ASU Announces Changes as Higher Education Funding Cuts

TEMPE, AZ — Arizona State University has announced several changes due to the impact of state higher education budget cuts.

ASU will add a tuition surcharge for on-campus students in spring 2025, the Arizona Teachers Academy faces an uncertain future, more than 2,500 Arizonans could lose access to ASU-allocated funds through the Arizona Promise Scholarship program, and the university will halt operations and close its Lake Havasu center in summer 2025.

ASU says this is the result of recent budget cuts passed by the state Legislature and signed by the governor.

“These necessary actions reflect the continued lack of public investment by state government in higher education in Arizona,” said ASU President Michael M. Crow. “ASU simply cannot be asked to fund the expansion of higher education across the state without state investment as part of the financial structure that would make it possible. These budget cuts further delay the state of Arizona from ensuring that Arizona has the talent and workforce it needs to grow its economy.”

ASU says the actions are intended to “ensure that ASU remains financially stable in the face of defunding of public investments in higher education in the state of Arizona.”

The adopted state budget reduced ASU’s operating investment by $11 million, while the state also reduced funding for state programs like the Arizona Teachers Academy and the Arizona Promise scholarship program, ASU announced Monday. That reportedly increased ASU’s estimated actual impact from the budget cuts to about $24 million compared to the previous year.