadline.
• Application fee (fee page): nonresident undergraduate and fully online applicants pay $50 (non-refundable) or have an approved waiver; international undergraduates pay $85 and are not eligible for need-based waivers. The Idaho resident page lists no fee.
• Materials: Boise State’s own application (Idaho residents may also use the state’s Apply Idaho application); an official high school transcript (the resident page says Apply Idaho applicants need not send one unless asked); nonresidents also pay the fee or have an approved waiver. International Admissions does not accept the Common Application.
• Essays and recommendations: not required for automatic admission. Applicants in holistic review submit a 500–650-word personal statement (challenges, actions taken, evidence of readiness, goals) and may add up to two recommendation letters.
• Testing: the site says test scores are not required and are not used in the review; the nonresident page lists official ACT or SAT scores only for homeschool or unaccredited-school applicants under 21. International students are not required to send SAT or ACT scores either. The pages do not mention any separate engineering testing requirement.

5. U.S. domestic applicants

• Idaho residents, high school seniors: a 3.00–4.00 GPA (or ISAT ELA and math scores of at least 3) is automatic admission; 2.80–2.99 is “highly considered” with nothing further needed; 2.60–2.79 gets holistic review after you submit a 7th-semester transcript and a personal statement (decisions in early March if complete by February 15); below 2.60 does not qualify. For graduates: 2.80–4.00 automatic, 2.00–2.79 holistic, below 2.00 does not qualify.
• Nonresidents, high school seniors: 3.00–4.00 automatic; 2.80–2.99 highly considered; 2.60–2.79 holistic review (same materials); below 2.60 does not qualify. Graduates: 3.00–4.00 meets standards, 2.80–2.99 highly considered, 2.00–2.79 holistic, below 2.00 does not qualify.
• Tuition: resident and nonresident tuition amounts are not in the page text we could read (the cost estimator needs scripts), so we do not list them; use the university’s cost estimator. The WUE scholarship page says WUE covers 150% of resident tuition, a savings of $16,339 a year.
• Resident scholarships (new-to-college scholarships page, no year shown; materials by the priority deadline): True Blue Promise (GPA 3.20–3.69 and Pell eligible) $2,000 a year; Dean’s (3.70–3.89) $2,500; Presidential (3.90–4.00) $3,000; all for four years (eight semesters), renewable with 24 credits per year and a cumulative GPA of 2.50 (True Blue Promise) or 3.00.
• Nonresident scholarships: Ridgeline (GPA 3.10–3.29) $5,000 a year; Summit (3.30–4.00) $10,000; WUE (3.50–4.00; permanent residence in a state or territory on the university’s list, where the states are Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington and Wyoming, and U.S. citizenship or permanent residency) about $16,339. All require an eligible major; the page says Construction Management, which is one of COEN’s programs, is not eligible, along with Nursing and others.
• COEN scholarships: the COEN scholarships page says awards are based on academic achievement and come through auto-match and auto-apply routes; it also lists older deadlines (for example 2025), so rely on the admissions and financial aid pages for current dates.
• In-state preference or guarantee: Idaho residents with a 3.00 or higher are automatically admitted (above); the pages do not describe a separate COEN guarantee.

6. International applicants

• Who counts as international: non-U.S. citizens who need a visa to study in the U.S.; permanent residents, refugees, asylees and DACA recipients are not international students; dual citizens who hold U.S. citizenship are considered domestic.
• Application materials: the online application; an $85 non-refundable fee (no waivers for international students); high school transcripts or marksheets; proof of English proficiency; and a copy of the passport name page. The site says applications are considered primarily on past academic achievement; recommendation letters and personal statements are welcome but not required. A minimum GPA for international applicants is not published on the pages we read.
• English tests: IELTS 6.0; TOEFL iBT 4 (tests taken on or after January 26, 2026) or 68 (before); ACT English 18; SAT evidence-based reading and writing 450; Duolingo 100; PTE Academic 50; Cambridge English Scale 169; others include the IB (Diploma Programme completed within two years, or IB English A Language and Literature at 4), AP English at 3 and IGCSE/O-Level English at C. Exemption: three or more years of secondary education in English-medium schools in the listed countries (including the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Canada excluding Quebec, and the United States and territories). Applicants below the minimums may be offered the Pathway Program (1–3 semesters), after which they are fully admitted to their degree program.
• Credentials: unofficial transcripts are accepted for review if legible and in English or with a certified word-for-word English translation; official transcripts are due at the start of the first semester and must arrive before registering for the second. Official transcripts come in a sealed envelope stamped by the school, or through approved electronic services such as Parchment and Naviance; email and fax are not accepted. Results of external exams such as A-Level or IB must come directly from the exam board. No external credential evaluation is needed for admission.
• Deadlines (no year shown): fall scholarship deadline December 15 and priority application deadline April 1; spring scholarship and priority application deadline October 1. Decisions typically come within two weeks of a complete file.
• After admission: students needing a visa submit a financial documentation form and proof of sufficient funds. The cost page (no academic year shown) estimates the undergraduate total at $51,549: tuition and fees $29,477, room and board $16,894, books and supplies $800, health insurance $2,175 and personal expenses $2,203. These are the funding amounts required for a student visa.
• International scholarships: international undergraduate applicants are automatically considered for merit awards of $5,000–$17,000 a year, combining the nonresident scholarships (Ridgeline and Summit) with the international-only Global Scholarship. By cumulative GPA: 3.100–3.299 gets $5,000; 3.300–3.499 $10,000; 3.500–3.749 $15,000; 3.750–3.999 $16,000; 4.000 or more $17,000. Requirements: all materials by the deadline (October 1, 2026 for spring; December 15, 2026 for fall 2027); an eligible major (Construction Management is not eligible); a first-time degree-seeking undergraduate; an unweighted cumulative GPA of at least 3.100 calculated by the International Admissions Office or a NACES member; and nonresident status for tuition. Global Scholarships depend on availability, with priority by the order in which files were completed. First-year awards renew for up to four years and transfer awards for two. The site says no fully funded undergraduate scholarships are offered.

