The Sonoma State acceptance rate for Fall 2025 was 94.6%: the campus admitted 9,529 of 10,075 first-time freshman applicants, according to the CSU Institutional Research admissions dashboard. Only 424 of those admits enrolled, a 4.4% yield and the lowest in CSU and federal IPEDS records going back to 2001. Getting in is not the hard part; what changed is how many admitted students chose to come.
Federal data put the rate at a similar level one year earlier: NCES College Navigator lists a 93% Sonoma State University acceptance rate for Fall 2024. Sonoma State University (SSU) is a California State University campus in Rohnert Park. GPA minimums, test policy and Fall 2027 dates are in the table below.
Sonoma State in Brief
The table collects the headline numbers behind the SSU acceptance rate and the admission rules that matter most for a Fall 2027 application. Each row is explained in its own section below.
| Fact | Value |
|---|---|
| First-year acceptance rate, Fall 2025 (CSU) | 94.6% (9,529 of 10,075) |
| First-year acceptance rate, Fall 2024 (federal) | 93% |
| Minimum A-G GPA | 2.50 California residents, 3.00 non-residents |
| SAT and ACT | Not used in CSU admission |
| How to apply | Cal State Apply |
| Fall 2027 priority filing | August 1 to November 30, 2026 |
| Impacted first-year major | Pre-Nursing (BS) only |
| Transfer acceptance rate, Fall 2025 | 88.1% |
| Total headcount, Fall 2025 census | 5,000 |
| Graduation rate | 58% (Fall 2018 cohort, 150% time) |
| Tuition and fees, 2024-25 | $8,624 in-state, $21,224 out-of-state |
| Average net price, 2023-24 | $14,614 (students receiving grant or scholarship aid) |
| Location | Rohnert Park, CSU campus |
Source: CSU IR Applications & Admissions dashboard (Fall 2025); NCES College Navigator (Fall 2024; tuition 2024-25, net price 2023-24); admissions.sonoma.edu (accessed October 2026).
Sonoma State Acceptance Rate by Year, Fall 2021–2025
Between Fall 2021 and Fall 2025, Sonoma State admitted between 92.9% and 94.6% of first-time freshman applicants every year, according to CSU dashboard data. The admit rate barely moved. What collapsed was the number of admitted students who actually enrolled.
| Fall | Applied | Admitted | Rate | Enrolled | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 10,598 | 9,934 | 93.7% | 822 | 8.3% |
| 2022 | 10,866 | 10,158 | 93.5% | 967 | 9.5% |
| 2023 | 10,629 | 9,974 | 93.8% | 911 | 9.1% |
| 2024 | 11,310 | 10,507 | 92.9% | 873 | 8.3% |
| 2025 | 10,075 | 9,529 | 94.6% | 424 | 4.4% |
Source: CSU Institutional Research, Applications & Admissions dashboard (first-time freshmen, read October 17, 2026); yield calculated by CalChannel.
The Sonoma State acceptance rate 2025 figure of 94.6% is the highest in this five-year CSU series and within 0.1 point of the federal peak described in the next section. Admissions shrank only a little: 10,507 admits in Fall 2024 became 9,529 in Fall 2025, a 9.3% drop.
Enrolled freshmen fell from 873 to 424, a loss of 449 students or 51.4% in a single year.
That pushed yield down to 4.4%. Between Fall 2014 and Fall 2019, federal IPEDS data put Sonoma State’s yield between 11.3% and 16.2%, and no year since 2001 is as low as Fall 2025.
The longer federal series shows how far the freshman class has fallen. First-time freshman enrollment peaked at 1,893 in Fall 2015, so the Fall 2025 class of 424 is 77.6% smaller. Applications peaked at 16,487 in Fall 2016, and the 10,075 filed for Fall 2025 are 38.9% fewer.
How These Figures Were Compiled
CalChannel read the CSU Institutional Research Applications & Admissions dashboard on October 17, 2026, exporting first-time freshman counts for resident and non-resident applicants and checking that the two add up to the campus total. Acceptance rate here means admitted divided by applied. Yield means enrolled divided by admitted.
The federal series for Fall 2001 through Fall 2024 comes from IPEDS through the Urban Institute’s Education Data API (Sonoma State unit ID 123572). IPEDS has not yet published Fall 2025, so the 2025 row uses CSU data only.
For Fall 2021 through Fall 2024, admitted and enrolled counts are identical in the CSU and IPEDS data. That is why the two series can be read together, even though their applicant totals differ.
