At ASU, one is the loveliest number


ASU is No. 1 in so many categories

The outstretched index finger. The checkered flag. Gold cup. Blue ribbon.

These are the symbols of No.1, and ASU just wrapped an academic year in which Sun Devils accumulated a truckload of numero unos, from scholars to donors, gamers to golfers and, yes, even lawyers.

Digging deeper, ASU racked up its string of primary digits based on quality, not volume. The university, for example, ranked as top producer of Fulbright Scholars in the nation, not because it had more applicants, but because of their caliber. ASU had one of the highest rates of acceptance.

The collection of distinctions capped a year that began with U.S. News & World Report hailing ASU as the most innovative school in the U.S. and concluded with rankings that affirmed the university’s success in providing access to a quality education and delivering excellence, in the classroom and laboratory, on the athletic field and around the world.

No. 1 in innovation – U.S. News & World Report

No. 1 producer of Fulbright Scholars in the U.S.

No. 1 public research university chosen by international students (No. 4 overall among U.S. universities)

No. 1 in Arizona for Goldwater Scholars

No. 1 in e-sports – champions of the ESPN “Heroes of the Dorm” competition

No. 1 in Arizona for state bar passage

No. 1 in Arizona for Flinn Scholars

No. 1 non-profit foundation in Arizona – ASU Foundation

No. 1 in Pac-12 women’s individual golf – freshman Linnea Strom

No. 1 Pac-12 coach – Charli Turner Thorne named Pac-12 Coach of the Year

ASU men’s swimming coach Bob Bowman named head coach of the US Olympic team

Former ASU coach Linda Vollstedt named Pac-12 Coach of the Century

Faculty, Staff, Students, University news

More University news

 

Three students walk past a building with a sign on it that says ASU London

ASU All Access: An inside look at ASU London

In this episode, Matt Lopez, Arizona State University vice president of Academic Enterprise Enrollment, provided a behind-the-scenes tour of ASU London, which offers six degrees, five in…

Malcolm L. Comeaux professor emeritus of geography.png

ASU Professor Emeritus Malcolm L. Comeaux remembered

Malcolm L. Comeaux, professor emeritus of geography in Arizona State University’s School of Geographical Sciences and Urban Planning, died on Sept. 9, leaving a legacy shaped by more than three…

Three women, one using a walker, laugh in a hallway

Record year for ASU faculty Fulbrights

Arizona State University has had a record year for faculty Fulbright awards, with 15 receiving awards for 2026–27 from the U.S. Department of State and the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board — the…