I am going to walk you through what official U.S. government data say about this university. I am not going to sell you anything or scare you about anything. I am going to show you the map as it is, with its real dimensions, so that when the time comes to decide, you decide with your eyes open.
What kind of university it is
Arizona State University Campus Immersion is in Tempe, Arizona, in Maricopa County, within the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metropolitan area. That does not mean the campus is in the heart of that large city; it means there is an extensive urban area around it. If your child is considering living at home and commuting to campus, I recommend something very simple: drive that route yourself on a weekday, at the time they would have class. The real travel time is almost never what the map promises.
It is a public four-year university. The government records its highest degree offered as a doctorate and classifies it as an institution where the bulk of the degrees it awards are bachelor's degrees or higher. That is an institutional fact, not a guarantee that the exact major your child wants has a clear undergraduate-to-graduate path. That must be asked program by program.
The Carnegie system, which organizes the country's universities by what they do, places it among doctoral universities with the highest research activity. Using data from several years ago, it also describes it as a large, primarily residential four-year school: at that time, between 25 and 49 out of every 100 undergraduate students lived in institution-provided housing. It also marks it as a university that receives many transfer students. If your child plans to come here after studying elsewhere, request in writing, starting now, which courses will count and which will not. That “receives many transfer students” label does not tell you how many credits each person brings in or how many are lost along the way.
One more thing before moving on: this university does not appear in any of three special government classifications—it is not a historically Black college or university, not a tribal college or university, and not a land-grant institution. Of the more than 3,000 universities in this directory, only 138 carry at least one of those three labels. The fact that Arizona State has none of them does not say which students it serves or how your child will feel on that campus. Ask directly: which cultural centers exist today, which student organizations are there, and, better yet, speak with someone who already studies there.
The size of the community: nearly 80,000 students
Here is the first number that truly changes how you should think about this university: 79,593 students enrolled in the official fall count. That places it in the highest size band the government uses, the band for 20,000 students or more. Among similar public schools, at most one out of every ten has more students than it does.
Of that total, 65,174 are undergraduates and 14,419 are graduate students. Above all, it is a bachelor's-degree school.
A large school does not mean large classes. Those are two different things, and you cannot assume the second from the first. When the time comes, ask for the actual number of students per class in the first year and in the specific major that interests your child.
Within that enormous community, one fact worth keeping in mind is this: 26 out of every 100 undergraduate students are Hispanic or Latino. That is one out of every four, or more, and compared with other selective public universities in the country, it places the university in the highest quarter. Put another way: being Latino on this campus would not be the exception.
But be careful about what that figure does and does not tell you. A high percentage of Latino students is not the same as support for Latino students. The data count how many there are; they do not say whether there is a counselor who speaks Spanish, whether there is targeted tutoring, or whether those students complete their degrees at the same rate as others. And it is the percentage for the entire school, not for the specific major that interests your child.
How the academic year is structured and which credits it recognizes
The calendar operates on semesters: two long terms of about 15 weeks each. The university reported that it accepts AP exam credit, although it did not indicate that it grants credit for life experience. It also stated that it accepts credit for military training and enrolls high school students in college-credit courses, both within and outside a formal dual-enrollment program.
Saying that they accept AP does not mean they grant credit for every exam. It does not say what scores they require, how many credits they award, or whether those credits apply to your child's exact major. Before counting those savings in your budget, request the equivalency evaluation in writing.
A broad academic offering, without a single dominant major
In one year, this university awarded 15,108 bachelor's degrees, spread across 30 different career families. The family that awarded the most degrees was business and administration, with 22 out of every 100 degrees, but no other family takes up the bulk of the pie. Compared with other selective public universities, it ranks among those with the greatest variety of career families represented.
That is useful news if your child still does not know exactly what they want to study, or if they are interested in something uncommon: the offering is broad. But “30 families represented in the report” are not 30 guaranteed majors or 30 families with abundant degrees; some report rows may have only a few degrees, or even zero in a given cycle. Verify the exact program, by its exact name, in the current catalog.
As for the student-to-faculty ratio: the university reported 18 students for every full-time-equivalent faculty member, a moderate ratio in general terms, but one that places it in the highest quarter among similar schools. Both things are true at the same time. And neither tells you the actual size of a first-year class: again, that must be asked directly.
There are also a handful of structured academic pathways worth knowing exist: study abroad, undergraduate research outside the classroom, a complete program that can be taken only at night or on weekends, and several pathways related to teacher certification. Their being reported confirms that they exist as institutional options; it does not state capacity, requirements, or whether they fit your child's plan.