Why Do Sites Show 93%, 95% or 98%?
Each figure describes a different year or a different count of applicants, and two of them match no official data at all. The cal state sonoma acceptance rate shown on most college sites is 93%, the federal IPEDS rate for Fall 2024: 10,507 admits out of 11,246 applicants, or 93.4%. Niche, MeetYourClass, BigFuture, CollegeTuitionCompare and Data USA all show this number or a rounded version of it.
CSU counts the same Fall 2024 class differently. Its dashboard records 11,310 applications, so the identical admit count produces 92.9%. From Fall 2021 to Fall 2024, CSU’s applicant totals ran 0, 60, 100 and 64 higher than IPEDS, while admits and enrolled students matched exactly.
| Figure | Where you see it | Year and basis |
|---|---|---|
| 93% (93.4%) | Niche, MeetYourClass, BigFuture (93.42%), CollegeTuitionCompare (93.43%), Data USA | IPEDS Fall 2024, 10,507 of 11,246 |
| 94.7% | Data USA | IPEDS Fall 2023, 10,529 applicants (CSU counts 10,629, or 93.8%) |
| 95% (94.6%) | CSU sources | CSU Fall 2025, see the table above |
| 88.10% | CollegeTuitionCompare, “10-year average” | Simple mean of IPEDS Fall 2015 to 2024 is 88.07% (pooled: 87.12%) |
| 98% | US News | No year given; not supported by federal or CSU data |
| 98.4% | PrepScholar (Peterson’s) | No year given; not supported by federal or CSU data |
Source: NCES College Navigator (Fall 2024); IPEDS via Urban Institute API (Fall 2001–2024); CSU IR dashboard and CSU campus admissions page (Fall 2025); SSU SEM census report (October 2025).
The two highest numbers are the outliers. No IPEDS year from 2001 through 2024 reaches 97.5%, so 98% and 98.4% are not supported by federal or CSU data, and where they came from could not be established. A usable Sonoma State acceptance rate always carries a year and a source.
Three Official Counts of Fall 2025 Freshmen
Even the number of freshmen who enrolled in Fall 2025 depends on the source. The CSU campus admissions page reports 389 “applicants offered admissions who enrolled” (2025-26 census, data as of October 12, 2026). SSU’s own Strategic Enrollment Management census report from October 2025 counts 441 new first-time first-year students.
The dashboard count used above sits between the two. None of the three sources publishes the definition behind its number, so the gap cannot be explained from public data. On any of the three, yield lands between 4.1% and 4.6%.
Is Sonoma State Hard to Get Into?
For California residents, no; for non-residents, noticeably harder. In Fall 2025, Sonoma State admitted 95.7% of California resident freshman applicants (9,084 of 9,491) but 76.2% of non-residents (445 of 584), a gap of 19.5 percentage points, per the CSU dashboard. CSU’s non-resident category includes international applicants.
| Fall | CA residents admitted | Non-residents admitted |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 94.6% | 81.0% |
| 2022 | 94.6% | 77.0% |
| 2023 | 94.9% | 74.8% |
| 2024 | 94.1% | 72.5% |
| 2025 | 95.7% | 76.2% |
Source: CSU IR Applications & Admissions dashboard, first-time freshmen by residency, Fall 2021–2025.
And it gets more complicated. Over Fall 2021 to 2025, non-residents made up 5.8% of freshman applicants but 21.8% of everyone who was not admitted. Of 3,113 non-resident applications in those five years, 735 (23.6%) were not admitted, compared with 2,641 of 50,365 California applications (5.2%).
In practice, about 19 of every 20 California applicants get an offer, against roughly 3 of every 4 non-residents. Non-residents also face the higher GPA floor covered in the next section.
What GPA Do You Need to Get Into Sonoma State?
You need at least a 2.50 A-G GPA as a California resident, or a 3.00 as a non-resident, to be eligible for a non-impacted major, according to the current SSU Multi Factor Score page, accessed October 2026. Applicants a little below those floors are not automatically turned away; they are ranked by a Multi-Factor Score.
The GPA is calculated from A-G courses taken in 10th through 12th grade. You also need 15 year-long high school courses completed with a C or higher, and applications go through Cal State Apply.
