Boise State University offers first-year students a choice of eight residence halls, Chaffee, Driscoll, Morrison, Keiser, Taylor, Syringa, Towers, the Osprey and University Square, plus the Honors College and Sawtooth Hall for honors students, with suite, community-bathroom and apartment-style rooms. Proposed room rates for the 2026-2027 academic year run from $5,200 for a double in Chaffee Hall to $15,300 for a super single with a private bathroom in the Osprey, before the meal plan that all traditional-age first-year students must buy.
Everything below comes from Boise State’s Housing and Residence Life site: the housing options pages for each building and the 2026-2027 rates page.
What Living on Campus at Boise State Involves
Housing costs depend on the room type you choose and your meal plan, and rates are quoted for a full academic year from August to May. All traditional-age first-year students living on campus are required to have a weekly meal plan for their first academic year, whatever their room assignment; the recommended Trailblazer Plan is $5,970 for 2026-2027, before 6% sales tax. The 2026-2027 rates below are proposed and had not yet been finalised by the Idaho State Board of Education when published.
What the First-Year Residence Halls Are Like
Chaffee Hall
Boise State’s largest first-year hall, with a capacity of 450 across 3 floors. Central floor lounges and more traditional room setups make it a social, welcoming hall, and it sits beside ExtraMile Arena and Albertsons Stadium, with the Student Union a short walk away and a C-Store with a grill on site. Rooms in the A and B wings share community bathrooms; the D wing has suite bathrooms. Proposed 2026-2027 rates: $5,200 for a double and $7,000 for a single in the A/B wings, $7,000 for a D-wing double.
Driscoll Hall and Morrison Hall
Twin halls close to the Greenbelt and the heart of campus, each offering suite-style living for 8 to 12 students plus a library and lounge on the main floor. Proposed rates: $7,700 for a suite double and $9,400 for a suite single.
Keiser Hall and Taylor Hall
Keiser is a 100-bed, 4-floor hall next to ExtraMile Arena and Albertsons Stadium, home of the Adventure Idaho Living Learning Community, with a classroom dedicated to living learning communities. Taylor Hall is its partner building and shares its rates: $8,500 for a suite double and $10,200 for a suite single.
Syringa Hall
A six-floor hall with lounges on every floor overlooking the Boise River and Greenbelt, close to the Quad, Albertsons Library and the Student Union Building. Rooms are doubles of about 16 feet 8 inches by 13 feet with community bathrooms, at a proposed $8,500.
Towers Hall
A 7-floor, 300-capacity hall near downtown Boise and the city’s cultural events, which the university suggests for performing arts students. It has a sand volleyball court, basketball court and barbecue grill along the Greenbelt. Suite doubles are a proposed $7,000.
The Osprey
A 5-floor, 270-capacity building for first-year and sophomore-and-above students, a block from Ann Morrison Park and close to downtown, with six room types, community study spaces and an on-site gym. Beds are full XL. Proposed rates range from $12,400 for an efficiency single with a shared bathroom to $15,300 for a super single with a private bathroom.
University Square
Four buildings around a grassy courtyard on the west end of campus, a short walk from classes, Julia Davis Park and downtown, offering a more independent lifestyle. Proposed rates: $8,500 for a suite double and $10,800 for a suite single.
What the Honors College and Sawtooth Hall Are Like
Located in the heart of campus, the Honors College Hall and Sawtooth Hall together house nearly 650 students in a modern, community-focused space with spacious common areas, courtyards and SouthFork Market on the first floor, and are home to the Artists in Residence Living Learning Communities. Proposed first-year rates: $8,500 for a double in a 2-bedroom suite, $10,200 for a single in a 4-bedroom suite and $11,200 for a single in a 2-bedroom suite.
What the Sophomore-and-Above Housing Is Like
University Suites
Private bedrooms with three suite-mates and a shared living room, plus a community center with pool tables and a lounge, close to the Boise Art Museum, Julia Davis Park and downtown. Proposed rates: $10,200 for an efficiency single and $10,800 for a single.
Lincoln Townhomes
Apartment-style living for continuing students near the Student Union Building and the Campus Recreation Center. Proposed rates: $10,200 for an efficiency single and $10,800 for a single with a private bathroom.
University Heights and University Village
Unfurnished family-friendly apartments with playgrounds and shared grill areas, rented monthly on a June-to-May agreement. University Heights has 18 one-bedroom and 18 two-bedroom units; University Village has 66 two-bedroom units.
What a Room Costs in 2026-2027
- Lowest first-year rate: Chaffee Hall A/B-wing double with community bathroom, $5,200.
- Mid-range: suite doubles in Driscoll/Morrison ($7,700), Keiser/Taylor, University Square and the Honors College/Sawtooth ($8,500), and Syringa’s community-bathroom doubles ($8,500).
- Singles: from $7,000 in Chaffee’s A/B wings to $11,200 in the Honors College/Sawtooth 2-bedroom suites.
- Highest: the Osprey, $12,400 to $15,300.
- Meal plan: required for traditional-age first-year students; the Trailblazer Plan is $5,970.
Tips for Choosing a Dorm at Boise State
- Add the meal plan to any first-year comparison. A $5,200 Chaffee double becomes about $11,170 with the Trailblazer Plan.
- Pick by bathroom style. Chaffee’s A/B wings and Syringa use community bathrooms; most other halls are suite-style; the Osprey offers private bathrooms at the top of the price range.
- Pick by location. Chaffee and Keiser sit by the arena and stadium; Syringa, Driscoll and Morrison are by the river and Greenbelt; Towers, the Osprey and University Square lean toward downtown.
- Living Learning Communities: Keiser (Adventure Idaho) and the Honors College/Sawtooth (Artists in Residence) place students with shared interests together.
Conclusion
Boise State’s first-year halls span a wide price range, from traditional community-bathroom doubles in Chaffee to private-bathroom singles in the Osprey, and the choice mostly comes down to bathroom style, location and budget once the required meal plan is added. Sophomores and above can move to suites, townhomes or family apartments while staying on campus.