Sonoma State University Rankings & Recognition

Sonoma State University appears in 13 of CollegesRef's value rankings by major. Its best placement is #1 of 379 for criminal justice, and #1 of 18 ranked colleges in California.

Sonoma State University rankings by major

Source: CollegesRef value rankings from U.S. College Scorecard data, 2025

Each ranking compares bachelor's programs in one field. A college's value score is the weighted average of four percentiles among the ranked colleges: graduate earnings, average net price, debt compared with earnings, and graduation rate. Percentiles here are 100 for the best figure in the field. How the rankings work

Criminal justice

Ranked #1 of 379 for value

Criminal Justice and Corrections · 64 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $66,892; Ranked-college median: $55,481
Median debt: $12,500; Ranked-college median: $21,500

Value score 87.1 of 100 · #1 of 18 in California

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 93th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 83th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 100th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 62th percentile

Average net price $10,759 (median $16,222) · graduation rate 55.3% · debt is 19% of earnings

Ranked just below: California State University-East Bay (#2)

Best colleges for criminal justice

Nursing

Ranked #10 of 686 for value

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · 62 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $143,886; Ranked-college median: $85,171
Median debt: $12,500; Ranked-college median: $20,938

Value score 88.6 of 100 · #8 of 33 in California

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 100th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 85th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 99th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 51th percentile

Average net price $10,759 (median $18,014) · graduation rate 55.3% · debt is 9% of earnings

Ranked just above: CUNY Lehman College (#9)
Ranked just below: University of Hawaii at Manoa (#11)

Best colleges for nursing

Kinesiology and exercise science

Ranked #14 of 459 for value

Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness · 97 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $67,351; Ranked-college median: $53,707
Median debt: $15,000; Ranked-college median: $21,500

Value score 86.3 of 100 · #1 of 28 in California

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 93th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 89th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 97th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 49th percentile

Average net price $10,759 (median $18,314) · graduation rate 55.3% · debt is 22% of earnings

Ranked just above: Indiana University-Bloomington (#13)
Ranked just below: University of Delaware (#15)

Best colleges for kinesiology and exercise science

Communications

Ranked #15 of 388 for value

Communication and Media Studies · 68 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $68,833; Ranked-college median: $56,130
Median debt: $14,000; Ranked-college median: $19,593

Value score 81.4 of 100 · #6 of 32 in California

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 88th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 87th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 95th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 38th percentile

Average net price $10,759 (median $17,285) · graduation rate 55.3% · debt is 20% of earnings

Ranked just above: California Polytechnic State University-San Luis Obispo (#14)
Ranked just below: Northeastern University (#16)

Best colleges for communications

Electrical engineering

Ranked #24 of 184 for value

Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering · 23 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $112,757; Ranked-college median: $99,787

Value score 74.3 of 100 · #9 of 20 in California

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 88th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 84th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 21th percentile

Average net price $10,759 (median $16,125) · graduation rate 55.3%

Ranked just above: Cornell University-New York (#23)
Ranked just below: California State Polytechnic University-Pomona (#25)

Best colleges for electrical engineering

Engineering

Ranked #33 of 327 for value

Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering · 23 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $112,757; Ranked-college median: $91,742

Value score 78.2 of 100 · #9 of 33 in California

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 92th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 89th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 23th percentile

Average net price $10,759 (median $17,499) · graduation rate 55.3%

Ranked just above: University of Maryland-College Park (#32)
Ranked just below: California State Polytechnic University-Pomona (#34)

Best colleges for engineering

Psychology

Ranked #37 of 814 for value

Psychology, General · 238 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $57,335; Ranked-college median: $51,007
Median debt: $13,553; Ranked-college median: $21,000

Value score 79.9 of 100 · #6 of 56 in California

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 81th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 88th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 95th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 42th percentile

Average net price $10,759 (median $18,874) · graduation rate 55.3% · debt is 24% of earnings

Ranked just above: William & Mary (#36)
Ranked just below: CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice (#38)

Best colleges for psychology

Business

Ranked #41 of 986 for value

Business Administration, Management and Operations · 337 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $75,887; Ranked-college median: $64,860
Median debt: $14,192; Ranked-college median: $21,375

Value score 80.8 of 100 · #6 of 50 in California

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 81th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 87th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 94th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 52th percentile

Average net price $10,759 (median $19,132) · graduation rate 55.3% · debt is 19% of earnings

Ranked just above: University of California-Riverside (#40)
Ranked just below: California State Polytechnic University-Pomona (#42)

Best colleges for business

Political science

Ranked #70 of 388 for value

Political Science and Government · 25 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $65,009; Ranked-college median: $63,181
Median debt: $11,125; Ranked-college median: $19,500

Value score 67.7 of 100 · #12 of 38 in California

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 59th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 89th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 93th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 21th percentile

Average net price $10,759 (median $18,238) · graduation rate 55.3% · debt is 17% of earnings

Ranked just above: Middlebury College (#69)
Ranked just below: New York University (#71)

Best colleges for political science

Computer science

Ranked #71 of 466 for value

Computer Science · 48 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $106,181; Ranked-college median: $97,375
Median debt: $12,500; Ranked-college median: $19,500

Value score 70.2 of 100 · #18 of 41 in California

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 65th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 85th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 89th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 36th percentile

Average net price $10,759 (median $16,804) · graduation rate 55.3% · debt is 12% of earnings

Ranked just above: Ohio State University (#70)
Ranked just below: Rutgers University-Camden (#72)

Best colleges for computer science

Economics

Ranked #84 of 243 for value

Economics · 26 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $83,668; Ranked-college median: $83,880

Value score 55.3 of 100 · #13 of 30 in California

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 50th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 91th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 12th percentile

Average net price $10,759 (median $21,142) · graduation rate 55.3%

Ranked just above: Boston University (#83)
Ranked just below: Carleton College (#85)

Best colleges for economics

Mathematics

Ranked #117 of 208 for value

Mathematics · 21 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $64,913; Ranked-college median: $71,273

Value score 45.6 of 100 · #17 of 27 in California

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 30th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 86th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 22th percentile

Average net price $10,759 (median $17,049) · graduation rate 55.3%

Ranked just above: University of Rhode Island (#116)
Ranked just below: Seattle University (#118)

Best colleges for mathematics

Biology

Ranked #189 of 680 for value

Biology, General · 86 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $56,345; Ranked-college median: $58,001
Median debt: $15,000; Ranked-college median: $20,717

Value score 61.7 of 100 · #29 of 44 in California

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 43th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 88th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 85th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 38th percentile

Average net price $10,759 (median $18,049) · graduation rate 55.3% · debt is 27% of earnings