History
ASU has more than 20 years of history on the ground in California, with community-embedded programs, business partnerships, top-ranked degree offerings and hands-on learning experiences throughout the state.
2003
Starting in 2003 with its founding in Los Angeles, Zócalo Public Square — part of the ASU Media Enterprise — has hosted more than 600 community-focused events nationwide, inspiring conversations and uniting communities. Zócalo creates unique and compelling journalism syndicated to 290 media outlets worldwide.
2013
In 2013, ASU opened the first ASU California Center location in Santa Monica for students in law and public programs. Journalism students soon followed, covering sports and investigative topics throughout California.
2019
ASU Local joined the Los Angeles location in 2019 to bring 160 high-quality bachelor’s degree options to Los Angeles students.
2020
In 2020, ASU Prep Digital partnered with BEST Academy to provide tuition-free online courses over the summer to California high school students in Riverview, Orange, San Diego and Imperial counties.
ASU began renovating the former Herald Examiner Building in the fall of 2020, preserving a historical landmark while providing a modern space for state-of-the-art facilities, including a creative media center, virtual reality and editing studios and special event spaces. ASU celebrated the grand opening of the building in 2022 with a week of events exploring pressing issues facing our communities.
2022
The Sidney Poitier New American Film School opened in Los Angeles in 2022, giving film students from every background an opportunity to connect with and learn in the entertainment capital of the world. The prominent LA-based faculty include Emmy Award-winners, MacArthur Grant Fellows, former show runners and founders of cinema labs.
2023
In 2023, ASU expanded its fashion program and presence in downtown Los Angeles with ASU FIDM and a second building — ASU California Center Grand. ASU also announced a new independent affiliate college, California College of ASU, which offers liberal arts degrees with concentrations in filmmaking practices, film and media studies, fashion studies, and digital media studies.
ASU has partnered with all 116 California community colleges to deliver over 400 pathways for transfer students into ASU, eliminating a pain point for transfer students. ASU shortens the time to complete a four-year degree, minimizes credit loss and ensures a smooth transfer experience.
The university added ASU Local in Long Beach in 2023, where students at Long Beach City College and Southwestern College in Chula Vista in 2024 can earn bachelor’s degrees from ASU.
These new programs and locations join a robust portfolio of ASU offerings in LA, including the Herberger Institute for Design and the Arts, the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication, the Thunderbird School of Global Management, and the Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law.
Today
Today, ASU is home to more than 23,000 Californians across all locations and online. As part of our mission to increase access to higher education, ASU will continue to expand throughout California to ensure that learners of all ages succeed and thrive.
