Arizona State University Online Review [2024]

Arizona State University sits across several campuses in Arizona. Founded in 1885, this university has over a century in providing academic study to thousands of people over the years. Arizona State earned a reputation as the most innovative university in the nation beginning in the early 2000s by completely transforming its approach to education. Called the “New American University,” the new plan emphasized open admissions, outreach to students, and professionally-focused programs, becoming one of the most popular online colleges in America.

One of the biggest pushes involved building up ASU’s online offerings. Today ASU offers a purely online branch of its degree programs as ASU Online. Students will have a chance to take advantage of much of what ASU offers without needing to physically attend the school. ASU Online is now one of the largest online colleges in the world, and one of the most trusted.

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Is Arizona State University Online a Good School to Attend?

ASU Online is an excellent school to attend. Not only does the online arm of the university come with the prestige and educational excellence already established by Arizona State University, the online offerings come with the added benefits that exist for online learning in general.

Online schools typically offer lower costs, far more flexibility, and the ability to learn while still maintaining a job or household. These types of programs offer new college students the ability to learn where they want (even a learn at your own pace degree program) and how they want without needing to leave home or go far out of their way for the opportunity.

For people already in a career or juggling adult responsibilities, ASU’s online classes can help them advance and do more without having to uproot themselves to do so. Many adults today rightly view a degree or certificate as a credential with job market value, and online education, like ASU provides, offers an ideal way to earn credentials on top of real-world experience.

In addition, ASU shows that its online Digital Immersion enrollment grows yearly. As of 2021, the number of online enrollees just about equals the number of students enrolled at the main Tempe campus of ASU.

ASU Online offers over 150 graduate and undergraduate programs, so there’s likely something for any prospective student, no matter their preferred industry. The academics offered through the online programs compare favorably with academics offered by any university, whether online or traditional.

For example, the ASU Online programs have received numerous awards since its inception, including #1 in US for Innovation and one of the top 5 of all online colleges by US News. This is all on top of the many prestigious awards given to Arizona State University in general.

Arizona State University’s Most Popular Online Programs

One of the most respected online schools, ASU Online has popular programs in business, education, and health. These programs are excellent for working adults who want a higher credential that will get them higher-paying jobs. Other notable degrees include the online mechanical engineering program.

Program of Study	Associate	Bachelor	Master	Doctorate
Business Administration	7	1,085	438	N/A
Education	39	163	1,902	34
Health Professions	29	1,172	167	N/A

National Center for Education Statistics most popular degree programs.

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Is Arizona State University Online Accredited? What Is Accreditation?

Arizona State University Online is accredited. The university itself holds regional and other accreditations, and many of those also apply to the online courses offered by the school. Accreditation means the university meets or exceeds the recommended requirements regarding quality of education.

ASU holds accreditation from the Higher Learning Commission. That main accreditation extends to the online programs. The Higher Learning Commission gives ASU and ASU Online regional accreditation from an accredited body sanctioned by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Regional accreditation is crucial for financial aid and credit transfers.

Individual programs also have specialized accreditations unique to their industries. These accreditations ensure the programs teach toward current industry standards and produce graduates capable of handling their careers within that industry. These specialized accreditations can help someone find a career or employment within an industry that has members on the specialized accrediting body.

Is ASU Online Hard to Get Into?

ASU Online isn’t hard to get into. The criteria for admission aren’t any different from the criteria needed to enter any university or program. Enrollment for ASU Online doesn’t close, so applicants can apply at any time. The bare minimum requirement for applying is a high school diploma or GED.

The requirements for first-year students include what most people will already have accomplished throughout high school as core competency. Beyond that, ASU asks that prospective students:

Graduate top 25% of their high school graduating class
Have at least a 3.0 GPA in the core competency courses
Have an ACT score of at least 22, or an SAT Reasoning score of 1120

Even if a prospective student lacks the requirements, it’s still possible to apply to ASU through their Earned Admission Track. This method uses performance-based admission by allowing students to earn credits by taking a certain number of core competency courses.

Recommended Online Degree Programs

Explore our featured online programs to find the right match for you today.

Highest-Paying Careers for ASU Online Graduates

ASU Online is known for excellent business and STEM programs, and between management and engineering, graduates are making high salaries on average.

Job Title	Salary Range	Average Salary
Software Engineer	$67k – $124k	$88,061
Project Manager	$51k – $118k	$79,924
Mechanical Engineer	$59k – $107k	$77,986
Electrical Engineer	$66k – $116k	$81,129
Operations Manager	$48k – $106k	$67,610

Arizona State University Top Jobs by Salary

ASU Online Reviews: What Do Students Say About ASU Online?

Arizona State University has a high level of pride in its rankings. The university’s website offers a page highlighting its numerous online rankings. It also keeps a page displaying student reviews.

However, applicants may want to look elsewhere if they feel the university would show some favorable bias in the reviews they select. There is a plethora of sources for reviews and further rankings with just a simple online search. ASU Online holds favorable reviews and students seem to like it quite a bit. All students benefit from an academic advisor and related support services.

Sites like GradReport shows 86% of students have improved career prospects because of their ASU Online degree. 91% of students say they would recommend ASU Online to others. Other online review aggregators show similar sentiments. But, prospective students should still do their own research to make sure any degree program is the one they need to meet their goals.

Graduate student support is strong, including a virtual graduate writing center, just like for on campus students. ASU is graduate student reviewed as a top choice for working adults.

Long story short, if you’re looking for an online degree to make more money, get a higher position, or change careers, you can do a lot worse than ASU Online, and it would be hard to find better. ASU Online has everything that a traditional college has, plus the convenience and access of online education.

Can ASU Online Graduates Pay Back Their Student Loans?

Arizona State University Online is a well-respected college, one employers trust. ASU graduates fare very well on the job market, leading to a very low rate of student loan defaults. Prospective students should consider calling student aid for information about the cost per course and loan structure.

ASU Fiscal Year	2020	2019	2018
Default rate	0%	1.5%	4.5%
Number in default	0	367	1,009
Number in repayment	24,834	24,063	22,255

National Center for Education Statistics default rates.

Arizona State University Online Pros and Cons

Choosing a school can be daunting, but there are ways to narrow your choices. One way is to create a “Pros and Cons” list that will help you compare and contrast various degree programs, schools, cost, benefits, etc.