Sonoma State GPA Requirements by Residency
| Applicant | Eligible | Ranked by Multi-Factor Score |
|---|---|---|
| California resident | A-G GPA 2.50 or higher | A-G GPA 2.00 to 2.49 |
| Non-resident | A-G GPA 3.00 or higher | A-G GPA 2.50 to 2.99 |
Source: Sonoma State Admissions, First-Time First-Year Multi Factor Score page (accessed October 2026).
For the Sonoma State average GPA, the CSU campus admissions page lists 3.532 for admitted students and 3.496 for all applicants. Those averages come from census data for the previous year, which, for the 2025-26 page, points to students who entered in Fall 2024.
How the Multi-Factor Score Works
But the real question is this: what happens if your GPA falls just under the line? SSU then ranks you with a point score built from the parts below. For non-impacted majors, SSU uses the score only for applicants below the minimum GPA; applicants to an impacted major such as Pre-Nursing are ranked by it as well.
- A-G GPA multiplied by 800, worth 1,600 to 3,360 points
- 100 points for each A-G semester beyond 30, up to 700
- 300 points if your high school is a free or reduced-price lunch school
- 200 points each for six attributes: an application fee waiver, an AVID or MESA-type program, youth services, military service, work of more than 15 hours a week, and first-generation status
- A local-area bonus, covered in the application section below
SAT and ACT
SAT and ACT scores are not used. The CSU Board of Trustees permanently discontinued the SAT and ACT for admission on March 23, 2022, as reported by the San José State newsroom, and the decision covers every CSU campus. So there is no test score range to aim for at Sonoma State.
Sonoma State Nursing Acceptance Rate: Two Steps, Not One
There is no single Sonoma State nursing program acceptance rate, because nursing takes two separate admissions steps. First you are admitted to the Pre-Nursing major, and later you apply, competitively, to the pre-licensure program. The second step is far tighter than the first.
Pre-Nursing (BS) is the only impacted first-year major at Sonoma State for Fall 2026 through Spring 2028, per SSU’s impacted majors page. First-year applicants need an A-G GPA of at least 3.50 (10th to 12th grade), a CSU Multi Factor Score of 4074, and a B in one year each of biology and chemistry with lab.
Applicants are ranked by Multi Factor Score and/or GPA, and a supplemental questionnaire may be required. Applicants from the local service area get a 0.20 GPA bump for this major.
| Step | Who applies | Bar | Published numbers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Pre-Nursing (BS), first year | High school applicants | A-G GPA 3.50, MFS 4074, B in biology and chemistry with lab | About 50 admits a year |
| 2. Pre-licensure program | Any student who completes the prerequisites | Competitive; pre-nursing students get 5 points | 24 seats each fall, over 400 applications |
| Transfer pre-licensure (BS Nursing) | Transfer students | GPA 3.00 plus five prerequisite courses with a B or better | No seat count published |
Source: SSU Impacted & Additional Criteria Majors (Fall 2026–2028); SSU University Advising nursing handout (September 2024); SRJC–SSU Nursing Advisory Committee minutes (November 2024, November 2025).
SSU admits approximately 50 pre-nursing students each year, according to a University Advising nursing handout from September 2024. The same handout says 24 students are accepted into the pre-licensure program each fall and that SSU receives over 400 applications each year for those seats.
That works out to roughly 6% or less of pre-licensure applications, per SSU figures published in 2024. It is not a first-year acceptance rate: any student who finishes the pre-nursing prerequisites can apply for those seats, and pre-nursing students get 5 points on their application but are “not guaranteed a spot.”
The pre-nursing class alone, at about 50 students a year, is roughly twice the number of pre-licensure seats. That is why the second step, not the first, is where most of the competition sits.
Transfer students apply to the BS Nursing pre-licensure program with a 3.00 GPA and a B or better in CHEM 105, BIO 220, BIO 224, BIO 240 and MATH 165, plus GE areas A1, A2 and A3. A supplemental departmental application is required, and local applicants get priority.
Seat counts may change. Minutes of the SRJC–SSU Nursing Advisory Committee from November 18, 2024 record that “24 students are admitted each admissions cycle; however, we hope to increase to 32.” A director’s report to the same committee on November 3, 2025 says the state legislature “dedicated $16 million for growth” and that the program has been “mandated to double,” without a date or a new seat count.
That report also noted “a slight decrease in overall applications, but not impacting program.” Confirm the current NursingCAS deadline with the Nursing department before applying, and note that SSU’s deadlines page says nursing programs do not accept applications in the spring.
How to Get Into Sonoma State
Applying to Sonoma State comes down to three things: the filing window, whether you live or study in the local area, and, for transfers, the unit and course requirements.
