Arizona State University

Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public research university in the Phoenix metropolitan area. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, ASU is now one of the largest public universities by enrollment in the United States. It was one of about 180 "normal schools" founded in the late 19th century to train teachers for the rapidly growing public common schools. Some closed, but most steadily expanded their role and became state colleges in the early 20th century, then state universities in the late 20th century.

One of three universities governed by the Arizona Board of Regents, ASU is a member of the Association of American Universities and classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very High Research Activity". ASU has nearly 145,000 students attending classes, with more than 62,000 students attending online, and 112,000 undergraduates and nearly 30,000 postgraduates across its five campuses and four regional learning centers throughout Arizona. ASU offers 350 degree options from its 17 colleges and more than 170 cross-discipline centers and institutes for undergraduates students, as well as more than 400 graduate degree and certificate programs.

The Arizona State Sun Devils compete in 26 varsity-level sports in the NCAA Division I Pac-12 Conference and is home to over 1,100 registered student organizations. Sun Devil teams have won 165 national championships, including 24 NCAA trophies. 179 Sun Devils have made Olympic teams, winning 60 Olympic medals: 25 gold, 12 silver, and 23 bronze.

As of January 2022, ASU reported that its faculty of more than 5,000 scholars included 5 Nobel laureates, 10 MacArthur Fellows, 10 Pulitzer Prize winners, 10 National Academy of Engineering members, 23 National Academy of Sciences members, 26 American Academy of Arts and Sciences members, 41 Guggenheim fellows, 157 National Endowment for the Humanities fellows, and 281 Fulbright Program American Scholars.