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).
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
- Nearest big city
- 42 miles to San Francisco, CA
- To the ocean
- 16 miles
- Nearest airport
- 14 miles to Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County (STS)
How Sonoma State University compares
More selective than 16% · #83 most selective of 107 in California
Higher than 57% · #75 of 122 in California
Higher than 60%
Higher than 79% · #59 of 130 in California
Cheaper than 81% · #24 cheapest of 118 in California
Lower than 87%
Lower than 23%
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
- Undergraduate5,16689%
- Graduate61911%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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.
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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Petaluma AP, CA US station (6.8 mi from campus).
What Sonoma State University graduates study — and earn
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 →
University of California-Merced
Merced, California · Midsize suburb · 56 mi to Fresno
- Students
- 8,372
- Admission
- 91%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $64k
Worcester State University
Worcester, Massachusetts · Midsize city · 2 mi to Worcester
- Students
- 3,930
- Admission
- 88%
- Net price
- $13k
- SAT
- 1150
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $61k
University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Platteville, Wisconsin · Distant town · 60 mi to Madison
- Students
- 5,837
- Admission
- 89%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1190
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $62k
California State University-Channel Islands
Camarillo, California · Fringe rural · 41 mi to Santa Barbara
- Students
- 5,013
- Admission
- 95%
- Net price
- $10k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $62k
California State University-Monterey Bay
Seaside, California · Midsize suburb · 48 mi to San Jose
- Students
- 6,819
- Admission
- 97%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $59k
Metropolitan State University
Saint Paul, Minnesota · Large city · 9 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 5,616
- Admission
- 99%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1020
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $65k
Colleges near Sonoma State University
Meridian University
Petaluma, CA · Private for-profit · Graduate
Santa Rosa Junior College
Santa Rosa, CA · Public · Certificate · 15,080 students
Lytles Redwood Empire Beauty College
Santa Rosa, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 86 students
Pacific Union College
Angwin, CA · Private nonprofit · Associate · 805 students
Napa Valley College
Napa, CA · Public · Associate · 3,813 students
Dominican University of California
San Rafael, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,114 students
College of Marin
Kentfield, CA · Public · Associate · 4,042 students
Hinton Barber and Beauty College
Vallejo, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 50 students
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.













