ASU Surges in 2025 U.S. University Rankings — Here’s Why Students Are Flocking to Tempe

Arizona State University (ASU) is starting the 2025–26 academic year with record-breaking momentum as more than 42,900 new students join the Sun Devil community, pushing total enrollment to an all-time high and reaffirming the university’s place as one of the nation’s fastest-growing public research institutions. Historic enrollment surge University officials attribute the surge to ASU’s expanding degree choices, flexible online options and reputation for innovation. Demand accelerated throughout the summer, and admissions teams are still processing late applications for Session B, which opens on Oct. 15, as well as the upcoming spring 2026 term. First-year experience takes center stage Nearly 18,000 of the newcomers are first-year students who packed Mountain America Stadium on Tuesday night for Sun Devil Welcome, the university’s high-energy pep rally that kicks off move-in week. The event introduced academic deans, celebrated ASU traditions such as the “inferno” student section and ended with a fireworks display that lit up Tempe Town Lake. Growth reaches every campus—and online • West Valley campus: enrollment has jumped 15 percent in just two years, fueled by new programs in business analytics and health solutions. • Downtown Phoenix: journalism, nursing and public service majors continue to fill residence halls to capacity. • ASU Online: more than 80,000 learners now study remotely, a figure expected to eclipse 100,000 before 2030, according to university projections. Economic and academic impact ASU’s swelling population brings a multibillion-dollar boost to the Greater Phoenix economy through housing, dining, research grants and startup activity spun out of university labs. Academically, the influx supports ASU’s drive to remain No. 1 in “Most Innovative Schools,” a U.S. News distinction the university has held for 11 consecutive years. What’s next • Construction cranes dominate the Tempe skyline as ASU accelerates work on the 500,000-square-foot Novus Innovation Corridor, slated to open phases of new research space starting spring 2026. • A university task force will release a climate-action roadmap this fall aimed at achieving carbon neutrality by 2035. • Sun Devil Athletics prepares to debut its renovated Mullett Arena ice complex ahead of the men’s hockey home opener on Oct. 4. With record enrollment, marquee events and major capital projects converging, ASU enters the new academic year positioned to shape Arizona’s economic future while offering students more pathways to succeed than ever before.