Admissions: a door that opens almost always, but with requirements
Here we come to one of the most important facts in this entire article. Arizona State stated that it does not have open admissions: it reviews specific items before saying yes. Of nine possible considerations, it marked two as required: the high school academic record and the English-proficiency examination for those who apply. Other items are not required, but it does consider them if you send them: grade-point average, class rank, and completion of the course plan the university requires.
If your child studied outside the United States, or attended high school in Spanish, ask today whether the English-proficiency exam applies to them and what would waive it. These are the kinds of things families discover late, when there is no longer time to resolve them calmly.
And now the number that surprises many families: in the most recent cycle, of 68,840 first-time applicants, 62,084 received an offer of admission. That is 90 out of every 100. Compared with other selective public universities in the country, it is on the high-accessibility side. Even so, 6,756 applicants did not receive an offer that year. Admission is likely, but not automatic, and the application must be complete and submitted on time.
Here is the part that really matters for your planning: out of every 100 admitted students, only 23 ended up enrolling at this university that fall. The remaining 77 had a place and did not take it. Do not read it as a mark against the school—the federal record does not say why each person made the decision they made—but do read it as a clear signal: receiving an acceptance letter is not the same as deciding to attend. What others decided does not tell you what they will offer you. Wait for your own letter with the net price—what the year would truly cost you—before crossing this school off or keeping it on the list.
Regarding the SAT and ACT: the university reported that it does not consider them in its admissions decision, even if applicants submit them. That box does not address whether it uses them for scholarships or placement in certain courses; ask that separately.
And regarding transfers: in a cohort the university tracked, 18 out of every 100 students who enrolled for the first time transferred to another institution without completing their degree here. Changing schools is not the same as failing. What is useful is for your child to know, before it becomes necessary, how to request the documents to leave if they ever decide to do so.
The published cost: two very different prices
Here we come to money, and this is where it is especially important to go slowly.
For the 2023-24 year, the reported total cost of attendance—for a full-time, first-time student living on campus—was $33,270 at the in-state rate, and $53,412 at the out-of-state rate. It is a budget used to calculate aid, not a bill that arrives in the mail.
Broken down: $12,051 for tuition and fees if the student is a resident ($32,193 if not), $16,091 for on-campus housing and food, and $1,320 for books and supplies, plus an estimate for other expenses.
There is $20,142 difference per year between the in-state and out-of-state rates. That is not a minor detail: it is the difference between two completely different universities in terms of a family budget. Ask the institution which requirements it uses to classify residency and when they apply, because it is not the same everywhere.
Compared with similar public universities, this total cost at the in-state rate is among the highest in the group.
Net price: what is actually paid
At Arizona State University Campus Immersion, among 1,716 full-time, first-time, degree- or certificate-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid and paid the state or district rate, whose EFC records showed family income below $30,000, the average net price was $8,909. Among 772 students in the same population with EFC family income from $48,001 to $75,000, it was $15,764; among 863 students with EFC family income above $110,000, it was $21,772. For dependent students, the band adds their parents' income and their own.
There is $12,863 difference between the average for the lowest-income band (1,716 students) and the average for the highest-income band (863 students). These are group averages, not a prediction of your family's price. Among first-year students who received any scholarship, the average was $16,401.
The price they advertise is not the same as the one paid. Here, for lower income, the average net price was $8,909 in academic year 2022-23.
Because the price changes so much from one income band to another, identifying yours correctly is the first step. The income bands in this profile describe full-time, first-time, degree- or certificate-seeking students who received federal Title IV aid; at public institutions, they use the state or district rate. The overall average with scholarships, when it appears, describes full-time, first-time, degree- or certificate-seeking students who received federal, state, local, or institutional scholarships or grants. The one that governs is the aid letter you receive.
How an education here is financed
Out of every 100 students seeking a degree at this university, 78 received some scholarship or aid that does not have to be repaid. Among those who received it, the average for the year was $12,413—that average is not spread across everyone, only among those who did receive it.
The federal Pell Grant, which goes to students with demonstrated financial need, went to 30 out of every 100. Aid in general reaches more than half; aid that depends on family income reaches fewer. When your financial-aid letter arrives, separate it yourself, by hand, into three piles: what does not have to be repaid, what must be repaid with interest, and what must be earned through work. Many letters mix them together in a single column, and that confusion costs families dearly when they do not untangle it in time.
