Sonoma State vs Western Washington University (WWU)

Sonoma State University and Western Washington University, both esteemed public universities in their respective states of California and Washington, offer distinct educational experiences. Sonoma State boasts a higher acceptance rate, making it a more accessible option for prospective students. Western Washington, on the other hand, has a slightly higher graduation rate, indicating a strong commitment to student success. While both universities offer a diverse range of majors, Sonoma State excels in the arts and humanities, while Western Washington shines in the sciences and engineering. 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.

	Sonoma State University	Western Washington University
Overview
Location	Rohnert Park, California	Bellingham, Washington
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
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%	81.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	93.7%	96.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $65 Graduate: $100
SAT range	N/A	1090 - 1310
ACT range	N/A	22 - 29
Students submitting SAT score		16.0%
Students submitting ACT score		3.0%
Total number of applicants	10,598	10,580
Total number of admissions given out	9,934	10,167
Admitted students who chose to enroll	822	2,874
Yield rate	8.3%	28.3%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $29,478 Out of state: $41,358	In state: $26,634 Out of state: $43,861
Average net price	$7,055	$11,388
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $7,572 Out of state: $24,799
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $7,798 Meal plan: $5,878	$13,079
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	68.0% Average amount $8,547	82.0% Average amount $7,112
Students receiving federal student loan	21.0% Average amount $4,719	29.0% Average amount $4,929
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $18,070	3.0% Average amount $15,435

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,587 Men 37.9% Women 62.1%	14,019 Men 42.6% Women 57.4%
Graduate students	784 Men 31.1% Women 68.9%	1,106 Men 36.4% Women 63.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	2.6%	N/A
International students	2.9%	1.0%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Small
Dormitory capacity	3,389	3,985
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	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Social Sciences Liberal Arts Biological and Biomedical Sciences Health Professions Business	Education Psychology Business Multidisciplinary Studies Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	20:1	17:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities

Outcome
Graduation rate	59.9%	67.7%
Dropout rate	30.5%	30.6%
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 and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,837 Year 2: $81,333 Year 3: $92,019 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $71,492 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $78,577 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $60,314 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $76,877 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,624 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $71,599 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,592 Year 2: $60,920 Year 3: $64,540 Industrial Production Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $60,325 Year 3: $64,302 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,243 Year 2: $49,572 Year 3: $60,999 Chemistry (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $34,788 Year 2: $37,748 Year 3: $58,090 Design and Applied Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $39,818 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $57,268 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $41,065 Year 2: $45,696 Year 3: $57,167

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Sonoma State

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