The University of Arizona has sharpened its focus on student success and strengthening the commitment to its land-grant mission, with a fall 2026 entering class that reflects stronger academic preparation and expanded access for Arizona students. A growing percentage of incoming first-year students are Arizona residents, the university welcomed its largest-ever class to the W.A. Franke Honors College and more than 30% of first-year students are the first in their families to attend college.

One of the largest universities in the U.S., the U of A is enrolling nearly 68,000 students across all campuses and programs this fall, according to enrollment census data, released today. The results reflect a new enrollment strategy that prioritizes student success and excellence – ensuring students are prepared for the rigor of a U of A education, supported as they progress toward their degrees and positioned to graduate ready for meaningful work and opportunity.

The university's enrollment and net tuition revenue is in line with expectations, and its budget for the fiscal year remains stable.

Academic achievement

The newest U of A class of 8,498 undergraduate students, of which 6,111 are first-years, is one of its most academically accomplished. This marks the first year since the university retired Schedule for Success, a program that enrolled students who needed additional academic preparation and time to adjust to the rigors of an Association of American Universities course schedule, challenging their ability to progress in their curriculum. First-year U of A main campus student enrollment, excluding this retired program, has typically ranged from 6,000 to 7,000 over the past several years.

The average grade point average of new first-year students is 3.55 and more than 40% of students have a high school grade point average exceeding 3.75. Nearly 36% are in the top 10% of their graduating class.

The university has enrolled the largest ever class, 1,270 students, in the W.A. Franke Honors College. Franke ranks No. 1 in Arizona in the largest number of Flinn Scholarships, which are awarded to Arizona's most accomplished undergraduate students.

"The University of Arizona's land-grant mission has always been to serve the people of Arizona, and this entering class is clear proof that we are fulfilling that mission," said President Suresh Garimella. "The majority of our incoming first-year students are Arizonans, a third are first-generation college students and we have welcomed the largest Honors College class in our history. These students are prepared, and they are supported by an institution that has made a deliberate commitment to their success from day one. A U of A degree opens doors, and our responsibility is to make sure every qualified Wildcat who wants to walk through those doors has the opportunity to do so."

Access and affordability

While enrolling a new class of students more prepared to succeed academically, the U of A has doubled down on its commitment to access and prioritizing in-state and transfer student enrollment.

Nearly 70% of incoming first-year students are Arizona residents, up from 63% in 2025 and 53% in 2024. This trend extends to Arizona Online, as in-state new student enrollment is up 15% from 2025. The number of first-year students at the U of A who are the first in their families to attend college has increased to more than 30%. 

Transfer student enrollment from Pima Community College has increased by 5.7% and is at its highest level since 2020. The university has created new transfer pathways with local community colleges and provided a customized online tool to help students ensure their courses will transfer seamlessly to the U of A. Deep partnerships with Arizona community colleges, along with increased transfer student support infrastructure at the U of A, are driving mutual success, including increased enrollment at Pima Community College.

"Our respective leadership teams and advisors have engaged intentionally over the past two years on ways to increase our transfer rates from Pima Community College to the University of Arizona," said Ian Roark, provost and executive vice chancellor at Pima Community College. "It's excellent news that the number of Pima Community College students who have transferred to the University of Arizona has increased year over year for a second straight year, reaching the highest level since 2020. The openness and welcoming approach of the University's leadership team, deans and faculty, and our own efforts in strengthening university transfer pathways at Pima are showing promising early results."

The university has also held resident undergraduate tuition flat for three consecutive years, reinforcing its commitment to keeping a U of A education within reach for families across the state. At the same time, the university expanded institutional need-based financial aid for Arizona students to help ensure admitted students have the support needed to enroll, persist and graduate with as little debt as possible.

In addition, more than 33% of first-year students, and more than 39% of in-state students, are eligible to receive Pell Grants. These percentages place the U of A in the top 10 among all members of the AAU, affirming its pursuit of access and excellence.

Graduate, online and international enrollment 

Defying national trends, enrollment of new doctoral students at the U of A increased by 4% compared to last year. This is happening as many other universities scale back doctoral programs as they navigate a changing federal funding environment.

Almost half of the nearly 2,400 incoming transfer students are pursing degree programs through Arizona Online, highlighting the important role of online offerings for providing access to degrees.

Fewer international students have enrolled at U.S. universities this year, and those trends are consistent with new international enrollment at the U of A, which is down 13% from last year.

A new enrollment strategy

This marks the first year of full implementation of a new enrollment strategy that prioritizes retention and graduation and shifts the focus from enrollment growth to student outcomes by aligning resources and staffing to support student progression.

Provost Patricia Prelock wrote about the shift from enrollment growth to student success in an op-ed in the Arizona Daily Star last fall. "But headcount alone masks the mission: whether students are prepared for the rigor of the university, how many progress toward degrees and, ultimately, how many graduate prepared for meaningful work and fulfilling lives," Prelock wrote in the op-ed.

"The landscape for higher education enrollment is changing dramatically nationwide, and I am proud of the U of A for establishing a clear direction for now to navigate it," said Kris Wong Davis, vice president for enrollment management and dean of admissions. "I greatly appreciate the collaboration with high school counselors in Tucson and across Arizona as we worked through several changes to better serve incoming students."

The U of A continues to offer expanded and innovative ways to engage prospective and future students, including additional admitted student visit days, expanded engagement with high school counselors, adding admissions staff in several new regions and recently opening the Wildcat Welcome Center in the heart of the Tucson campus. "Higher education recruitment has become much more competitive nationally in recent years, but the U of A is poised to continue to serve the educational needs of the people of Arizona and remain a destination of choice for students from across the nation," said Prelock.

By the numbers

• Total enrollment at the U of A, including all campuses, Arizona Online and UA Global Campus, is 67,714.
• Excluding UAGC, total University of Arizona enrollment is 49,104.
• Of the 8,498 new undergraduate students joining the U of A this fall, 6,111 are first-year students and 2,387 are transfer students.
• The four-year graduation rate has increased by four percentage points to 61.2%.
• The yield rate for admitted first-year Arizona resident students was 43.7%, the highest rate at the university in a decade.
• New student enrollment in the W.A. Franke Honors College increased by 29.6% over last year.
• The incoming class of first-year undergraduate students comprises 69.4% Arizona residents, 28.8% domestic non-residents and 1.8% international students.
• More than 30% of first-year students are first generation.