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Sonoma State University: Rankings, Admissions, Cost & Majors

395 awards Ranking Badges
Fair Price Value for Your Money
93% Acceptance Rate

Sonoma State University is a public institution in Rohnert Park, California enrolling 5,166 undergraduates. It accepts 93% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 58%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #176 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 3%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.

Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.

How Is Sonoma State University Ranked?

Sonoma State University ranks #176 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 3%.

#176 Best Colleges in Nation
#35 Best Colleges in CA
Sonoma State University ranking badge

2027 Rankings

College Factual recognizes the best colleges and universities in its annual rankings. These rankings include categories for best overall colleges, best colleges for each major, best value schools, and much more.

Sonoma State University was awarded 395 badges in the 2027 rankings.

Overall Quality

SSU is ranked #176 out of 5,159 schools in the nation for overall quality on College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 5% of all schools in the nation.

Within the state, SSU holds the #35 spot on the Best Colleges in California ranking.

See all of the rankings for Sonoma State University.

Is It Hard to Get Into Sonoma State University?

93% Acceptance Rate
94% Of Accepted Are Women

Acceptance Rate

With an acceptance rate of 93%, Sonoma State University is easier to get into than many other schools. But that doesn’t mean you can slack off on your application. Make sure to treat this school like any other when submitting requested materials and documents.

Learn more about Sonoma State University admissions.

What Is the Student-to-Faculty Ratio at Sonoma State University?

17 to 1 Student to Faculty
51% Full Time Teachers

Student to Faculty Ratio

The student to faculty ratio at Sonoma State University is about average at 17 to 1. This ratio is often used to gauge how many students might be in an average class and how much time professors will have to spend with their students on an individual level. The national average for this metric is 15 to 1.

Percent of Full-Time Faculty

In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.

The full-time faculty percentage at Sonoma State University is 51%. This is comparable to the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  51 out of 100
0
100

What Are the Graduation and Retention Rates at Sonoma State University?

79% Freshmen Retention
58% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshmen Retention Rate

Sonoma State University has a freshmen retention rate of 79%. That’s a good sign that full-time students like the school and their professors enough to want to stick around for another year. It’s also a sign that the admissions team did a good job in choosing applicants who were a good fit for the school.

Freshmen Retention Rate  79 out of 100
0
100

Graduation Rate

The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at SSU for first-time, full-time students is 58%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  58 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Sonoma State University.

How Diverse Is Sonoma State University?

5,166 Undergraduate Students
56.8% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
60.0% Percent Women

The current enrollment includes 5,166 undergraduates at SSU.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at Sonoma State University.

How Much Does Sonoma State University Cost?

$17,140 Net Price
27% Take Out Loans
$25,236 Total Student Loans

The overall average net price of SSU is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.

Net Price by Income Group for SSU

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$8,310 $9,795 $10,741 $13,897 $21,195

The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of SSU, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.

Student Loan Debt

While almost two-thirds of students nationwide take out loans to pay for college, the percentage may be quite different for the school you plan on attending. At SSU, approximately 27% of students took out student loans averaging $6,309 a year. That adds up to $25,236 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 4.5%. This is significantly lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, which is a good sign that you’ll be able to pay back your student loans. Get more details about paying for Sonoma State University.

How Much Do Sonoma State University Graduates Earn?

$65,986 Avg Salary of Grads
High Earnings Boost

Yearly salaries vary depending on what you major in, but on average, bachelor’s degree recipients from Sonoma State University make around $65,986 per year during the early years of their employment. This is good news for future Sonoma State University graduates since it is 34% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. Average Salary for Sonoma State University Graduates

See which majors at Sonoma State University make the most money.

Where Is Sonoma State University Located?

California State
5,166 Undergraduate Students
Suburb Campus Setting

Sonoma State University is a public institution located in Rohnert Park, California. SSU is located in a safe and convenient suburb. Get more details about the location of Sonoma State University.

Location of Sonoma State University

Contact details for Sonoma State University are given below.

Contact Details
Address: 1801 E Cotati Ave, Rohnert Park, CA 94928-3609
Phone: 7076642880
Website: www.sonoma.edu
Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonoma_State_University
Facebook: www.facebook.com/sonomastateuniversity
Twitter: twitter.com/ssu_1961

What Majors Does Sonoma State University Offer?

26 Majors With Completions
3,366 Undergraduate Degrees

In the latest year of available data, students from 26 majors graduated from Sonoma State University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.

Most Popular Majors Completions Average Salary of Graduates
Multi-Disciplinary Studies 1,683 NA
Business Administration & Management 299 $53,570
General Psychology 235 $30,931
Nursing 94 $119,495
Health & Physical Education 86 $30,104
General Biology 83 $28,787
Liberal Arts General Studies 78 $39,101
Communication & Media Studies 77 $39,432
Other Education 75 $32,292
Sociology 61 $36,544

Learn more about the majors offered at Sonoma State University along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Does SSU Offer Online Classes?

51% Take At Least One Class Online
4% Take All Classes Online

2,614 students took at least one online class at Sonoma State University.

Online courses are a great option for busy, working students as well as for those who have scheduling conflicts and want to study on their own time. As time goes by, expect to see more and more online learning options become available.

Learn more about online learning at Sonoma State University.

Interested in comparing SSU? Pit them head to head with College Combat, a free interactive tool for comparing colleges on the features you care about.

Notes and References

Footnotes

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

References

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