Demand for ASU surges as new year begins
A record 42,900 new students are projected to enroll for fall, with the largest number of first-year Arizona students in ASU history

By Kevin Kovaleski, ASU News
August 11, 2025

When the fall 2025 semester begins on Thursday, Aug. 21, a historic number of new students will start their academic journey across Arizona State University’s campuses, locations and online. In total, ASU projects a record-setting 42,900 new first-year, transfer and graduate students enrolled, an increase of over 1,000 students compared with fall 2024.

A key driver of ASU’s enrollment increases is its commitment to being the preferred university of choice for Arizona residents, who account for a projected 18,000 new students. More than 9,700 of those new students will join ASU from Arizona high schools.

ASU’s projected growth for fall 2025 is also thanks to historic demand for online degree programs. In total, more than 80,000 students are projected to be enrolled through ASU Online this fall, a 9% increase from the record-setting fall 2024 enrollment of online students. More than 19,700 new online students will begin their ASU journey this fall.

ASU’s full immersion campus enrollment is projected at 78,000 students this fall. Highlighting the range in size and campus environments available to students across ASU’s four metropolitan Phoenix campuses, projected campus enrollment this fall is as follows:

Downtown Phoenix campus: 10,000-plus students enrolled.

Polytechnic campus: 6,300-plus students enrolled.

Tempe campus: 55,500-plus students enrolled.

West Valley campus: 5,400-plus students enrolled.

“Our overall enrollment growth sends a very clear message,” ASU President Michael Crow said. “Year after year, more and more individuals want an education from Arizona State University. They trust that a degree from ASU will empower them to pursue the future they want. They understand the practical and positive impact of our research. And they know that an incredible community and experience are waiting for them here.

“The myth that a college degree is losing its value does not square with reality — the demand for ASU is only increasing.”

A high-performing first-year class

Of the more than 84,100 applications ASU received for fall 2025, a projected 17,900 new first-year students will join ASU this fall, a university record. And 13,900 of those new first-year students will be enrolled in person, in full immersion programs at ASU's various campuses and locations, and an additional 4,000 will enroll in digital immersion classes via ASU Online.

These new first-year students include more than 2,200 who are enrolled in the nationally renowned Barrett, The Honors College, representing a 4.7% increase from fall 2024 — and a university record.

“I draw enormous pride in the quality of students that our honors college attracts and the continued growth of our community,” said Tara Williams, dean of Barrett, The Honors College. “These are students who come to ASU with a weighted GPA of 4.2 and a hunger for classmates that inspire and professors that mentor them toward their ambitious goals. I can’t wait to see the impact they will each have on the ASU community.”

The most popular majors for incoming first-year students include biological sciences, business, community health, computer science, mechanical engineering and psychology.

The world comes to ASU

In a year marked with changing federal guidance to international students, ASU provided flexibility throughout the admissions process to help impacted students stay on track to enroll. As a result, ASU is poised to host a projected 14,600 international students this fall.

Related

A closer look at international enrollment for this fall

“We anticipate that our enrollment of international students will continue to grow throughout the year,” said Matt López, deputy vice president of Academic Enterprise Enrollment. “Our admissions team continues to work directly with admitted international students who are still awaiting visa appointments at U.S. consulates around the world.”

López continued, “Our message to these international students has been clear throughout the spring and summer: ‘We want you, and we won’t let paperwork stand in the way of your goal to attend ASU.’ We are maintaining flexibility to allow international students to start their ASU journey online, through study abroad or at a partner institution in our ASU Cintana Alliance network. When students have their visa in hand, we will welcome them with open arms and the classes they need to continue their degree without delay.”

Fall Welcome Signature Events

International and Transfer/Commuter Student Welcome 
Friday, Aug. 15, through Tuesday, Aug. 26
Locations, dates and times vary by campus

Involvement Fairs
Sunday, Aug. 17, through Saturday, Aug. 23 
Locations, dates and times vary by campus

Panhellenic Preview/Sorority Showcase
6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Aug. 18
ASU Greek Leadership Village

Fraternity Forum
10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday, Aug. 18
ASU Greek Leadership Village

Sun Devil Welcome and InfernoFest
8 to 10 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 19
Mountain America Stadium

Echo From the Buttes
8 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 23
"A" Mountain (Tempe Butte), College Avenue and Fifth Street, Tempe

Find other Fall Welcome events, including those at the ASU California Center, at eoss.asu.edu/welcome/events/signature.

Annual enrollment of 194,000-plus students underscores ASU’s historic growth

ASU offers multiple start dates for students, with many online students joining later sessions offered in the fall and spring semesters. True to the ASU Charter of measuring itself by whom ASU includes, the university adjusted total enrollment reporting last year to include all students who enroll over the course of a year.

As such, ASU’s total, unduplicated annual enrollment for the past year exceeded 194,000 students annually (fall, spring and summer semesters of the 2024–25 year combined), a 7.2% increase from the prior year. Some 77% of those enrolled students were undergraduates (more than 150,000 students), with an additional 43,000-plus enrolled as graduate students. 

ASU’s annual enrollment figures showcase how the university is delivering on the ASU Charter commitment of opening higher education access to all qualified students. 

Annual enrollment highlights from the past year include:

More than 69,000 Arizonans enrolled, the largest enrollment of Arizona residents in university history.

More than 25,000 enrolled students identified as military-connected, a term ASU uses to include military veterans, active-duty military personnel, and spouses and dependents of military veterans.

More than 60,000 students (40% of undergraduates) accessed Federal Pell Grants.

One in three (36.5%) ASU undergraduates were first-generation college students.

Students hailed from 165 countries.

Welcome, Sun Devils!

“The start of a new academic year is an inspiring time of year that reminds me of the power of a college experience,” said Executive Vice President and University Provost Nancy Gonzales. 

“Our students are poised to deepen their passions, gain self-knowledge and understanding of the world around them, participate in career-relevant learning, and make friends and connections that will last a lifetime. It is an honor to facilitate these experiences. We are humbled by the trust that our students place in ASU and are ready to help them achieve their goals.”

ASU continues to enroll students throughout August and into the fall for fall session B, which begins Oct. 15, and the spring 2025 semester. As such, enrollment numbers featured in this story are projections for the fall semester based on data available as of Aug. 11, 2025.

This story originally appeared on ASU News.