Sonoma State vs UC Santa Barbara

Sonoma State University and University of California-Santa Barbara, both esteemed institutions in California, offer distinct educational experiences. Sonoma State, nestled in the heart of Sonoma County, boasts a welcoming and diverse community, while UC-Santa Barbara, situated along the scenic Pacific coast, attracts students with its world-renowned academic reputation. With varying acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation outcomes, these universities cater to different aspirations and learning styles. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences, ensuring you make an informed decision that sets you on the path to success.

	Sonoma State University	University of California-Santa Barbara
Overview
Location	Rohnert Park, California	Santa Barbara, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Quarter
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	83.0%	91.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	93.7%	29.2%
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	105,641
Total number of admissions given out	9,934	30,824
Admitted students who chose to enroll	822	4,900
Yield rate	8.3%	15.9%
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: $35,374 Out of state: $65,128
Average net price	$7,055	$17,333
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	$16,699
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	68.0% Average amount $8,547	53.0% Average amount $18,107
Students receiving federal student loan	21.0% Average amount $4,719	11.0% Average amount $4,576
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $18,070	3.0% Average amount $10,788

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,587 Men 37.9% Women 62.1%	23,091 Men 43.8% Women 56.2%
Graduate students	784 Men 31.1% Women 68.9%	3,033 Men 53.2% Women 46.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	2.6%	13.2%
International students	2.9%	13.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	3,389	11,031
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 Washington Colorado Texas New York

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Liberal Arts Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions Business	Engineering Biological and Biomedical Sciences Social Sciences Mathematics and Statistics Physical Science
Students to faculty ratio	20:1	17:1
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%	85.4%
Dropout rate	30.5%	14.0%
Transferred out	8.0%	N/A
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 Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $86,276 Year 2: $81,554 Year 3: $96,623 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $83,726 Year 2: $76,773 Year 3: $94,355 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,445 Year 2: $72,134 Year 3: $88,523 Chemical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $61,540 Year 2: $59,485 Year 3: $73,916 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $68,678 Year 2: $60,452 Year 3: $73,907 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,465 Year 2: $60,790 Year 3: $73,844 Applied Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,765 Year 2: $59,536 Year 3: $71,984 Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,194 Year 2: $52,107 Year 3: $71,014 Natural Resources Conservation and Research (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,972 Year 2: $57,860 Year 3: $70,694 Statistics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,652 Year 2: $47,650 Year 3: $66,826

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Sonoma State vs UC Santa Barbara

Sonoma State University

University of California-Santa Barbara

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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