Arizona State University (ASU) is a public institution of higher education and research with several campuses located in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The main campus, located in Tempe, is as of 2005 the largest university campus in terms of student enrollment in the United States, with a student body of 51,612.

In addition to the Tempe, Arizona campus, ASU has three other campuses: its West campus was created in 1984 in Phoenix; its Polytechnic campus in 1996 in Mesa; and its newest campus in Downtown Phoenix opens in August 2006. Combined, the West campus and Polytechnic campus enroll approximately 12,500 students.

Each year, nearly 10,000 students graduate from the university's three campuses. In 2005, 155 National Merit Scholars chose to attend ASU. Many are part of the Barrett Honors College, which has produced 54 Fulbright scholars, 28 Goldwater scholars, 13 Truman scholars, and 1 Gilman scholar. Under the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education ASU is classified as a Doctoral/Research University–Extensive.