Sonoran Desert Institute
Tempe, Arizona · Website
$20,678
net price a year, after grants
$20,678
net price a year, after grants
Sonoran Desert Institute is a for-profit 2-year college in Tempe, Arizona with 5,435 undergraduates. Its average net price after grants is $20,678 a year (tuition and fees $12,200). 33% of students finish within 3 years. Graduates leave with a median $9,500 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$20,678
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$12,200
US median $11,837
Admission rate
Open
Completion rate
33%
Within 3 years, US 58%
Median debt
$9,500
About $101 a month
Earnings at 10 years
-
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $20,678
- Tuition and fees
- $12,200
- Cost of attendance
- $25,566
- Students with a need-based grant
- 33%
- Students with federal loans
- 28%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $20,144
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $20,584
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $20,960
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $23,603
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $25,204
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2016-17 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $8,490 in 2016-17 to $12,200 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- Open admission
- Undergraduates
- 5,435
- Part-time students
- 42%
- Women
- 2.5%
- Students per teacher
- 32
- Completion rate
- 33%
- Retention rate
- 69%
- Highest degree
- Associate's degree
- Programs
- 3
- Other
- Online only, Open admission
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
| Measure | College | AZ median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $20,678 | $20,678 | $24,624 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $12,200 | $8,774 | $15,645 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | - | 90% | 86% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 33% | 54% | 67% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 69% | 75% | 75% | 75% |
| Median debt | $9,500 | $9,500 | $10,722 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | - | $36,057 | $33,986 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | - | $40,059 | $36,368 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US for-profit 2-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid.
Programs
3 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Precision Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansOnlineAssociate's | Associate's | 804 | $15,595 | $49,349 | $54,922 | $51,353 |
| Precision Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 722 | $9,500 | $58,977 | $85,119 | $54,900 |
| Electromechanical Technologies/TechniciansOnlineCertificate | Certificate | 87 | - | - | Withheld | - |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Tempe and Arizona on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in Arizona
- Homes: Homes for sale in Arizona
Questions and answers
How much does Sonoran Desert Institute cost?
$20,678 a year is the average net price at Sonoran Desert Institute after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $12,200, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $25,566. Families earning under $30,000 pay $20,144 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Sonoran Desert Institute?
Sonoran Desert Institute has open admission: it accepts students who meet its basic requirements, such as a high school diploma.
How much student debt do Sonoran Desert Institute graduates have?
$9,500 is the median federal student loan debt of Sonoran Desert Institute graduates, about $101 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 28% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Sonoran Desert Institute?
33% of first-time, full-time students at Sonoran Desert Institute finish within 3 years. 69% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of for-profit 2-year colleges is 67%.
What are the most popular majors at Sonoran Desert Institute?
Precision Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians (804 associate's graduates), Precision Systems Maintenance and Repair Technologies/Technicians (722 certificate graduates), Electromechanical Technologies/Technicians (87 certificate graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 3 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.