Below you will discover Sonoma State University through the lens of a variety of facts and statistics.
- Interim President: Dr. Emily F. Cutrer
- Founded: 1961
- Mascot: Seawolves
- Campus size: 269 acres
- Motto: "Lux Mentis, Lux Orbis" (Light of the Mind, Light of the World)
- Accreditation: Western Association of Schools and Colleges
- Member: Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges
- Endowment = $65.2 million
- Mid-size campus (5,867 students, 90.5% undergraduates)
- 62% female to 38% male (Sonoma State University recognizes gender identification beyond the male/female binary, but does not release data for groups with fewer than 10 members)
- 3,384 residential students, primarily freshmen and sophomores
- Top majors (by number of students in a major):
- Business Administration
- Psychology
- Biology
- Nursing
- Kinesiology
- 64% of students receive some type of financial aid
- SSU awards approximately $2.9 million in scholarships per year
- More than 2,049 students graduated in 2022-23
- 68 bachelor's degree programs (counting undergraduate majors with both BA/BS options)
- 31 master's degree programs (counting master’s degrees with multiple tracks, i.e.: Counseling, Business MBA)
- 6 credential programs
- 41 certificate programs (counting all certificate programs that have both undergraduate and postbaccalaureate programs (i.e.: Paralegal, Conflict Resolution, Gerontology)
The WASC Senior College and University Commission fully accredited Sonoma State University.
The University is also a member of the prestigious Council of Public Liberal Arts and Colleges, an association of public colleges and universities whose primary mission is ensuring that fine undergraduate liberal arts and sciences education is available to students in the public systems of higher education. SSU is the only California member of COPLAC.
In addition, individual program accreditations have been granted by:
American Chemical Society
Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
National Association of Schools of Music
National League for Nursing
National Association for Schools of Art and Design
Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
California Commission on Teacher Credentialing
National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
The SSU Alumni Association is a non-profit corporation designed to support and further the development of SSU. The Association's mission is to provide service to Sonoma State University alumni as well as encourage and enhance their life-long relationship with the university. The Association sponsors alumni programs and events and provides student scholarships. Membership is open to graduates, former students, and friends of SSU.
Total Number of SSU Alumni: 80,000+
Sonoma State University Athletics is an NCAA Division II member and part of the California Collegiate Athletic Association. SSU has 11 sponsored sports in the CCAA.
Sonoma State athletics got its start in 1964 with the school's first men's basketball team. Through the years, the Seawolves have had much success including national championships in 1990 (women's soccer), 2002 (men's soccer), and 2009 (men's golf).
Each year, SSU sponsors hundreds of seminars, workshops, lectures, conferences, exhibits, and other public programs. In addition, thousands of North Bay residents attend public performances on campus each year, produced or sponsored by the Department of Music and the Department of Theatre Arts and Dance. The University Art Gallery and University Library Gallery are major attractions for local artists, hosting numerous exhibits each year. Additionally, the world-class Green Music Center brings culturally significant artists, lecturers, and workshops to North Bay residents and students each year.
- 43 academic departments
- 68 major degree programs bachelor's level
(counting undergraduate majors with both BA/BS options) - 56 minors
- 31 master's degrees
(counting master’s degrees with multiple tracks, i.e.: Counseling, Business MBA) - 6 credential programs
(Credential Subplans include Multiple Subject, Single Subject, Administrative Services, Special Education (Mild/Moderate, Moderate/Severe), Autism Spectrum Disorders) - 41 certificate programs
- SSU offers one of the only Wine Business programs in the country.
- Majors, Minors, Graduate Programs, Credentials, and Certificates
- General Education
Satellite Centers
SSU offers upper-division BA degree completion programs in Liberal Studies at the Mendocino College campus in Ukiah; the Napa Valley College campus; and the Solano Community College campus in Vallejo.
Extended Education provides access to Sonoma State University’s intellectual, cultural, and educational resources to the community and to international students. In addition to summer and winter intersessions, which provide general education and major courses for earlier graduation, the school offers a variety of coursework for professional development and licensure, along with degree programs designed for working adults. Among its community-based programs are the summer youth enrichment program EXCEL, and the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute for older adults (with classes at SSU, Oakmont and Healdsburg). International students can acquire the English language skills they need for business or academics at the Sonoma State American Language Institute.
