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More high school students applying early to ASU


September 23, 2013

Arizona State University is seeing an increase in early applicants for ASU’s fall 2014 freshman class – 62 percent more than last year at the same time, according to David Burge, executive director of undergraduate admissions. Many are top students interested in the growing number of accolades the university has received for its academic programs and residential living experience.

“This group is really talented,” says Burge. “They are the best and the brightest, students who are on top of their game. Clearly the changes at ASU have been noticed by students – here in the Phoenix area, across the country and around the globe.”

With the Fall 2013 record class of more than 10,000 academically distinguished freshmen, ASU found that more students who had applied for admission were following through and enrolling than ever before. This year's class is academically strong, with a high school GPA of 3.47, ACT composite of 24.5 and SAT composite of 1129.

Following up on this record year, the university has rolled out the maroon and gold carpet for high school seniors who show an early interest in attending ASU with a new VIP program that kicked off in September. Students who complete their application for admission to ASU by November 1 are now offered the following benefits, with more to come:

• expedited admission decisions

• priority access to housing preferences and orientation sessions

• exclusive invitations to campus events and visits

• enrollment in Sparky’s Way Awesome Giveaways Club

• digital arrival pack for move-in day

ASU continues to be the state’s leader in providing institutional aid, and these VIP applicants will be among the first groups of students to be considered for New American University scholarships.

“We hold these early applicants in high regard,” says Burge. “We want them to feel excited to be a part of the ASU community. Our hope is that these students will be the core of next year’s freshman class, the leaders who will talk to their friends about becoming a Sun Devil.

“Becoming a VIP applicant gives us more time to get to know students and their families through regular contact with an admissions counselor. VIPs get more invitations to visit campus and more chances to meet students from their major and campus.”

The first Sun Devil Day for prospective students, a comprehensive half-day visit and campus tour, will take place Oct. 4 at the Tempe campus and Oct. 11 at the Polytechnic, West and Downtown Phoenix campuses. Other events are scheduled throughout the semester both on and off campus, and can be seen at visit.asu.edu.

This year’s freshmen come from all 50 states and 71 different countries, with the largest number of non-residents enrolling from California. ASU admissions representatives attend hundreds of high school and college fairs throughout the country to answer students’ questions.

For more information on the VIP program, go to students.asu.edu/vip.