Arizona State Sees Enrollment Approaching 100,000 in 15 Years

PHOENIX

Arizona State University officials are bracing for the day that ASU’s enrollment swells to nearly 100,000.

Rather than holding off students that want in, university President Michael Crow says the school wants every student who can do the work.

That means in 15 years, university officials say ASU’s enrollment could increase to more than 90,000 students.

Crow says they’re not lowering standards by increasing enrollment.

“We admit students who are qualified to do university-level work,” Crow said.

Tuesday night, Crow outlined his vision for a “new American university” during a speech at the Phoenix Art Museum.

During his presentation, Crow said there will be 72,697 students graduating from high school in Arizona in 2012. In 2005, that number was 51,940.

Crow doesn’t want to cap the number of students eligible for enrollment but to increase the student population along with the state population.

During an interview with The Arizona Republic, Crow revealed that he believes ASU’s future should be based on three basic principles. Excellent research, access for all qualified students and a close relationship between the university and the community.

Crow said he thinks that in five years, ASU will have a student population spread across the university’s four campuses including Tempe, West, Polytechnic and downtown that will be more than just large. It will be vibrant.

“Five years from now, people will say this is the one university that can make access and excellence work,” he said.

Some already enrolled at ASU will need some convincing that bigger is better.

“My philosophy class, my freshman year, had 200 students,” said Denise Roberts, a senior.

“My teacher had a microphone. It’s hard to learn that way.”

Roberts left the main campus and is now enrolled at ASU West

“It’s a lot better for me,” she said. “A lot easier to learn.”

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