Employee Type | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Faculty | 480 | 40.5% |
Staff | 706 | 59.5% |
Total | 1,186 | 100% |
Type of Instructor | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Permanent | 233 | 48.5% |
Temporary | 247 | 51.5% |
Faculty | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Male | 216 | 45% |
Female | 264 | 55% |
Total | 564 |
100%* |
*Sonoma State University recognizes gender identification beyond the male/female binary, but does not identify some gender identification groups with fewer than 10 members.
Ethnic Group | Number | Percentage |
---|---|---|
American Indian/Alaskan Native |
1 | 0.2% |
Asian | 35 | 7.3% |
Black/African American | 4 | 0.8% |
Foreign resident | 8 | 1.7% |
Latinx/Hispanic | 40 | 8.3% |
Multiracial | 10 | 2.1% |
Unknown | 84 | 17.5% |
White | 298 | 62.1% |
Total | 480 | 100% |
Faculty data: December 2021
Operating Budget | Amount | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Tuition and Student Fees | $30.5 million | 22% |
State Tax Allocation | $91.0 million | 66% |
Cost Recovery | $15.6 million | 11% |
Expenses (by Division) | ||
Academic Affairs | $44.7 million | 32% |
University-wide | $55.8 million | 41% |
Administration & Finance | $23.6 million | 17% |
Student Affairs | $6.1 million | 4% |
Strategic Enrollment Management | $2.6 million | 2% |
President's Office | $2.4 million | 2% |
University Advancement | $1.5 million | 1% |
Green Music Center | $1.1 million | 1% |
Founded
Sonoma State College was founded in 1961 when Governor Edmund G. Brown signed Senate Bill 43 establishing the college as a member of the California State College system. The college opened in temporary quarters in 1961 under the leadership of founding president Ambrose R. Nichols, Jr. with an enrollment of 265 upper-division students. Most of the faculty and administrators of the Santa Rosa Center of San Francisco State College, which had served the region since 1956, joined the new college. Sonoma State College moved to its present 269-acre site in 1966 when its first two buildings, Stevenson and Darwin Halls, were completed. By then there were more than 1,000 students enrolled. In 1978, University status was granted and the name of the college was changed to Sonoma State University.
University Milestones
Year | Event |
---|---|
1961 | SSU Becomes part of the California State College system (now the California State University) |
1962 | First bachelor of arts degree (elementary education) |
1962 | First four-year program offered |
May 1966 | First graduating class |
1966 | First master's degree offered (biology, psychology) |
1978 | University status attained |
1999 | SSU invited to join the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges as sole member from California |
2000 | The Jean & Charles Schulz Information Center is built |
2001 | The Lifelong Learning Institute for students over the age of 50 is founded. The Osher Foundation gave a large gift which resulted in the name change to the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute. |
2004 | The University is gifted its first Endowed Chair. The $1.5 million gift came from the Federated Indians of Graton Rancheria to fund a teaching position in Native American Studies. |
2005 | Renovation of Darwin Hall, the University's second original building, begins |
2005 | The University is gifted a 3,500 acre nature preserve northwest of Cloverdale, CA, called the Galbreath Wildlands Preserve |
2005 | The newly-constructed Recreation Center receives the Outstanding Sports Facilities Award by the National Intramural Recreational Sports Association for its functional use of space and incorporation of sustainable building techniques. |
2006 | Darwin Hall re-opens as a 21st century science building |
2006 | Construction of the Donald & Maureen Green Music Center begins |
2007 | Green Music Center construction is moving along quickly |
2008 | Work on Tuscany Village, the newest phase of housing, begins |
2008 | Music Education Hall in the Green Music Center complex opens |
2011 | Sonoma State celebrates 50th Anniversary |
2012 | Green Music Center opens |
2013 | Student Center opens |
Presidents
President | Dates |
---|---|
Ambrose R. Nichols. Jr. | 1961-1970 |
Thomas H. McGrath | 1971-1974 |
Marjorie Downing Wagner | 1974-1976 |
Peter Diamandopoulos | 1977-1983 |
David W. Benson | 1984-1992 |
Ruben Armiñana | 1992-2016 |
Judy K. Sakaki | 2016-2022 |
Ming-Tung "Mike" Lee | 2022-24 |
Emily F. Cutrer | Interim President, 2024- |
Sonoma State is a residential campus, with 90 percent of the first-year class and 37 percent of all undergraduate students choosing to live on campus. Nationally recognized in the Princeton Review for “Dorms Like Palaces,” SSU’s housing goes above and beyond the typical dorm experience by providing suite-style living within six residential villages, totaling 3,100 units. All suites and apartments are fully furnished and carpeted with their living rooms and bathrooms, and all apartments have their kitchens and provide wireless connectivity to the University's computer network.
