University of Arizona leadership highlighted several key pillars of institutional momentum – enrollment management, financial stability and athletic achievement – at Thursday’s Arizona Board of Regents meeting in Flagstaff.
Total enrollment for the upcoming academic year, including the University of Arizona Global Campus, is expected to decline by 2.7%. However, the university anticipates an increase in graduate enrollment, which supports the university’s research mission. These changes were anticipated as part of the university’s new enrollment management strategy, and the university is welcoming an incoming class that is well-prepared and has a higher GPA than previous years.
“These projections align with our commitment to success for every student and our focus on expanding access to Arizonans, increasing retention and providing successful pathways to graduation with minimal debt and meaningful career opportunities,” said Chief Financial Officer John Arnold.
In support of continued student success and access, Arnold noted that the U of A’s tuition rate for Arizona residents remains flat for the third year in a row in addition to the elimination of the graduation fee and fees for mental health services. The university is also expanding investments for in-demand programs, including medical education, health professions and nursing.
Financial stability
With a secure fiscal foundation, Arnold told regents the U of A is positioned to capitalize on recent successes while fulfilling its land-grant mission.
Arnold also delivered an update on next year’s budget, which stabilizes college-level finances despite a slight decrease of less than 1% in net tuition revenue and improves cash-on-hand reserves from 78 to 84 days.
Athletic excellence
The Board of Regents also presented financial reports on the athletic operations of all three state universities from fiscal year 2025. R. Ken Coit Director of Athletics Desireé Reed-Francois called that fiscal year a pivotal time for Arizona Athletics.
“We built a strong foundation for competitive success in fiscal year 2025,” Reed-Francois said. “Guided by our Bear Down Blueprint, we strengthened our financial position, achieved success in competition and the classroom, and deepened our engagement with alumni, donors, fans and communities across Arizona. We are building on that momentum in ways that support our student-athletes, advance the university’s mission and enhance Arizona’s national reputation.”
During its first year in the Big 12 Conference, the department made critical progress building its business infrastructure, fielding more than 500 student athletes across 22 varsity sports and winning several national and conference championships. Individual students also reached national prominence, including four football players drafted into the NFL, three Big 12 Scholar Athlete of the Year Awards and dozens of All-Big 12 and All-American honors.
Reed-Francois also shared more recent news: Athletics raised a record-setting $46 million through the Wildcat Club in FY 26 and secured more than $87.7 million in corporate partnerships. Fundraising efforts included ten gifts of $1 million or more.
Research grants
The Board of Regents also approved a series of research grants, including several tri-university projects. The U of A, NAU and Arizona State University will partner with state agencies to study the impact of biosolids on the environment, recover key minerals from copper mine tailings, improve how the state shares environmental information with the public and enhance wildfire risk management in the Sonoran Desert.
Workforce alignment
Regents also received a presentation examining how Arizona’s public universities align degree production with the state’s workforce needs. The analysis identified healthcare and behavioral health as among the areas with the greatest demand for continued investment and partnership, noting that clinical training capacity remains a key constraint to expanding Arizona’s healthcare workforce.
The U of A is already helping address that challenge through a first-of-its-kind partnership between the College of Medicine – Phoenix and Onvida Health in Yuma. Announced last fall as part of the university’s response to Arizona’s physician shortage while reflecting a key priority of the board’s AZ Healthy Tomorrow initiative, the program will expand medical education opportunities while helping address healthcare workforce needs in Arizona rural communities. The first cohort of medical students begins this summer.
