Match #1
California State University-San Marcos
San Marcos, CA
Profile closeness86/100
Admit rate95%
- 14,877 students
- Public
- Suburb: Large
- Graduation rate 55%, close to 55%
- Average net price $10,939, close to $10,759
The colleges most similar to Sonoma State University are California State University-San Marcos, California State University-Chico, and California State University-Sacramento. Sonoma State University admits 93% of applicants and has an average net price of $10,759 a year; 6 of its 10 alternatives cost less and 6 admit a larger share of applicants, in the CollegesRef 2026–27 edition.
Profile closeness (0–100) compares graduation rate, size, admit rate, net price, Carnegie class, and control with Sonoma State University. The order also uses CollegesRef matching tiers, so a later match can score higher. Admit-rate bars use a 0–100% scale.
Top 10 alternatives to Sonoma State University
Row-wise results ranked by similarity. No curated AI list exists for this school.
Match #2
California State University-Chico
Chico, CA
Profile closeness81/100
Admit rate93%
- 13,631 students
- Public
- City: Midsize
- Graduation rate 60%, close to 55%
- Acceptance rate 93%, close to 93%
Match #3
California State University-Sacramento
Sacramento, CA
Profile closeness78/100
Admit rate94%
- 28,350 students
- Public
- City: Large
- Graduation rate 54%, close to 55%
- Acceptance rate 94%, close to 93%
Match #4
California State University-Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA
Profile closeness74/100
Admit rate91%
- 19,562 students
- Public
- City: Large
- Graduation rate 55%, close to 55%
- Acceptance rate 91%, close to 93%
Match #5
San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA
Profile closeness74/100
Admit rate96%
- 18,639 students
- Public
- City: Large
- Graduation rate 50%, close to 55%
- Acceptance rate 96%, close to 93%
Match #6
California State University-San Bernardino
San Bernardino, CA
Profile closeness74/100
Admit rate94%
- 15,023 students
- Public
- City: Midsize
- Graduation rate 53%, close to 55%
- Acceptance rate 94%, close to 93%
Match #7
California State University-Northridge CSUN
Northridge, CA
Profile closeness72/100
Admit rate93%
- 32,691 students
- Public
- City: Large
- Graduation rate 57%, close to 55%
- Acceptance rate 93%, close to 93%
Match #8
California State University-Fresno
Fresno, CA
Profile closeness70/100
Admit rate95%
- 21,605 students
- Public
- City: Large
- Graduation rate 58%, close to 55%
- Acceptance rate 95%, close to 93%
Match #9
California State Polytechnic University-Pomona
Pomona, CA
Profile closeness65/100
Admit rate75%
- 25,042 students
- Public
- Suburb: Large
- Average net price $9,404, close to $10,759
- Same Carnegie classification
Match #10
San Jose State University
San Jose, CA
Profile closeness64/100
Admit rate85%
- 27,601 students
- Public
- City: Large
- Acceptance rate 85%, close to 93%
- Same Carnegie classification
Questions about Sonoma State University alternatives
What colleges are similar to Sonoma State University?
The closest matches to Sonoma State University are California State University-San Marcos, California State University-Chico, California State University-Sacramento, California State University-Los Angeles, and San Francisco State University. CollegesRef ranks them on admissions, cost, graduation rate, size, and campus profile using IPEDS and College Scorecard data.
Is Sonoma State University hard to get into?
Sonoma State University admitted 93% of its 10,598 applicants in the CollegesRef 2026–27 edition, so it is not very selective: it admits most applicants. 6 of its 10 closest alternatives admit a larger share of applicants.
Which Sonoma State University alternatives cost less?
6 of the 10 closest alternatives have a lower average net price than Sonoma State University ($10,759 a year), including California State University-Los Angeles ($2,385), California State University-San Bernardino ($3,946), and California State University-Fresno ($5,418). Net price is what first-time, full-time students paid after grants; your own price depends on family income.