Holdings
The library has a collection of more than 670,000 volumes, with 8,000 new titles added each year. Current periodical subscriptions number over 35,000 (in both print and electronic formats).
Specialized Collections
- North Bay Regional Collection
- Extensive children’s book collection
- Wine business resources
- Jack London collection including first editions, letters, and original serialized stories
Services
- Instruction
- Research assistance
- Innovative study spaces
- Extensive computing resources
Circulation
Roughly 275,000 items each year.
Visits
There were more than 630,000 visits by students, faculty, staff, and community users in 2012.
Electronic Resources
From the library web site, students, faculty, and staff have access to the library catalog, more than 160 databases covering all academic subject areas, and a continuously increasing number of full-text journal articles.
Size and Location
269 acres, located in Rohnert Park at the foot of the Sonoma Mountains. The campus is an hour’s drive north of San Francisco and centrally located between the Pacific Ocean to the west and the wine country to the north and east.
Buildings and Facilities
Facility Name | Square Feet |
---|---|
Stevenson Hall | 130,160 |
Darwin Hall | 111,821 |
Field House | 15,826 |
Ives Hall | 48,510 |
Gymnasium Building | 65,985 |
Ruben Salazar Hall | 116,186 |
Rachel Carson Hall | 20,000 |
Nichols Hall | 30,700 |
Residential Halls | 684,560 |
Commons | 18,500 |
International Hall | 17,600 |
Art Building | 46,604 |
Evert B. Person Theatre | 20,655 |
Schulz Information Center | 215,500 |
Recreation Center | 53,442 |
Environmental Technology Center | 3,120 |
Student Center | 130,065 |
Total * | 1,848,059 |
* Total includes all facilities, not just those listed above.
Fall 2023
Students | Number | Percent |
---|---|---|
Undergraduate | 5,307 | 90.5% |
Postbaccalaureate/Graduate | 560 | 9.5% |
Total | 5,867 | 100% |
Students | Number | Percent |
---|---|---|
Female | 3,638 | 62% |
Male | 2,229 | 38% |
Ethnicity | Percent |
---|---|
American Indian/Alaskan Native | 0.3% |
Asian | 5.3% |
Black/African American | 2.6% |
Latinx/Hispanic | 40.6% |
Multiracial | 5.5% |
Pacific Islander | 0.4% |
Unknown | 3.7% |
White | 41.6% |
Total | 100% |
Location | Number | Percent |
---|---|---|
California | 5,728 | 97.6% |
Out of State | 89 | 1.5% |
International | 42 | 0.7% |
Student Type | Age |
---|---|
Undergraduate | 22 |
Graduate | 32 |
All Students | 23 |
School | Number | Percent |
---|---|---|
Arts & Humanities | 376 | 18.3% |
Business & Economics | 407 | 19.9% |
Education | 115 | 5.6% |
Science & Technology | 416 | 20.3% |
Social Sciences | 717 | 35% |
Academic programs & university-wide | 18 | 0.9% |
Total | 2,049 | 100% |
Student Fees
Visit the Registration and Fees page for a full overview of charges and fees per semester for each academic year.