For more than 20 years, Arizona State University has advanced a radically democratic vision for education.
ASU in Washington D.C.
A New American University
ASU delivers broad accessibility and high educational quality, while also harnessing the power of higher education as a catalyst for economic and social transformation. ASU’s unique approach now serves as a model for public universities across the nation and throughout the world. In Washington, D.C. ASU articulates this vision to policymakers, collaborates with education associations and advocacy organizations and drives adoption and scaling of innovations in both higher and K-12 education.
#1
in the U.S. for innovation
for nine consecutive years
6x
increase in research
productivity
114,484
Undergraduate students
33%
First-generation
undergraduate students
33%
Undergraduates receive
Pell grants
Higher education leadership
As one of the premier public research universities in the United States, ASU leverages its membership in the nation’s most notable educational organizations — positioning ASU to support other institutions in adopting and scaling ASU’s model and allowing the university to advocate for increased accessibility and impact across the higher education system. ASU’s affiliations in Washington, D.C. and beyond include:
ASU membership in the Association of American Universities
Recognizing ASU’s innovation and impact
In 2023, Arizona State University was selected to join the Association of American Universities (AAU), an invitation-only institutional membership organization comprising the nation’s most prestigious universities. ASU’s membership in the AAU — which has traditionally reflected institutions that prioritize selectivity over accessibility — affirms the success of ASU’s innovative model in enabling world-class research and academic quality while providing unprecedented access for learners of every kind. ASU’s membership in the AAU is an affirmation of the university’s design model and supports ASU’s efforts to reshape higher education.
The University Innovation Alliance
Developing and scaling up solutions for access and student success
ASU is a founding member of the University Innovation Alliance, a national consortium of public research universities committed to improving student success and increasing social mobility, particularly for low-income students, first-generation students and students of color. The 17 members of the UIA develop, test, refine and scale innovations focused on student success and eliminating disparities in educational outcomes. This work includes technologies and approaches that are being widely adopted across American higher education, such as predictive analytics, proactive advising and practices, completion grants, student success chatbots and new models for career services. ASU’s leadership was central to the initial vision of the UIA and continues to support the coalition by securing sustaining resources and through championing higher education innovation in the nation’s capital and beyond.
Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership
Developing the next generation of education innovators
The Academy for Innovative Higher Education Leadership, a partnership between ASU and Georgetown University, prepares future transformational leaders for senior leadership roles in colleges and universities. Designed to address the complex and unprecedented challenges facing higher education and the need for innovative and entrepreneurial leaders capable of responding to them, the Academy is the nation’s premier training program for changemakers across the sector.
Expanding access to higher education
ASU Online
A pioneer in democratizing educational delivery
ASU was the first major university in the nation to recognize the potential of online education to overcome geographic and socioeconomic barriers to education — and through ASU Online now reaches more than 82,000 students per year through a flexible, accessible and high-quality digital modalities. ASU Online offers more than 300 degree programs and is ranked in the top 10 for the best online undergraduate programs by U.S. News & World Report.
Cintana Education
Providing global access to ASU’s world-class resources
Cintana Education, a private company, partners with ASU to make the university’s content, degree programs, online infrastructure and research opportunities available to global institutions of higher learning. Reaching more than 100,000 students across a growing network of colleges and universities in 16 countries across five continents—including Egypt, Ukraine, Turkey, Malaysia, Mexico, and multiple South American countries—Cintana helps institutions to expand their reach and impact, launch new programs and campuses and develop innovative cross-border partnerships.
Transforming workforce education benefits
Partnering with leading employers to create opportunity
Recognizing the need to create accessible college pathways for employees, ASU developed high-impact partnerships with Starbucks and Uber that now provide fully subsidized four-year degrees to thousands of learners each year. Building on the success of this approach, ASU was the education partner in launching InStride, a privately-owned strategic workforce education provider that utilizes ASU’s curriculum and online technology infrastructure to enable dozens of corporate partners to offer low-cost college degrees and professional education programs to their employees.
Earned Admission
Creating pathways for non-traditional and lifelong learners
Traditional college pathways can be inaccessible for many learners due to life circumstances, and 40% of college students do not finish with a degree. ASU developed its Earned Admissions program to create new routes to college pathways for learners seeking a low-cost, risk-free way to return to college, offering enrollment in first-year courses for just $25 with the option to obtain transferrable credit if they are satisfied with their grade. The Earned Admission college pathway has already benefited more than 4,000 students with renewed opportunities to thrive.
Expanding access to K-12 education
ASU Preparatory Academies
Expanding K-12 access and college pathways for learners
As a university that takes responsibility for the social and economic health of the communities it serves, ASU developed ASU Preparatory Academies (ASU Prep), a network of tuition-free Arizona charter schools that now serve more than 4,200 full-time students. Drawing upon ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College and its nationally renowned expertise in innovative K-12 pedagogy and curriculum development, ASU Prep offers accessible, inclusive programming with a focus on meeting the needs of low-income and disadvantaged students. ASU Prep leverages the full breath of ASU’s innovative education technologies to create seamless college pathways, allowing 83% of seniors to successfully enroll in college, often with earned college credits.
ASU Prep Digital
Scaling digital K-12 innovation nationally and globally
Building on the success of ASU Prep, ASU developed ASU Prep Digital, a fully online learning platform that offers high school and university-level coursework to more than 123,000 high school students in 23 states and 25 countries. Beyond its success as an online school that offers integrated college pathways, ASU Prep Digital supports schools and systems nationally and globally in adapting solutions from the Next Education Workforce model developed by experts at ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College, such as innovative team-teaching approaches proven to increase educator effectiveness, satisfaction and retention. ASU Prep Digital currently serves more than 350 national and international partners and has enabled the training of 41,000 teachers to date.