ASU sets multiple enrollment records as the fall semester begins
Students walk around outside of the Memorial Union on the first day of classes at the Tempe campus on Aug. 17, 2023. Photo by Samantha Chow/ASU
As fall classes get underway on Aug. 22, some 40,800 new students will join the Sun Devil family, including first-year, transfer and graduate students enrolled across ASU’s campuses, locations and online.
Nearly 1 in 4 students enrolled at Arizona State University at the start of the fall semester are new to the university.
Of the new cohort, 17,000 are incoming first-year students — and of those, 9,170 are Arizona residents, a university record. But it’s not just undergrads showing state pride: Incoming master’s students from Arizona total 3,150, a 19% growth compared with last fall.
In total, the university will be welcoming 18,100 new students from Arizona, an increase of 9% from the prior year.
“It’s built into our name — we are first and foremost here to serve the people of Arizona,” ASU President Michael M. Crow said. “Our university is dedicated to enabling student success, leveraging its place, being socially embedded and engaging globally, so while we are ‘one university in many places,’ ensuring that Arizonans have the knowledge and tools to build a bright future is fundamental to who we are. Our state has unbelievable potential for achievement, health and prosperity, and ASU is here to help make it happen.”
How does ASU count its students?
ASU offers multiple start dates for our students, with many of our online students joining in later sessions offered in the fall and spring semesters. True to our mission of measuring ourselves by whom we include, we have adjusted our total enrollment reporting to include all students who join us over the course of a year. In previous years, we reported the total count at the start of the fall semester, but this number increases throughout the year, thus failing to account for tens of thousands of ASU students.
Our 181,000 students is a total of all unique students who enrolled at ASU in the past academic year: fall 2023, spring 2024 and summer 2024.
In a given year — counting unique enrollments across all sessions of fall, spring and summer — ASU enrolls more than 181,000 students. For this fall specifically, here are more highlights of the university’s new students.
First-year class: Quantity and quality
The first-year class is one of the most academically excellent cohorts in university history. Barrett, The Honors College will see a 14% increase in first-year students enrolled at the start of the semester. The weighted high school GPA of those students is 4.4, tying a university record.
First-year students at ASU represent all 50 states, plus Washington, D.C., and 86 countries.
The top majors for incoming first-year students include business, computer science and mechanical engineering. Other areas that saw noticeable growth are applied biological sciences (pre-dental), forensic science, aerospace engineering and community health.
Exemplifying ASU’s mission of inclusion, the university also welcomes a first-year, on-campus cohort in which 7,300 (52%) of the cohort identifies as an underrepresented minority, a university record. This includes a 7% growth in Hispanic/Latino students and 19% growth in Black/African American students.
Additionally this year, 36% of incoming first-year students, including on campus and online, identify as first-generation college students.
The university received 81,700 first-year, campus immersion applications for this fall, the most in ASU history.
Fall move-in
Friendly faces and hundreds of volunteers were on hand to help thousands of students move in to all four metro Phoenix campuses.
ASU Online students
ASU Online — which this summer reached a milestone of 100,000 graduates — continues its commitment to expand educational opportunities to students within the United States, around the world and in remote locations like Native American reservations and military bases where it can be difficult to access higher education.
This fall, ASU Online enrollment grew by 12%, with more than 73,000 students projected for the start of the fall semester.
Many ASU Online students are pursuing their degrees thanks to partnerships with Starbucks and Uber, which provide tuition coverage for those who qualify.
Graduate students
Annually, nearly 41,000 graduates attend ASU, making up 23% of the student body.
Notably for this fall, the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law is seeing a 25% increase in Juris Doctor enrollments, and Arizona residents make up 46% of ASU Law students, the highest percentage in recent years.
Enrollment of new international master’s students on ASU’s campuses grew by 25%, reflecting ASU’s status as the No. 1 public university for hosting international students.
Campus growth
On the West Valley campus, enrollment of new first-year, transfer and master’s students increased by 25%.
To accommodate that growth, ASU is adding two new buildings, including the Casa del Valle residence hall, which opens this fall. It features 507 double-occupancy, suite-styled units; a social lounge; zen areas; study halls; a creation hub; and a landscaped courtyard.
The West Valley campus has also added three new schools in forensics, business and engineering to its offerings.
The Polytechnic campus is also following growth trends at the university. This fall, it will see a 15% increase in new first-year students, many looking to major in interdisciplinary sciences, engineering, management, technology, aviation and education.
Fall Welcome Signature Events
Panhellenic Preview/Sorority Showcase
10:20 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Monday, Aug. 19
ASU Greek Leadership Village
Fraternity Forum
6 to 8 p.m., Monday, Aug. 19
ASU Greek Leadership Village
Sun Devil Welcome and InfernoFest
8 to 10 p.m., Tuesday, Aug. 20
Mountain America Stadium
Global Futures Opportunities Fair
2 to 3:30 p.m., Wednesday, Aug. 21
Walton Center for Planetary Health
Echo From the Buttes
8 to 10 a.m., Saturday, Aug. 24
"A" Mountain (Tempe Butte), College Avenue and 5th Street, Tempe
Learn more and find other Fall Welcome events here.
A new year for all
From a new athletic conference in the Big 12 to a new general studies requirement to NeoBio, a new approach to teaching introductory biology, there’s plenty to explore for all new and returning students.
“I am thrilled to welcome our new and continuing students to the fall 2024 semester,” said Executive Vice President and University Provost Nancy Gonzales. “The demand for an ASU degree is undeniable. Our growing enrollment of Arizona residents is a reminder that higher education is deeply valued by our neighbors across the state. And our growth in international student enrollment is a testament to our reputation as one of the leading research universities in the world.
“Our charter compels us to be both academically excellent and inclusive to all qualified students. The sheer number of students who choose ASU as their academic home demonstrates that our university values resonate with students, families and scholars across the globe.
“I encourage all students to get involved in our community, forge relationships with and learn from our esteemed faculty, and always reach out for support if there’s anything you need to succeed at ASU.”
Fall enrollment numbers are projections for the fall semester as of Aug. 8, 2024. ASU continues to enroll students for fall, and final fall enrollment numbers will not be available until after the 21st day of class.
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