Sonoma State vs UC Merced

Sonoma State University and University of California-Merced, both esteemed institutions of higher learning in California, offer distinct educational experiences. Sonoma State, nestled in the picturesque Sonoma County, boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for aspiring students. UC-Merced, on the other hand, is a selective research university with a lower acceptance rate, attracting students with strong academic records. While Sonoma State excels in liberal arts and teacher education, UC-Merced shines in engineering, computer science, and management. Explore the detailed comparison table to delve into further differences, including student body demographics, graduation rates, and additional program offerings, to determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Sonoma State University	University of California-Merced
Overview
Location	Rohnert Park, California	Merced, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Rural: Fringe
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	83.0%	79.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	93.7%	86.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $120
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	10,598	27,793
Total number of admissions given out	9,934	24,068
Admitted students who chose to enroll	822	2,410
Yield rate	8.3%	10.0%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $29,478 Out of state: $41,358	In state: $28,870 Out of state: $58,624
Average net price	$7,055	$11,586
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $11,442 Out of state: $41,196
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,798 Meal plan: $5,878	$18,901
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	68.0% Average amount $8,547	92.0% Average amount $21,623
Students receiving federal student loan	21.0% Average amount $4,719	18.0% Average amount $4,470
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $18,070	1.0% Average amount $2,687

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,587 Men 37.9% Women 62.1%	8,321 Men 47.7% Women 52.3%
Graduate students	784 Men 31.1% Women 68.9%	772 Men 55.8% Women 44.2%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	2.6%	0.2%
International students	2.9%	8.7%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Rural: Fringe
Dormitory capacity	3,389	3,634
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Washington Colorado Arizona Utah	California Alaska Idaho Missouri Texas

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Liberal Arts Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions Business	Engineering Physical Science Social Sciences English Language and Literature Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	20:1	19:1
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	59.9%	71.6%
Dropout rate	30.5%	5.0%
Transferred out	8.0%	22.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,675 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $68,164 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,936 Year 2: $51,392 Year 3: $67,761 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,771 Year 2: $43,000 Year 3: $57,642 Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $38,420 Year 2: $39,729 Year 3: $53,045 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,245 Year 2: $41,937 Year 3: $50,288 Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $32,755 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $49,047 Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $40,917 Year 2: $38,721 Year 3: $47,958 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,685 Year 2: $31,391 Year 3: $43,274 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,397 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $42,368 Cognitive Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $27,909 Year 2: $28,960 Year 3: $40,928

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Sonoma State vs UC Merced

Sonoma State University

University of California-Merced

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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