CSU San Marcos vs Sonoma State

California State University-San Marcos (CSUSM) and Sonoma State University (SSU) are two distinct universities in California with unique offerings and characteristics. CSUSM, located in the vibrant city of San Marcos, boasts a higher acceptance rate (73%) compared to SSU's 63%, making it a more accessible option for prospective students. SSU, situated in the charming town of Rohnert Park, is known for its strong Liberal Arts and Sciences programs, while CSUSM excels in Business and Management, attracting students with diverse interests. Both universities have a significant proportion of undergraduate students, with CSUSM having a slightly larger student body. While SSU has a higher graduation rate (68%) than CSUSM (63%), both universities provide ample opportunities for academic success and personal growth. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover more about these universities' acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates, and make an informed decision that aligns with

	California State University-San Marcos	Sonoma State University
Overview
Location	San Marcos, California	Rohnert Park, California
Campus setting	Suburb: 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	79.0%	83.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	93.3%	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	13,986	10,598
Total number of admissions given out	13,049	9,934
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,413	822
Yield rate	18.5%	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: $22,366 Out of state: $34,246	In state: $29,478 Out of state: $41,358
Average net price	$14,296	$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: $7,798 Meal plan: $5,878
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	70.0% Average amount $9,298	68.0% Average amount $8,547
Students receiving federal student loan	22.0% Average amount $4,734	21.0% Average amount $4,719
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $12,988	0.0% Average amount $18,070

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,963 Men 38.4% Women 61.6%	6,587 Men 37.9% Women 62.1%
Graduate students	1,292 Men 28.4% Women 71.6%	784 Men 31.1% Women 68.9%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.5%	2.6%
International students	3.4%	2.9%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,547	3,389
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Colorado Washington Virginia Arizona	California Washington Colorado Arizona Utah

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences Computer and Information Science Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Social Sciences Liberal Arts Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions Business
Students to faculty ratio	25:1	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	59.2%	59.9%
Dropout rate	33.6%	30.5%
Transferred out	2.6%	8.0%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $107,746 Year 2: $103,555 Year 3: $111,324 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $90,827 Year 2: $88,074 Year 3: $90,666 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,843 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $83,791 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $66,941 Year 3: $72,765 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,962 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $71,818 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,769 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $68,571 Physics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $65,899 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,297 Year 2: $49,520 Year 3: $62,797 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,252 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $59,957 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $45,864 Year 3: $57,022	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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