ASU Acceptance Rate, Ranking, & Tuition (2025)
October 31, 2025
Arizona State University (ASU) is a public research university founded in 1886 (nearly 30 years before Arizona was granted statehood). ASU is one of the largest public universities in the United States, with more than 194,000 undergraduate and graduate students from all 50 states and more than 165 countries. Are you interested in applying to Arizona State University? In this article, we will discuss the ASU acceptance rate, ranking, notable alumni, and tuition costs.
First, though, let’s dive into a general overview of ASU.
ASU Overview
Although the size of ASU can be overwhelming, the flip side is that there are opportunities and support systems for nearly every type of student. ASU is popular among to first-generation undergraduates, who make up approximately 42% of the student body. Likewise, around 85% of ASU undergraduate students receive some level of financial assistance and around 34% receive Pell grants.
Led by over 5,000 faculty members, ASU offers more than 400 academic undergraduate programs, and more than 450 graduate degree programs and certificates. Offerings include accelerated programs, concurrent degrees, joint programs, and online options. Despite its large size, the student-faculty ratio at ASU is 18:1, and the average class size is 29.
In addition, ASU offers extensive extracurricular opportunities—with more than 1,000 student clubs and organizations. The study-abroad program is also robust, with 300+ programs in 65 different countries.
For fans of college sports, the NCAA Division I Sun Devils have earned more than 270 national and conference titles.
The most popular majors include:
- Business, Management, Marketing, and Related Support Services
- Engineering
- Biological and Biomedical Sciences
- Health Professions and Related Programs
- Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services
- Psychology
- Social Sciences
- Communication, Journalism, and Related Programs
- Education
- Visual and Performing Arts
Arizona State University – College Admissions Calculator
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Where is ASU?
Arizona State advertises itself as “one university in many places,” and is spread out across five campuses throughout the Phoenix Metro Area, mostly connected through public transit.
- The urban Downtown Phoenix campus houses programs in health care, law, government, nonprofit and public social service, arts and sciences, journalism, media, and the corporate sector.
- The Polytechnic campus is hub for the interdisciplinary sciences, engineering, management, technology, and education.
- The historic Tempe campus houses hundreds of undergraduate and graduate majors, and is home to the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, the Herbeger Institute for Design and the Arts, the School for the Future of Innovation in Society, and the School of Sustainability. The Tempe campus is picturesque, with eclectic architecture and vibrant landscaping. The campus also houses the Sun Devil Stadium and ASU’s other Pac-12 athletic venues.
- The West Valley campus offers over 125 undergraduate and graduate degree programs, including those in forensics, business, engineering, education, and honors curriculum. The West Valley campus also provides programming for local K-12 students.
- At ASU at Lake Havasu, students participate in four-year undergraduate degree programs in high-demand career fields such as psychology, criminal justice, and health and environmental sciences. As the newest ASU campus, ASU at Lake Havasu was founded in 2012 to bring higher education to a location underserved by the state university system. Students at the Lake Havasu campus pay lower tuition and enjoy a low student-to-faculty ratio.
Overall, the Phoenix Metro Area has much to offer for students at all campuses. Phoenix is the fifth-largest city in the country, and is home to ten Fortune companies and all five of Arizona’s professional sports teams. Outdoor destinations, such as Sedona, are just a short jaunt away.
Since ASU is made up several campuses and locations—each with its own amenities, academic areas of focus, and size—the website offers a “Campus Fit” quiz to help potential students determine what type of college experience (and which associated campus) is best for them. The quiz asks about academic goals, preferred learning styles, and living preferences.
ASU Mission
ASU bills itself as “A New American University,” exemplifying a new prototype for the American public research university.
The ASU charter reads:
ASU is a comprehensive public research university, measured not by whom it excludes, but by whom it includes and how they succeed; advancing research and discovery of public value; and assuming fundamental responsibility for the economic, social, cultural and overall health of the communities it serves.
