Public · University

Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, California · Large suburb

93.4%
Admit rate
$12,885
Avg net price
58%
Graduation rate
$65,986
Median earnings

Sonoma State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Rohnert Park, California (large suburb setting), enrolling 5,166 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).

PublicMidsize · 5,166 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 93% admitNCAA Division II without footballNear the coast

About Rohnert Park, California

Rohnert Park is a city in Sonoma County, California, United States, located approximately 50 miles (80 km) north of San Francisco. Originally home of the Coast Miwok native people, the Mexican government granted Rancho Cotate to Captain Juan Castaneda in July 1844 for his military services in the region. The grant encompassed present-day Penngrove, Cotati and Rohnert Park. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
16 miles
Nearest airport
14 miles to Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County (STS)

How Sonoma State University compares

Selectivity93.4%

More selective than 16% · #83 most selective of 107 in California

Graduation rate58%

Higher than 57% · #75 of 122 in California

First-year retention79%

Higher than 60%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$65,986

Higher than 79% · #59 of 130 in California

Average net price$12,885

Cheaper than 81% · #24 cheapest of 118 in California

Median debt at graduation$16,705

Lower than 87%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment5,166

Larger than 78%

Percentiles compare Sonoma State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in California.

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

5,785students
  • Undergraduate5,16689%
  • Graduate61911%

Undergraduates by gender

5,166undergrads
  • Women3,44567%
  • Men1,72133%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White40%
  • Black2.9%
  • Hispanic42%
  • Asian4.5%
  • Other or multiracial10%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
5,166
Graduate enrollment
619
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
36%
First-generation students
41%
Students over 25
16%
Median family income
$40,508
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$115,020
Endowment
$51,580,176

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 911 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From California98%
  • Other U.S. states1.8%

Most first-years stay in state — Sonoma State University draws overwhelmingly from California.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Admissions

Admission rate
93.4%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$8,624
Out-of-state tuition
$21,224
Room & board
$16,802
Books & supplies
$856
Total cost of attendance
$24,648
Average net price
$12,885

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
58%
Graduated on time (4 years)
39%
First-year retention
79%
Transferred to another college
7%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$52,179
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$65,986
Median debt at graduation
$16,705
Students with federal loans
27%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
65%

About 19% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
39%
Low-income (Pell)
62%
First-generation
61%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
3,258
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
63%
Housing charge (year)
$8,718
Meal plan (year)
$6,405
Application fee
$70
Athletics
NCAA Division II without football
Varsity athletes
266 (103 men · 163 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (9)

Soccer61
Baseball46
Track and Field (Indoor)31
Basketball30
Track and Field (Outdoor)29
Volleyball22
Softball20
Golf18
Cross Country9

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
3.3 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
34
Property offenses (2022–2024)
25

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (5,891 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

20reported offenses a year
11 violent a year8.3 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
6.7
Burglary
6.3
Fondling
3.3
Motor vehicle theft
2.0
Statutory rape
1.0
Aggravated assault
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$8,310
$30–48k
$9,795
$48–75k
$10,741
$75–110k
$13,897
$110k+
$21,195

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$48,162

$10,741/year × about 4.5 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

66%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,184
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 66% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,184. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 940 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$65,986
Typical debt at graduation
$16,705
Debt vs. one year's pay
25%
Out-earn a HS grad
66%

Typical debt would take roughly 2.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Strong value

Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$64,692
Men
$68,804

Men out-earn women by $4,112 (6%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
82°F
Winter low
38°F
Annual rain
25.6″

Average temperature

HighLow
30°60°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Petaluma AP, CA US station (6.8 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Sonoma State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Sonoma State University side by side →

Colleges near Sonoma State University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.