University of Arizona enrollment has dropped 10% in the last year, with 5,280 fewer students compared to fall 2025 — and the UA is planning ahead for a smaller student body.
Fall 2026 is the first time enrollment has fallen forArizona’s three public universities after a decade of growth. That’s the takeaway from an Arizona Board of Regents meeting on Thursday.
The UA’s annual financial report, dated Oct. 30, describes the shift as a strategy: “fewer, better-prepared students.”
Here’s what to know:
1. UA has about 10% fewer students than last fall.
UA counted 49,104 students on its fall 2026 census, down from 54,384 last fall. That is a 10% decline and the second straight yearly drop.
Undergraduates account for most of the decrease.
These counts leave out the University of Arizona Global Campus, UA’s online division, which reports its numbers later in the fall and differently.
2. Statewide, university enrollment fell for the first time in a decade, but UA’s drop is larger.
UA President Suresh Garimella said at Thursday’s meeting the three universities have different strategies, and statewide totals can hide that.
Enrollment across the three universities slipped 0.2% this fall, Bradley Kendrex, the regents’ chief financial and operations officer said Thursday. It was the first decline in 10 years. However, enrollment is still up 36% over that decade.
UA’s undergraduate enrollment is about 15% below its peak in 2024, Kendrex said, while Arizona State University grew slightly over the last year and Northern Arizona University’s undergraduate enrollment fell 12%, and its graduate enrollment fell 9%.
3. Out-of-state and international students account for UA’s decline — and that matters for UA’s budget.
The losses:
- Out-of-state enrollment fell about 20%, to 18,256 students.
- International enrollment fell about 18%, to 2,721 students.
Arizona residents at UA held about steady, at 28,127 this fall, making up a little more than half of all students.
That matters for UA’s budget. Full-time tuition and fees on the main campus are $13,906 for residents and $43,068 for nonresidents, according to the financial report.
Nonresident enrollment across the state peaked in 2025 and UA’s fell over the past two years, Kendrex told the regents. The number of enrolled students from neighboring states, who pay reduced rates, has also dropped, and international demand has softened, he said.
Most of ASU’s enrollment disruption came from visa delays for admitted international students and changes in federal financial aid for part-time online students, ASU President Michael Crow said.
4. UA says it wants fewer students, with more from Arizona.
Garimella said this fall’s class was the most academically prepared UA has had, and that the trends in UA’s numbers are “quite intentional.”
“We’re not looking at growing numbers necessarily, but growing quality, growing retention, growing graduation rates,” he said Thursday..
UA’s Fall 2026 fact sheet shows the breakdown:
- First-year class: 6,111 students, 69% Arizona residents.
- Admission rate: UA admitted 75% of first-year applicants, down from about 84% last year. For Arizona applicants, it was 84%, down from about 89%.
- Academic profile: Average high school GPA of 3.55, up from 3.45 last fall.
- Access: About 30% of the first-year class are the first in their families to attend college, and about 34% are eligible for Pell grants, the federal aid for low-income students.
Tuition hearing
The Arizona Board of Regents will hold a virtual public hearing from 1-2 p.m. Monday, Nov. 9 on proposed 2027-28 tuition and fees and tuition and academic fee growth rates for 2029-30 to 2032-33 for the three public universities. Register to speak for up to two minutes, or email written comments to tuition@azregents.edu. Watch the livestream on YouTube. The hearing happens ahead of the vote, planned for Nov. 19.
5. The annual financial report shows UA budgeting for a smaller student body.
The report says UA “has updated its operating business model” to focus on fewer students with “higher expected net tuition revenue per student.” It says that strategy “will lead to declining total enrollments.” It does not say by how much.
The numbers behind the plan:
- Tuition revenue is down. Net tuition and fees were $952.5 million in the year that ended June 30, down 2.6% from the year before.
- State money is up. The 2027 state appropriation is $381.2 million, an increase of about 4.2%.
- Tuition for Arizona undergraduates stays flat. UA says the resident rate has held for four consecutive years.
- Costcutting continues. The budget includes a 2.5% cut in institutional costs such as utilities, insurance, debt service and licenses, and a 6.2% cut in administrative support costs. UA says it is limiting the effect on academic units and student support.
- Planned cash reserves are growing. UA plans to add at least $30 million to its monthly cash balances. UA had a cash shortfall in 2023 and 2024, and it fell below the Board of Regents’ minimum of 140 days of cash on hand. The UA report says it has added to its operating cash reserves in 2025 and 2026.
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