TEMPE, AZ — Arizona State University has launched an initiative to bring back former students to encourage them to finish their degrees, and it’s already seeing interest.
It’s called “Operation Comeback.” ASU says Arizonans who attended the university but never finished their degree can return - with some incentives.
“We want to help them think about ways that they could come back and finish up that degree with us and to really kind of make re-entry so that they can achieve their ambition to get a college degree and to make that something that's possible for them,” said Nancy Gonzalez, the executive vice president and university provost.
Here are some of the incentives some people could qualify for if they re-enroll in the Spring or Fall semester of 2026:
- $100-per-credit scholarship for campus-based programs or $120 per credit scholarship for online degree programs
- An additional $1,000 scholarship for students with more than 90 credits who re-enroll
- A dedicated advisor to help complete the degree
- Previous unpaid ASU balances may be cleared
Since ASU announced the initiative, Gonzalez said more than 160 people have reached out, interested in the program.
Cassandra Carey told ABC15 she has an appointment set up with an advisor to start the process. She went to ASU about 10 years ago, and had to choose between a full-time job with benefits or going to school full-time. She stuck with the job. However, after hearing about this initiative, she plans to go back to school.
"I'm thinking it's going to take two or three years to finish. I'm OK with that. I've waited this long. My mom got her Bachelor’s [degree] at 50 and I'm two years away from that. So, I'm not scared,” she said.
ASU estimates about 500 students may qualify for the balance reset.
For more information on the initiative, click here.