7. Applicants from China

• Gaokao: the international first-year page does not mention the Gaokao and there is no China page for high school applicants. How Gaokao results are used is not published; contact International Admissions (interntl@boisestate.edu).
• High school transcripts: for most countries, transcripts are sent in a sealed, stamped envelope from your school (documents sent directly by a country’s Ministry of Education are also accepted); external exam results come from the exam board. The site says documents not in English (which includes Chinese-language ones) need a certified word-for-word English translation, with the original also submitted. The international transfer page has a country-specific section for China, India and Russia; its China part covers Chinese university transcripts (see transfer below). The first-year page we read has no China-specific note for high school applicants.
• Testing and English: SAT/ACT is not required; English requirements are above.
• International curricula: A-Level and IB results can earn credit; see Section 3.

8. Transfer students

• Who is a transfer student (admissions transfer page): someone who has completed at least one transferable academic GPA credit after high school or a GED. Applicants with fewer than 14 transferable semester credits must also send the final high school transcript and meet first-year standards. AP, CLEP, credit for prior learning and dual/concurrent enrollment credit do not count toward those credits.
• Standards: a cumulative transfer GPA of 2.25 with good standing meets the standard; 2.00–2.24 with an AA, AS or AAS degree is admissible; 2.00–2.24 without one goes to additional review (a personal statement of up to 500 words is encouraged); 0.00–1.99 is not eligible for degree-seeking admission.
• Deadlines (no year shown): fall priority December 15 (nonresident) and February 15 (resident), standard August 1; spring priority October 1, standard December 1. Nonresident and fully online students pay an application fee.
• In COEN: the college has transfer pathway agreements with community colleges; students who follow a pathway can follow the catalog from the year the pathway began; new transfer students must meet an advisor. COEN’s calculus, physics and chemistry sequence requirements for transfers are not stated on the pages we read.
• International transfers: $85 fee; transcripts from all colleges; secondary transcripts if fewer than 14 college credits; English proof (also met by an English 101-equivalent course with a C- or better after 14 or more transferable credits at a regionally accredited U.S. institution). U.S. credit is evaluated by the Registrar; credit from outside the U.S. needs an external evaluation. Chinese university transcripts and degree certificates must be verified through the Center for Student Services and Development (CSSD, chsi.com.cn): submit the Online Verification Report of Student Record and of Higher Education Degree Certificate, with a certified English translation of the degree certificate.

Checklist

U.S. domestic applicants:

• Apply by December 15, 2026 (nonresident) or February 15, 2027 (resident) for priority, with the official transcript; standard deadline May 1; no test scores needed
• A GPA of 3.00 or higher is automatic admission; 2.60–2.79 for seniors needs a 7th-semester transcript and personal statement
• Ask AdviseENGR@boisestate.edu about your specific major and any entry conditions

International applicants (including China):

• Submit the application, $85 fee, transcripts, English proof and passport copy; scholarship deadline December 15, priority April 1
• Send transcripts sealed or through approved services; certified English translation (plus the original) for non-English documents; ask International Admissions how the Gaokao is used
• A GPA of 3.1 or higher is automatically considered for $5,000–$17,000 a year

Transfer students:

• Cumulative GPA of 2.25 in good standing; fall priority December 15 or February 15, standard August 1 (confirm the year)

Sources: Boise State University, College of Engineering programs; COEN future students; Choosing a major; COEN advising; COEN transfer students; COEN scholarships; Civil engineering undergraduate; Civil engineering four-year plan; Electrical and computer engineering undergraduate; Electrical engineering four-year plan; Mechanical engineering undergraduate; Materials science and engineering undergraduate; Engineering Plus; Idaho resident first-year; Nonresident first-year; Transfer; Application fee; New-to-college scholarships; International first-year; International transfer; International cost; International scholarships; AP credit; IB credit; Credit for prior learning. Where the site shows no year (deadlines, scholarship tables, costs), confirm they apply to fall 2027 entry.