California State University-Monterey Bay (CSUMB) vs Sonoma State

California State University-Monterey Bay (CSUMB) and Sonoma State University (SSU) are two distinct universities within the California State University system, each offering unique educational experiences. CSUMB, located in the vibrant coastal city of Seaside, boasts a higher acceptance rate (78%) compared to SSU's 69%. Both universities offer a diverse range of undergraduate and graduate programs, with CSUMB excelling in marine science and environmental studies, while SSU is renowned for its strong liberal arts and business programs. While CSUMB's student body is predominantly Hispanic (38%) and female (58%), SSU's student population is more evenly distributed across ethnicities and genders. With a slightly higher graduation rate (63% vs. 61%), SSU may hold an edge in post-graduate success. To help you make an informed decision, we've compiled a comprehensive comparison table below, highlighting key differences between these two esteemed institutions.

	California State University-Monterey Bay	Sonoma State University
Overview
Location	Seaside, California	Rohnert Park, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	81.0%	83.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	92.8%	93.7%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	10,026	10,598
Total number of admissions given out	9,305	9,934
Admitted students who chose to enroll	779	822
Yield rate	8.4%	8.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $26,430 Out of state: $38,310	In state: $29,478 Out of state: $41,358
Average net price	$6,085	$7,055
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $9,642 Meal plan: $4,558	Room/dormitory: $7,798 Meal plan: $5,878
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	69.0% Average amount $9,097	68.0% Average amount $8,547
Students receiving federal student loan	25.0% Average amount $3,379	21.0% Average amount $4,719
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $11,953	0.0% Average amount $18,070

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,692 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%	6,587 Men 37.9% Women 62.1%
Graduate students	811 Men 29.8% Women 70.2%	784 Men 31.1% Women 68.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	2.4%	2.6%
International students	4.8%	2.9%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	3,565	3,389
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Colorado Hawaii Arizona Illinois	California Washington Colorado Arizona Utah

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Psychology Liberal Arts Computer and Information Science Public Administration and Social Service	Social Sciences Liberal Arts Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions Business
Students to faculty ratio	23:1	20:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	60.2%	59.9%
Dropout rate	30.1%	30.5%
Transferred out	7.3%	8.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $109,260 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $110,683 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,700 Year 2: $79,389 Year 3: $83,389 Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,186 Year 2: $71,957 Year 3: $75,206 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,031 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $68,691 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,187 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $65,124 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,008 Year 2: $60,049 Year 3: $63,971 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,999 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $52,338 Human Services, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,158 Year 2: $36,533 Year 3: $43,406 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,259 Year 2: $32,467 Year 3: $40,471 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,318 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $40,347	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $110,859 Year 2: $110,432 Year 3: $118,191 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $129,308 Year 2: $115,339 Year 3: $116,301 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $62,348 Year 2: $77,715 Year 3: $96,409 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $90,911 Year 2: $83,768 Year 3: $88,425 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,796 Year 2: $59,576 Year 3: $66,139 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,814 Year 2: $55,512 Year 3: $65,608 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,133 Year 2: $54,320 Year 3: $59,449 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $44,635 Year 2: $51,750 Year 3: $52,481 Criminal Justice and Corrections (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,504 Year 2: $39,009 Year 3: $47,193 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,432 Year 2: $37,424 Year 3: $46,935

Compare Similar Colleges

The list of suggested college comparisons provided below is generated automatically by our system, utilizing statistics gathered from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) and various online sources. If you don't find the colleges you wish to compare, please visit our comparison page. There, you can search for the specific colleges and initiate your comparison.