Regarding loans: 28 out of every 100 undergraduate students received a federal student loan that year, with an average of $6,616 among those who borrowed. Compared with other selective public universities, this proportion is on the low side. But that percentage describes other families, not yours. And that average does not include Parent PLUS loans that parents sometimes sign for, credit-card debt, or the total across several years of study. Wait for your child's specific letter before ruling out this school or committing to it.
The university also reports a tuition installment-payment plan and participation in a Promise program, two mechanisms worth asking about by name if monthly cash flow is a real concern for your family.
Campus life: housing, food, and more
Arizona State has its own housing, with reported capacity for 16,179 students on or off campus. It is not mandatory for all first-time students to live there, although that does not rule out a specific program requiring it. It also offers meal plans, although the number of meals per week changes according to the plan selected.
Having rooms does not guarantee an available bed when your child needs one. Request, in writing, this year's rate, the deadline to apply for housing, and whether you are guaranteed a place or placed on a waiting list.
Regarding ROTC: the university marked that it offers an opportunity in all three branches—Army, Navy, and Air Force—in addition to the Marine Corps option within the Navy. Marking all three is not common: of more than 3,000 universities in this directory, only 135 do so. But having it marked does not confirm that the program is taken on this specific campus, nor capacity, nor a scholarship. Ask about each pathway by name before building a plan around it.
In sports, the university competes at the intercollegiate level and is affiliated with the NCAA. The report confirms membership in football, basketball, baseball, and cross-country or track, but it does not identify the division or whether scholarships are available in each sport. Ask the coach for the specific sport directly, and it is wise to request it in writing.
Regarding distance education: the university offers online courses in both undergraduate and graduate education, but only 6 out of every 100 undergraduate students took all their classes at a distance; the other 94 took at least one in-person course. It also reported offering at least one complete program that can be completed entirely at a distance, although the data do not confirm whether that complete program exists specifically at the undergraduate level. That must be confirmed by level and major.
The library operates with hired staff, has physical and digital materials, and participates in interlibrary loan. There are also reported services for academic and career advising, student employment, job placement after completion, on-campus child care, and specific support for veterans and military personnel, including participation in the Yellow Ribbon program. Their being reported confirms that they exist as institutional services; it does not confirm quality or effectiveness. Ask someone who is living that experience today.
How likely your child is to stay and finish
For many families, this is the number that carries the most weight. Let us go slowly.
Of the class that entered in 2022 full time, 85 out of every 100 were still enrolled here or had already graduated the following year. That is a high result compared with other selective public universities in the country. But that number combines two different groups—those who remain and those who have already finished—and does not tell you the outcome for the rest.
As for graduation: of a class of 11,163 students who entered in 2017 full time and for the first time, 7,574 graduated here within six years. That is 68 out of every 100. With the shorter four-year period, the figure falls to 55 out of every 100. Compared with similar selective public universities, it ranks in the highest quarter of the group.
Of those 11,163 students, specifically: 7,574 completed a bachelor's degree; 2,056 transferred to another institution without completing here; 205 were still enrolled without having finished within the period; and 1,328 fell into the federal category of “no longer enrolled,” which does not explain the reason and may include those who graduated after the measured time limit.
There is a third measure, at eight years, using a different cohort that includes both full-time and part-time students: 68 out of every 100 had a degree or certificate from this school as of August 2023. Among those who received the Pell Grant, the figure was 63 out of every 100, seven points below those who did not receive it. And 12 out of every 100 had an unknown enrollment status: the report simply could not determine what happened to them.
None of these figures tells you what will happen to your child in particular. They are outcomes for entire cohorts, measured over specific time windows. What you can do with them is ask, when the time comes, what concrete supports exist today to help a student make it to the end, and request the most recent results the university has available.
What you already know, and what you still need
Now you know, in considerable depth, one of the three pieces you need to decide: what this university is, what it requires, what it costs on paper, what it costs in reality for families similar to yours, and how likely a student is to make it to a degree.
You still need to bring this together with what your child wants to study, what they have already built in high school, and what your family can and is willing to pay. No article and no government report can provide those other two pieces: you have them at home, in the conversations you are already having or still need to have.
Your child must study, explore, decide, and take responsibility for their part of the path. You do not have to live their college life. But you do need to understand the family's money, accompany the important decisions, and reach the door of this university—or any other—without having lost an option because you did not know the map. You have already done that today, with this piece. The rest of the path is still yours.
Source note: The information in this article comes from data reported by the institution to the U.S. Department of Education's IPEDS system, mainly for the 2022-23 and 2023-24 cycles, except where a different period is indicated. Best College Aid does not represent Arizona State University or any U.S. government agency; this article is an educational effort to help families understand public data.