Arizona State University aims to:
- Demonstrate leadership in enabling academic excellence and accessibility at scale
- Establish national standing in academic quality and impact of colleges and schools in every field
- Expand ASU’s role as the leading global center for interdisciplinary research, discovery and development by 2029
- Enhance our local impact and social embeddedness
- Design and launch ASU Health as a comprehensive cluster of teaching, learning and discovery health systems for the enhancement of social-scale health outcomes
ASU Academic Calendar
ASU utilizes a semester-based academic calendar. The fall semester begins in late August and goes through mid-December. The spring semester begins in mid-January and concludes mid-May. ASU also offers summer courses.
Arizona State University – ASU Acceptance Rate
ASU combines a high acceptance rate (90%) with a high first-year students retention rate (85%). In the fall of 2025, ASU has projected 17,900 incoming first-year students, with about 50% of those students hailing from Arizona.
ASU offers rolling admissions and accepts either ASU’s Application for Admission or the Common App. In general, to be admitted to ASU, students need to achieve one of the following:
- A spot in the top 25% of their high school graduating class
- A 3.00 GPA in competency courses
- An ACT score of 22 for Arizona residents or 24 for non-Arizona residents
- An SAT score of 1120 for Arizona residents or 1180 for non-Arizona residents
That said, some degree programs have higher aptitude requirements. Potential students are encouraged to research the requirements for any programs in which they are interested prior to applying.
Overall, two-thirds of admitted first-year students in the fall of 2024 reported unweighted GPAs of 3.53 or above. Note that ASU does not require ACT or SAT scores for admission, but test scores can be a way for potential students to demonstrate that they’ve met the competency requirements.
ASU Ranking
According to its website, Arizona State University ranks #in the U.S. in both innovation abd global impact (in research outreach and stewardship). It also ranks #5 in the U.S. for undergraduate teaching and top 20 for women in STEM.
ASU also receives consistent recognition for its affordability and overall value. For example, College Transitions lists ASU among 200 Schools “Worth Your Money” for 2025 and the 2023 edition of the Fiske Guide to Colleges lists ASU as a “Top Ten Best Buy” public university in the United States.
Finally, ASU enjoys a strong international reputation. In 2023, ASU was named the #1 public university for hosting international students in the 2024 Institute of International Education’s Open Doors Report—a position it has claimed for the past four years.
ASU Tuition
First-year ASU students pay for tuition and mandatory fees, on-campus housing, and meals. Books and supplies, transportation, and personal expenses vary but should also be factored into one’s projected college expenses. At Arizona State, tuition varies by program and campus location, but the average in-state resident tuition for 2024-2025 was $12,625 and the average for out-of-state students was $34,817.
ASU does offer many scholarships and financial aid opportunities which can significantly lower costs, and around 46% of first-year undergraduates receive some sort of financial aid. In fact, the average net tuition Arizona residents pay after gift aid, work-study, and on-campus employment is around $4,000 a year. Moreover, some Arizona residents qualify for tuition-free programs, including the Arizona Promise Program and the President Barack Obama Scholar Program.
Nonresidents have options for financial aid as well, and are eligible for the New American University’s President’s and Provost’s Awards, as well as Academic Achievement, University, and Dean’s Awards.
To help students anticipate costs, ASU provides a tuition calculator which calculates costs based on academic year, residency status, student status, campus location, college, and academic program.
ASU Notable Alumni
ASU’s list of notable alumni is extensive, and includes athletes, government leaders, founders of companies, entertainers, and more. Examples include:
- Barbara Barrett, former US Ambassador to Finland
- Mary Temple Grandin, autism spokesperson and author
- James Harden, basketball star
- Jimmy Kimmel, late-night TV host
- Ruth McGregor, former chief justice of the Arizona Supreme Court
- Phil Mickelson, professional golfer
- Peterson Zah, First Navajo Nation president
Are you interested in becoming a Sun Devil and joining the ranks of over a half-million ASU alumni? Contact ASU Admission Services or book a campus visit.
ASU Acceptance Rate, Ranking, & Tuition (2025)
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