Address: University Drive and Mill Avenue, 85287 Tempe, Arizona, United States
Engineering, Business (W. P. Carey), Sustainability
Arizona State University was created in 1885 as a normal school by the Arizona territorial legislature, with its original campus in Tempe. From that start it grew into a public research university spread across several campuses in the Phoenix area, and it also teaches large numbers of students online.
Tempe is the original and largest campus. A West Valley campus was established in 1984, the Polytechnic campus in Mesa began in 1996 as ASU East, and an extended campus in downtown Phoenix serves working adults. The university also runs ASU Online, a digital platform for degree study.
The scale is unusual: in fall 2025 about 78,000 students were expected on its in-person campuses and more than 80,000 were enrolled through ASU Online. Fields of study include engineering, business, architecture and environmental design, fine arts, liberal arts and sciences, and law. U.S. News and World Report placed ASU first among its most innovative schools in 2025, an ordering the university itself highlights.
Domains taught:
AI and Machine Learning, Data Analytics, Ecology and Sustainability, Engineering, Life Sciences, Software Engineering
Diplomas*:
Bachelor, Doctor, Master, MBA
Status:
Public
Partnerships:
One of the largest public universities in the US by enrollment. Known for innovation in higher education (e.g., online programs, interdisciplinary research). Strong focus on sustainability and entrepreneurship.
Research:
A major research university with strengths in renewable energy, sustainability, space exploration (School of Earth and Space Exploration), biodesign, and online learning technologies. High research activity.
Famous Alumnis:
Phil Mickelson, Kate Spade, David Spade, Nick Nolte, Pat Tillman
International recognition**:
Number of staff***:
15000
Current students***:
140000
Foreign students***:
10%
Cumulative former students***:
500000
Pros
Leader in innovation and online education, strong focus on sustainability and entrepreneurship, diverse student body and program offerings, multiple campuses.
Cons
Extremely large student population, can feel impersonal, quality can vary across its many programs and campuses, Phoenix heat.
Best For
Students seeking a large, innovative public university with diverse programs, a strong focus on sustainability and entrepreneurship, or flexible online learning options.
University of Arizona, a public university in Tucson, is the in-state counterpart with astronomy and planetary sciences, optics, and hydrology and water resources.
Pennsylvania State University, public and in University Park, spans engineering, business and earth and mineral sciences.
Michigan State University in East Lansing is a public university with agriculture, education and supply chain management.
University of Utah in Salt Lake City is public and combines medicine, engineering and computer graphics and visualization.
University of Colorado Boulder pairs aerospace engineering with earth and environmental sciences and physics as a public university in Boulder.
Most Similar Schools Abroad
The Open University in the United Kingdom is a public university built on distance learning, STEM and social sciences.
Singapore's Nanyang Technological University is a public institution on Nanyang Avenue joining engineering, business and computing and data science.
University of New South Wales (Australia), public and in Sydney, covers engineering, medicine and health, business and law.
University of Waterloo in Canada is public, located in Waterloo, Ontario, and known for computer science, engineering and mathematics with co-op.
Technische Universiteit Delft, a public university in Delft, the Netherlands, offers aerospace engineering, civil engineering and computer science.
*our own picks (our criteria: a mix between domains, diploma delivered, reputation and size), but obviously too many criteria for an apple-to-apple ranking.
FAQ
When did ASU begin?
The institution was created by the Arizona territorial legislature in 1885 as a normal school, a teacher-training college, in Tempe.
How many campuses does Arizona State have?
Besides the original Tempe campus, there are the West Valley campus (1984), the Polytechnic campus in Mesa (1996) and a downtown Phoenix campus, together with ASU Online.
How big is the enrolment?
In fall 2025 the in-person campuses enrolled about 78,000 students, and more than 80,000 more studied online.
What is ASU's innovation ranking?
In the 2025 U.S. News and World Report ranking, ASU was first among most innovative schools in the country.
Which programmes does it offer?
Programmes cover engineering, business, architecture and environmental design, fine arts, liberal arts and sciences, and law, with bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees.
Is it possible to study fully online?
ASU Online provides degree programmes through a digital platform, and more than 80,000 students were enrolled through it in fall 2025.
Where are tuition and admission details published?
The university's official site, asu.edu, lists admission requirements and tuition for each programme and campus.
*: without any judgment of the quality, readers are strongly encouraged to check the official status of the exact diploma envisioned as many universities have a mix of recognized diplomas, not recognized, “co-delivered,” “equivalent to”, “some pathways” (…), can change over time, and can be named differently from one country to another.
**: international reputation: is based on some criteria that do not mean much in some domains or specialties (number of researchers, of scientific publications, on budget ….). Our approximate 1-4 scale:
known locally
known locally and internationally
is listed in some of the world university’s classifications
is listed among the 20 firsts in some of world university’s classifications
***: estimated numbers, based on online sources and/or feedbacks. The numbers can vary greatly depending on school organisation (ex.: school is part of a group, it employs internal staff or external consultants or has public staff without employing them …). Refer to all the links provided to have accurate and updated numbers.
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