Sonoma State University
Public College in Rohnert Park, CA. Six-year graduation rate 58%. Median 10-year earnings $65,986.
Students who entered Sonoma State University reach a median of $65,986 ten years later, which puts this school in the upper band of undergraduate earnings outcomes. The six-year graduation rate is 58%, meaning about two in five students who start do not finish. Debt at graduation runs to a median of $16,705, neither a bargain nor a burden.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.25 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
Sonoma State University admits 93% of applicants — effectively open admission, so the application is a formality rather than a hurdle. The applicant pool is large — 11,246 in the most recent cycle — so the published rate reflects genuine competition rather than a small-sample quirk. A 8% yield rate is low: the admitted pool is much larger than the entering class.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at Sonoma State University →Academics
Completion is middling: 58% finish inside six years. First-year retention is 79% — the single largest point of attrition on this campus. Retention and completion are close, which places the gap between entering and finishing almost entirely in year one. The part-time picture is harder: 58% return, against 79% full-time. A 17:1 ratio is unremarkable; expect a mix of lecture halls and seminars.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 5,374 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
At $14,614 a year on average after grant aid, cost is low here relative to most undergraduate institutions. Net price swings hard on family income here, from $8,310 at the $0–30k band to $21,195 at $110k+. About 68% get grants averaging $10,381, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Federal borrowing reaches 27% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 899 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $8,310 |
| $30–48k | $9,795 |
| $48–75k | $10,741 |
| $75–110k | $13,897 |
| $110k+ | $21,195 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,452 of these 5,374 students, totalling $9,159,968 — an average of $6,309 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Sonoma County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)