Facts

• 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 (5,000 students, 87.8% undergraduates)
• 59.2% female, 38.4% male, 1% nonbinary, 1% declines to state
• 1,500 residential students, primarily first-year and second-year
• Top majors (by number of students in a major):
  • Business
  • Psychology
  • Biology
  • Nursing
  • Early Childhood Education
• 70% of students receive some type of financial aid
• SSU awarded approximately $5.8 million in scholarships in 2024-25
• More than 1,700 students graduated in 2024-25
• 78 Degrees (bachelor’s, graduate, and credential)
  • 53 Bachelor’s degrees (B.A. & B.S.)
  • 21 Master’s degrees
  • 4 Credentials 

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:

• Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology
• American Chemical Society
• Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business
• California Commission on Teacher Credentialing
• Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and California Board of Registered Nursing
• Council for Accreditation of Counseling and Related Educational Programs
• Master's in Psychology and Counseling Accreditation Council
• National Association of Schools of Music
• National Association for Schools of Art and Design
• National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education
• National League for Nursing

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:  84,000+

Sonoma State University offers hundreds of lectures, workshops, exhibitions, performances, and community events each year that celebrate culture, creativity, and inclusion. As a proud Hispanic-Serving Institution, SSU advances equity and belonging through programs that bring together students, faculty, staff, and North Bay residents in shared learning and expression. From the University Art Gallery and the Green Music Center to the HUB Center, the campus provides welcoming spaces that uplift diverse voices, honor cultural heritage, and strengthen community connections across Sonoma State and beyond.

• 19 academic schools/departments
• 78 Degrees (bachelor’s, graduate, and credential)
  • 53 Bachelor’s degrees (B.A. & B.S.)
  • 21 Master’s degrees
  • 4 Credentials
• SSU offers one of the only Wine Business programs in the country.
• Majors, Minors, Graduate Programs, Credentials, and Certificates
• General Education

Satellite Centers

The Liberal Studies-Ukiah B.A. Program at Mendocino College offers face-to-face, hybrid and online courses taught by SSU faculty from departments across campus.

*Sonoma State University recognizes gender identification beyond the male/female binary, but does not identify some gender identification groups with fewer than 10 members.

Faculty data: Fall 2024

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

Presidents

Sonoma State University offers a vibrant residential campus where 58% of first-year students and 30% of all undergraduates choose to live on campus. Whether a first-year, transfer student, graduate, or returning student, a variety of housing options are available, including single, double, and triple occupancy rooms.

Sonoma State housing stands out with open, spacious living options, including suite-style, apartment-style, and townhome-style accommodations, all designed to foster social interaction, academic growth, and community engagement.

The University Library is a key partner in supporting student learning, success, and well-being. We work collaboratively across campus to promote discovery of and access to information, to help students achieve their educational goals, and to preserve and provide access to the research of the Sonoma State community and the cultural and social history of the North Bay.

The University Library provides more than just books. We offer opportunities to learn about how to find, use, and evaluate information, to engage with technology and creative tools in our Makerspace, and to be part of a scholarly community through events and activities. The library is housed in the Jean and Charles Schulz Information Center, which opened in August 2000.

Quick facts:

• Over 215,000 square feet spread over three floors
• An Automated Retrieval System with a 750,000-volume capacity
• Over 430,000 books in print and access to over 150 databases of journals, digital archival collections, newspapers, and eBooks.
• A robust Resource Sharing service that provides access to resources from across the entire CSU and beyond

Our librarians and staff provide support for research to students and faculty, as well as access to the tools students need to succeed, like laptops, digital media equipment, and technology-enhanced group study rooms. We are constantly evolving to adapt to changing student and faculty needs.

For more information about the library’s impact on teaching, learning, and research, explore our most recent impact report on the library website.

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

* Total includes all facilities, not just those listed above. 

Fall 2025

Student Fees

Visit the Registration and Fees page for a full overview of charges and fees per semester for each academic year.