Sonoma State vs Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA)

Sonoma State University and Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, while both offering a rich academic experience, present distinct characteristics that cater to different student preferences. Sonoma State, nestled in the heart of California's wine country, boasts a higher acceptance rate, allowing more students to pursue their educational aspirations. In contrast, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, located in the historic Berkshires, maintains a more selective admissions process. When it comes to academic offerings, Sonoma State excels in fields like Business, Psychology, and Biology, while Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts shines in Liberal Arts and Sciences, Social Sciences, and Visual and Performing Arts. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further differences in student demographics, graduation rates, and other crucial factors, helping you make an informed decision about your higher education journey.

	Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts	Sonoma State University
Overview
Location	North Adams, Massachusetts	Rohnert Park, California
Campus setting	Town: Fringe	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	63.0%	83.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	91.0%	93.7%
Application fees	$50	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	1,371	10,598
Total number of admissions given out	1,247	9,934
Admitted students who chose to enroll	167	822
Yield rate	13.4%	8.3%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	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: $25,928 Out of state: $34,873	In state: $29,478 Out of state: $41,358
Average net price	$14,902	$7,055
Tuition	In state: $1,030 Out of state: $9,975	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,240 Meal plan: $5,044	Room/dormitory: $7,798 Meal plan: $5,878
Available payment plans	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	99.0% Average amount $8,496	68.0% Average amount $8,547
Students receiving federal student loan	97.0% Average amount $3,734	21.0% Average amount $4,719
Students taking out private loans	12.0% Average amount $9,492	0.0% Average amount $18,070

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	870 Men 39.2% Women 60.8%	6,587 Men 37.9% Women 62.1%
Graduate students	124 Men 33.1% Women 66.9%	784 Men 31.1% Women 68.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	2.6%
International students	N/A	2.9%
Campus local/setting	Town: Fringe	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,020	3,389
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	Mississippi New York Vermont Connecticut Rhode Island	California Washington Colorado Arizona Utah

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Education Computer and Information Science Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences	Social Sciences Liberal Arts Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions Business
Students to faculty ratio	9:1	20:1
Institutional accreditation	New England Commission on Higher Education	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	58.4%	59.9%
Dropout rate	41.6%	30.5%
Transferred out	N/A	8.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,895 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $73,830 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,172 Year 2: $34,467 Year 3: $40,733 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,359 Year 2: $27,181 Year 3: $40,148 Education, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $32,284 Year 3: $35,408 English Language and Literature, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $24,617 Year 2: $32,569 Year 3: $34,741 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $31,798 Year 2: $31,828 Year 3: $32,817 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $28,438 Year 2: $28,236 Year 3: $32,425 Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,231 Year 2: $29,374 Year 3: $31,158 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $46,032 Year 2: $43,798 Year 3: N/A Visual and Performing Arts, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $20,169 Year 2: $25,194 Year 3: N/A	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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Sonoma State vs Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts (MCLA)

Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts

Sonoma State University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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