Arizona State University (ASU) Parents & Families Guide

Which ASU this hub covers

ASU has several campuses around metro Phoenix, including Downtown Phoenix, Polytechnic and West Valley. This hub is about the Tempe campus. A few ASU programs, Family Weekend among them, run events on every campus at once, so read event listings closely to see where a session actually takes place.

Flying in

Most families land at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX). ASU's international student office puts it about 5 miles from campus and about a ten minute drive to downtown Tempe. The free PHX Sky Train connects the terminals to the Valley Metro Rail station at 44th and Washington streets, and light rail has stops on the Tempe campus. Mesa Gateway Airport (AZA) in Mesa is a second option, with more than 40 nonstop destinations according to the airport.

How the school year runs

ASU uses semesters, and the University Registrar splits each one into Sessions A, B and C. Session C spans the full term, so it is the schedule most families plan around. For 2026 to 27, fall classes start Thursday, Aug 20, finals run Dec 7 to 12, and spring classes start Monday, Jan 11, 2027. Spring break is the week of March 7.

Where students live

University Housing lists Tempe halls including Barrett Complex, Hassayampa Academic Village, Manzanita Hall, McClintock Hall, Palo Verde East and West, San Pablo, Sonora Center, Tooker House, University Towers, Adelphi Commons and Tempe's New Residence Hall. Tempe move in for fall 2026 is Aug 15 to 16, by an appointment time Housing emails in early July.

The family office

ASU Family, part of Educational Outreach and Student Services, runs Family Weekend, the online Family Hub, a printable family calendar and an A to Z index of campus offices. Family Weekend 2026 is Friday, Nov 6 to Sunday, Nov 8, and the home football game that weekend is against Colorado on Saturday. Registration closes Oct 18.

What else is in this hub

The dates page lists breaks, finals and both commencement ceremonies with sources. The travel page covers PHX and AZA, visitor parking rates in the campus garages and the hotels ASU lists for visitors. The move in and move out page walks through Housing's rules, and the local page has health care, police, mail and pharmacy details for Tempe.