Sonoma State vs Cal Poly Humboldt

Sonoma State University and California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt, both esteemed institutions within the California State University system, offer distinct educational experiences. Sonoma State, nestled in the heart of Sonoma County, boasts a higher acceptance rate, attracting a diverse student body with a strong emphasis on liberal arts and sciences. Cal Poly Humboldt, situated amidst the breathtaking redwood forests of Northern California, excels in polytechnic programs, preparing students for careers in science, engineering, and agriculture. While Sonoma State's graduation rate slightly surpasses that of Cal Poly Humboldt, both universities provide ample opportunities for personal and academic growth. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details and discover which university aligns best with your aspirations and goals.

	California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt	Sonoma State University
Overview
Location	Arcata, California	Rohnert Park, California
Campus setting	Town: Remote	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	74.0%	83.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.5%	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	7,013	10,598
Total number of admissions given out	6,414	9,934
Admitted students who chose to enroll	629	822
Yield rate	9.8%	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: $25,668 Out of state: $37,548	In state: $29,478 Out of state: $41,358
Average net price	$13,904	$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: $6,638 Meal plan: $5,600	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)	75.0% Average amount $9,716	68.0% Average amount $8,547
Students receiving federal student loan	36.0% Average amount $4,831	21.0% Average amount $4,719
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $12,255	0.0% Average amount $18,070

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	5,354 Men 41.6% Women 58.4%	6,587 Men 37.9% Women 62.1%
Graduate students	554 Men 30.0% Women 70.0%	784 Men 31.1% Women 68.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	7.0%	2.6%
International students	1.3%	2.9%
Campus local/setting	Town: Remote	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	2,069	3,389
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Oregon Washington Colorado Hawaii	California Washington Colorado Arizona Utah

Academics
Popular study areas	Natural Resources and Conservation Psychology Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Liberal Arts Social Sciences	Social Sciences Liberal Arts Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions Business
Students to faculty ratio	16:1	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	47.5%	59.9%
Dropout rate	42.0%	30.5%
Transferred out	7.8%	8.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,497 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $69,150 Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,856 Year 2: $48,265 Year 3: $60,145 Psychology, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $58,243 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $52,405 Year 2: $53,045 Year 3: $57,583 Forestry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,805 Year 2: $38,289 Year 3: $46,240 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $49,362 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $45,717 Social Work (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,892 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: $42,797 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,215 Year 2: $36,294 Year 3: $41,528 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,882 Year 2: $25,967 Year 3: $39,496 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $22,867 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: $37,639	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.