Arizona State University

Arizona State University is also featured in our ranking The Top 10 Best Business Schools.

Arizona State University is a public, coeducational university housed in five campuses in the Phoenix area. It was found in 1885 as the Territorial Normal School (a teacher’s school). Until the 1920s, the school offered high school classes and awarded diplomas. In 1923, the school abandoned that practice and began requiring high school graduation as a requisite for admission. The university assumed its current name in 1958. ASU has one of the largest undergraduate student bodies in the nation. It is ranked by the US News and World Report as #115 of National Universities. It also has the distinction of being #1 in innovation. There are more than 300 undergraduate degree programs at the school. The student-to-faculty ratio is 23:1 and Arizona State University has a 49 percent four-year graduation rate. ASU is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a Level R-1 Research institution. That designation means that a large amount of its budget goes to research. The W.P. Carey School of Business is one of the largest business schools in the United States. It is ranked by the US News and World Report as #25.

Arizona State Diverse Offering of Business Programs

Arizona State University offers business degrees through the William P. Carey School of Business. The school faculty is engaged in several research projects through ten research centers. Thirty bachelor’s degree programs are offered, both in Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Arts formats. There are two minors, one in business and one in real estate, and several certificate programs available as well. The school of business awards four MBA degrees, eleven specialized master’s degrees, seven Ph.D. degrees and a Ph.D. in Economy. It also features an Executive Education division that offers Business Analytics and Big Data certificates, Service Leadership studies, The Small Business Leadership Academy and The Custom Corporate program which is a unique opportunity for companies to send cohorts of employees to earn MBA degrees. The W.P. Carey School also partners with ten other departments and schools within the university to award interdisciplinary business degrees. Several of the business programs are offered in an online format.

The online MBA at ASU ranks #5, the Full-Time Online MBA is ranked as$25 and the Part-Time Online MBA ranks as # 33 in the nation. Online programs progress through courses that last five weeks each. ASU Online offers Bachelor of Arts programs in Global Leadership, Global Logistics Management, Business Retail Management, Business- Sustainability, Business Communication, Corporate Accounting, Food Industry Management and Business- Tourism. The school awards Bachelor of Science Degrees in Business Data Analytics, Big Data Analytics and Business -Sustainability. All undergraduate business bachelor’s degrees are a minimum of 120 credit hours. Arizona State University awards an MBA and nine other online master’s business degrees.

Arizona State University Accreditation Details

The university is accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools of the Higher Education Commission. All the business programs, including the online offerings, are accredited by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB).

Arizona State University Application Requirements

All first-time undergraduate applicants to Arizona State University must meet certain requisites for competency in specific prerequisite course areas such as fine arts and language. In addition, they must be listed in the top 25 percent of their high school graduates. Students applying to the school should do so through the online Common Application. They can self-report high school grades, but after admission to the university the official transcripts must be sent to the university. The non-refundable application fee for the Common Application is $70 and must be submitted with the application. In addition, students should arrange to take the SAT or the ACT and have those scores sent to ASU. Students should also complete the FAFSA form when they apply to the school. Graduate students applying to ASU will also complete the online Common Application and submit the $70 fee. They must submit the results of the GMAT test, the transcripts from all undergraduate coursework they completed and a resume. Graduate applicants will submit their work history as well, two letters of reference and their application essays.

Tuition and Financial Aid

The estimated annual undergraduate tuition at ASU is $10,522 including base fees. Housing averages about $8,600 a year and the meal plan averages $4,872 per year. With personal expenses, books and miscellaneous expenses, an undergraduate student can expect to spend about $ 33,994 per year. Graduate tuition is estimated at $11,668. Books and supplies add another $1,054. Housing and other expenses bring the total estimated graduate expenses for a year to $31,213. Online undergraduate students pay $490 to $553 per credit hour regardless of residency status. That amount also covers books and educational materials. Graduate tuition is $512 to $1,312 per credit hour depending upon the program.

Higher education is expensive, even at a state university. Most people will need assistance to pay for their degree programs. The first step in getting this help is completing the Free Application for Federal Student Assistance. The program awards grants, student loans, parent loans and work-study opportunities according to financial eligibility. After receiving his FAFSA awards confirmation letter, the student should apply for other funding. Arizona State University uses the FAFSA data to determine a student’s eligibility for certain school merit scholarships. Other grants and scholarships are available at ASU as well. There are athletic and departmental scholarships and grants that are funded in memory of people in certain areas. Arizona also has The College Attainment Program for state residents, the Obama Scholarship, and the Earn to Learn program which is a unique opportunity for high school and junior college students to earn money toward a $500 college-only savings account which is matched at 8:1 when the student enters the university.

Besides state and school monies, corporations and private individuals often fund scholarships for people meeting specific criteria. After using all funds that don’t require repayment, students can apply for student loans. These are loans that have less interest, and they often allow students to defer repayment until after graduation. The one thing to remember about these loans is that while payments on the principle are deferred, the interest accrues from the inception of the loan. In addition to all these funding methods, the university allows several different payment methods. Arizona State University has a webpage on their website which allows students to browse financial options and to track student finances.