Sonoma State vs California State University-Northridge (CSUN)

Sonoma State University and California State University-Northridge, both esteemed institutions within the California State University system, offer distinct educational experiences. Sonoma State, nestled in the picturesque Sonoma County, boasts a lower acceptance rate and a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community. In contrast, CSUN, situated in the vibrant San Fernando Valley, welcomes a larger and more diverse student population. While Sonoma State excels in liberal arts and sciences, CSUN shines in business, engineering, and the arts. Both universities offer competitive graduation rates, ensuring that students are well-prepared for their chosen careers. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California State University-Northridge	Sonoma State University
Overview
Location	Northridge, California	Rohnert Park, California
Campus setting	City: Large	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	82.0%	83.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	88.1%	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	23,656	10,598
Total number of admissions given out	20,842	9,934
Admitted students who chose to enroll	4,716	822
Yield rate	22.6%	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: $31,857 Out of state: $43,737	In state: $29,478 Out of state: $41,358
Average net price	$8,708	$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: $7,316 Meal plan: $4,506	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)	82.0% Average amount $10,882	68.0% Average amount $8,547
Students receiving federal student loan	14.0% Average amount $4,779	21.0% Average amount $4,719
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $12,360	0.0% Average amount $18,070

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	34,496 Men 45.0% Women 55.0%	6,587 Men 37.9% Women 62.1%
Graduate students	5,612 Men 33.0% Women 67.0%	784 Men 31.1% Women 68.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.7%	2.6%
International students	6.0%	2.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	4,029	3,389
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Hawaii Nevada Texas	California Washington Colorado Arizona Utah

Academics
Popular study areas	Health Professions Engineering Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Public Administration and Social Service Computer and Information Science	Social Sciences Liberal Arts Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions Business
Students to faculty ratio	26:1	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	54.2%	59.9%
Dropout rate	33.7%	30.5%
Transferred out	5.6%	8.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $95,739 Year 3: $108,158 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $89,831 Year 2: $92,124 Year 3: $98,535 Taxation (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,745 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $97,852 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $83,455 Year 2: $88,907 Year 3: $96,626 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $79,863 Year 2: $75,204 Year 3: $92,559 Engineering-Related Fields (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $80,493 Year 3: $92,252 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,281 Year 2: $83,669 Year 3: $89,964 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,782 Year 2: $75,047 Year 3: $84,221 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,859 Year 2: $73,070 Year 3: $82,977 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,180 Year 2: $76,863 Year 3: $82,194	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

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