SDI

Sonoran Desert Institute

Tempe, Arizona Private for-profit 2-year Midsize city

Overview

Sonoran Desert Institute is a private for-profit two-year institution in Tempe, Arizona. All of its programs are delivered through distance education. It enrolled 5,437 students in fall 2024.

Sonoran Desert Institute offers certificates and associate degrees across 2 programs. Its largest programs by number of graduates are Gunsmithing and Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering Technology/Technician. It awarded 3,343 degrees and certificates in 2024-25.

The school has an open admission policy. 69% of full-time first-year students return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio is 32 to 1.

Key figures

Open

Admission policy

5,437

Students enrolled

69%

First-year retention

3,343

Degrees and certificates awarded, 2024-25

Programs and majors

32:1

Student-to-faculty ratio

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Delivery modes

Online

Program levels

CertificateAssociate

Programs and majors offered 2

Graduate counts are degrees and certificates awarded in each program between July 2024 and June 2025. Largest fields are listed first.

Mechanic and Repair Technologies 1

Gunsmithing CertificateAssociate Online option 2,979 graduates

Engineering Technologies 1

Mechatronics, Robotics, and Automation Engineering Technology/Technician Certificate Online option 364 graduates

Admissions

Admission policy: Open admission

Outcomes

Retention is for students who started in fall 2023 and returned in fall 2024.

First-year retention, full-time students: 69%
First-year retention, part-time students: 64%
Student-to-faculty ratio: 32:1

Degrees and certificates awarded

Awards conferred between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025.

Associate degrees: 1,201
Certificates under 1 year: 1,049
Certificates of 1 to 2 years: 1,093

Enrollment

Students, fall 2024: 5,437
Undergraduates, fall 2024: 5,437
Full-time, fall 2024: 58%
Students over the full 2024-25 year: 8,618
Full-time, 2024-25: 50%
Size category: 5,000 to 9,999 students

Student body

Share of all students enrolled during 2024-25. Small groups can round to zero and are not listed.

Women: 3%
Men: 97%
White: 70%
Hispanic or Latino: 14%
Black or African American: 7%
Asian: 1%
Two or more races: 5%
American Indian or Alaska Native: 1%
Race or ethnicity unknown: 1%

Online and flexible learning

Distance education in 2024-25.

Delivery: All programs are offered fully online
Programs that can be completed fully online: 2
Online undergraduate programs: Yes
Students studying fully online: 100%
Students taking some online courses: 0%

Campus and services

Setting: Midsize city
Academic calendar: Other academic year
Carnegie classification: Special Focus Two-Year: Technical Professions
President: Traci Lee
Services and opportunities: Academic and career counseling, Job placement for graduates
For veterans and service members: Yellow Ribbon Program, Credit for military training, Dedicated veterans contact, Student veteran organization