Poly(aspartic acid), PASP, is a biodegradable, water-soluble polymer and offers a biodegradable alternative to polycarboxylates and other non-degradable water-soluble polymers. PASP one of poly (amino acid)s, possesses carboxylic acid pendant group in its repeating unit, which can be used for various further modification purposes. In this study we prepared high molecular weight polysuccinimide, as the precursor polymer for PASP, by thermal polycondensation ofL-aspartic acid in the presence of phosphoric acid. The polysuccinimide was hydrolyzed with 0.1 N sodium hydroxide, and then acidified to give PASP. High water-absorbent gels were produced by thermal crosslinking of freeze-dried mixture of partially-neutralized PASP and different amount of low moi. wt. PEG-diepoxide compounds in aqueous medium. The swelling behavior of the prepared gels from different size and composition of crosslinking reagent in different media was investigated and the results were discussed. This PASP-based hydrogel materials possessing inherent biodegradability, potential non-toxicity and biocompatibility, is expected to be used as a substrate for various biomedical applications as well as a general purpose super-absorbent polymer.