In 2012 there were 14 states with a higher population than Arizona. Even though the state is not the largest in the country, it can still boast of having the largest public institution of higher education.
Arizona State University (ASU) is the largest public university with a total enrollment of over 70,000 students. It has multiple campuses in the Phoenix area with the main campus located in nearby Tempe. It was originally founded in 1885 as the Tempe Normal School and was later renamed to its current name.
Arizona is also home to the largest for-profit institution of higher learning. The University of Phoenix (UOPX) has campuses all over the country as well as an extremely robust online program. UOPX has a total enrollment of over 300,000 students and is headquartered in Phoenix.
Not everyone goes to largest public university in the state. The University of Arizona is located in Tucson and has over 35,000 students enrolled. Northern Arizona University is another large school in the state with more than 15,000 students. Arizona is also home to many other smaller institutions of higher learning.
There are many famous athletes, politicians, businessmen and celebrities that attended a university in Arizona. One of the most notable is golfer Phil Mickelson. This is not surprising given how many renowned golf courses there are in the state.
Arizona continues to develop their higher education system and will probably be home to the largest for-profit and public universities for the forseeable future.