CSU Bakersfield vs Sonoma State

California State University-Bakersfield (CSUB) and Sonoma State University (SSU) are two distinct universities in California with unique offerings and characteristics. CSUB, located in the southern part of the state, has a higher acceptance rate (68%) compared to SSU's 52%, making it a more accessible option for students. SSU, on the other hand, boasts a higher graduation rate (64%) than CSUB's 53%, indicating a stronger focus on student success and completion. While both universities offer a diverse range of majors, CSUB is known for its strengths in agriculture, business, and engineering, while SSU excels in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further differences, including student body demographics, tuition fees, and campus life, to determine which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California State University-Bakersfield	Sonoma State University
Overview
Location	Bakersfield, 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	75.0%	83.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.2%	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	12,334	10,598
Total number of admissions given out	10,510	9,934
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,165	822
Yield rate	11.1%	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: $28,783 Out of state: $40,663	In state: $29,478 Out of state: $41,358
Average net price	$7,368	$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: $9,000 Meal plan: $4,200	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)	88.0% Average amount $10,725	68.0% Average amount $8,547
Students receiving federal student loan	16.0% Average amount $4,511	21.0% Average amount $4,719
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $5,495	0.0% Average amount $18,070

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,367 Men 34.7% Women 65.3%	6,587 Men 37.9% Women 62.1%
Graduate students	1,605 Men 25.1% Women 74.9%	784 Men 31.1% Women 68.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.9%	2.6%
International students	3.7%	2.9%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	500	3,389
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Arizona Colorado Washington Florida	California Washington Colorado Arizona Utah

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Public Administration and Social Service Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Communication and Journalism Business	Social Sciences Liberal Arts Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions Business
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	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	47.6%	59.9%
Dropout rate	43.9%	30.5%
Transferred out	1.8%	8.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $81,247 Year 2: $80,521 Year 3: $85,224 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,530 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $79,366 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,597 Year 2: $67,995 Year 3: $72,066 Engineering Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,382 Year 2: $48,041 Year 3: $64,423 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,342 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $64,084 Natural Resources Management and Policy (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $63,823 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,608 Year 3: $62,781 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $60,695 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $54,359 Year 3: $60,583 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $60,474	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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