ASU has several campuses across Arizona, each one with its own majors and lifestyles. The two with the largest enrollment numbers are the Tempe and Downtown Phoenix campuses, and many students find them quite distinct from one another.
Housing may notably be a large concern for students transitioning to college. Both the Tempe and Downtown Phoenix campuses have a "traditional residence hall style" dorm layout, according to a statement from University Housing.
Both campuses offer three types of rooms students can choose from, including: a private room with a shared bath, a shared room with a shared bath and a private room with a private bath, the statement said.
The biggest difference between first-year student housing in Tempe and downtown Phoenix is the amount of rooms available, the statement said. For the 2025-2026 academic year, on-campus housing in Tempe is priced at $10,824 for residents, nonresidents and international students. For the same academic year and student categories, on-campus housing in downtown Phoenix is priced at $12,210.
The Tempe campus has more housing overall because of its larger student population. An estimated 55,500 students are enrolled in Tempe versus the Downtown Phoenix campus that has more than 10,000 students enrolled, according to an ASU website.
"First year residence halls also have study spaces, lounges and laundry rooms throughout the building available for residents to use 24/7. All first year students living on any campus are required to hold a meal plan, and the meal plans as well are the same across campuses," according to the statement from University Housing.
For the Fall 2025 semester, over 16,500 students moved into the 25 residence halls across ASU's four metro Phoenix campuses, according to ASU News. While Tempe had nearly 13,000 Sun Devils move in, the Downtown Phoenix campus had about 1,800 students.
Emiyah Foster, a sophomore studying social work, currently lives at home due to finances and the preference for her own space.
Despite thinking about it, for her, the idea of living in the downtown dorms would "just make everything more expensive, and (it) would probably have to come out of pocket for almost all of it," Foster said.
Khalaya De La Torre, a sophomore studying construction management and technology, is currently living in on-campus housing in Tempe. It's an experience she described as fun because it is louder and busier with constant movement from people in the surrounding areas and from students.
"Everything is going on here, most events are here, everybody travels here for everything," De La Torre said.
When it comes to social activities, De La Torre chooses to focus on clubs and on finding internship opportunities. She is currently the public relations director for ASU's El Concilio, a student coalition representing the interests and issues of Latinx, Chicanx and Hispanic student organizations.
Angela Lawson, a freshman studying medical studies, said the social aspect of the Downtown Phoenix campus seems more calm in comparison to the chaos in Tempe.
"Every time I come downtown, I'm not swamped with a ton of people walking to my classes," Lawson said.
READ MORE: Insight: I'm a Tempe student, and I don't hate the Downtown Phoenix campus
While downtown Phoenix has a lot going on, similarly to Tempe, it feels less associated to ASU because of the surrounding city life, Foster said.
The Tempe campus, however, is also home to the University's fraternity and sorority life. There's more than 65 Greek organizations at ASU, with many housed in The Greek Leadership Village and many activities based in Tempe.
In comparison, the Downtown Phoenix campus offers opportunities for students to make professional and academic connections through the city's work environment.
"I feel like there's more opportunities for the specific majors here (downtown), because we are in a city and it's more industrial," Eli Quimby, a freshman studying fashion design, said. "We're surrounded by inspiration."
In terms of commuting, some students prefer the Downtown Phoenix campus because of the shorter distances between buildings.
In downtown, "the maximum I'm walking from my car to my first class is maybe a seven-minute walk, and that's the most I'll do in a day," said Muaz Mallah, a freshman studying medical studies.
When Mallah compared his experience walking to class in downtown to walking in Tempe, he said, "it's confusing, it's hot, the walk is crazy."
Mallah said the tall downtown buildings act as natural shade when walking between classes. Tempe is more of an open campus, with less tall infrastructure to block students from the Arizona heat.
No matter how different campus culture or lifestyles are between ASU's campuses, some students believe one uniting factor is there is space for everyone to be a Sun Devil.
"What I noticed about ASU is, even despite the problems that we might have, everyone who is a Sun Devil is really passionate," Foster said.
Edited by Natalia Rodriguez, Senna James and Katrina Michalak.
Reach the reporter at galawre3@asu.edu and dbtorre4@asu.edu.
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Grace Lawrence is a reporter for the community culture desk at The Arizona State Press. This is her 1st semester working with The State Press.
Daniela Torres Martinez is a part-time community reporter for the State Press. She has previously worked with the Chic Magazine at the Walter Cronkite School. She is in her first semester with The State Press.