Fall 2027 and Spring 2027 Application Timeline
SSU’s application deadlines page, read on October 17, 2026, lists these windows:
- Fall 2027: application submission begins on October 1, 2026, and undergraduate priority filing runs from August 1 to November 30, 2026.
- Fall 2027 general, extended and late filing periods are listed as “Not Available.”
- Fall 2027 international applicants: August 1, 2026 to April 30, 2027.
- Spring 2027 priority filing: July 1 to August 31, 2026; general filing: September 1 to October 15, 2026.
- Spring 2027 extended filing: October 16 to November 30, 2026, which is the window open as of October 17, 2026.
- Spring 2027 international applicants: July 1 to September 30, 2026.
According to the CSU campus admissions page, admission notifications begin in late October. Admitted students submit an intent to register by May 1 for fall or November 1 for spring, with a $50 deposit and a $105 orientation fee.
The application fee was $70 for 2024-25, per College Navigator; check Cal State Apply for the Fall 2027 amount. Nursing follows its own rules, covered in the nursing section above.
Local Applicants and Guaranteed Admission
Sonoma State’s local admission area covers six counties: Sonoma, Napa, Marin, Lake, Solano and Mendocino. Applicants from these counties get 300 extra Multi-Factor Score points for non-impacted majors, but the bonus does not lower the GPA minimums covered above.
Separately, SSU offers guaranteed admission to students at partner schools, districts and colleges. A high school student at a partner qualifies by meeting three conditions:
- Maintain a minimum 2.5 GPA
- Be on track to earn a C or higher in all A-G subject areas
- Be on track to graduate
As of October 17, 2026, the guaranteed admissions page lists 20 partners: American River College, Calistoga USD, Cotati-Rohnert Park USD, Kelseyville USD, Lincoln USD (Stockton), Marin CCD, Marin County Office of Education, Mendocino-Lake CCD, Napa Valley College, Napa Valley USD, Petaluma City Schools, Rancho Cotate High School, Santa Rosa City Schools, Santa Rosa Junior College, St. Helena USD, Solano CCD, Upper Lake USD, Vallejo City USD, Visalia USD and Windsor USD. The guarantee applies only to students at these partners who meet the criteria.
SSU’s enrollment plan from September 2025 counted partnerships with “seven local high school districts representing 24 high schools.” Its Fall 2025 census report lists “Ten agreements since 2022-24” and “Six signed + ten in-progress.” SSU does not publish how many of its freshmen come from the local area or from partner schools.
Sonoma State Transfer Acceptance Rate
Transfer admission has opened up over five years. CSU dashboard data show Sonoma State admitted 88.1% of undergraduate transfer applicants for Fall 2025 (3,244 of 3,682), up from 66.8% in Fall 2021.
| Fall | Applied | Admitted | Rate | Enrolled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 4,762 | 3,183 | 66.8% | 883 |
| 2022 | 4,220 | 3,125 | 74.1% | 736 |
| 2023 | 3,677 | 2,593 | 70.5% | 744 |
| 2024 | 3,884 | 3,261 | 84.0% | 790 |
| 2025 | 3,682 | 3,244 | 88.1% | 672 |
Source: CSU IR Applications & Admissions dashboard, undergraduate transfers, Fall 2021–2025.
In Fall 2025, Sonoma State enrolled 1.58 new transfers for every new first-time freshman. These rates come only from the CSU dashboard and cover all transfer applicants; SSU does not publish its own transfer acceptance rate, and IPEDS does not report one.
To apply, you need at least 60 transferable semester units (90 quarter units), a GPA of 2.0 or higher in all transferable units, and the Golden Four courses with a C- or higher. Priority goes to students from the same six-county local area, and an Associate Degree for Transfer brings guaranteed junior standing.
Community college students at partner colleges can also use the guaranteed admission program. It applies the same standards and requires 30 of the 60 units to be in general education.
Enrollment and Graduation
Sonoma State is a small campus that has been shrinking. The table pulls together the most recent official counts, each with its own term and source.
| Measure | Value | Term | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total enrollment | 5,891 | Fall 2024 | NCES College Navigator |
| Census headcount | 5,000 (budgeted goal 4,875) | Fall 2025 | SSU SEM census report |
| Headcount | 5,172 (goal 5,000) | Spring 2026 | SSU SEM report |
| Graduation rate | 58% | Students who began in Fall 2018 | NCES College Navigator |
| Change in enrollment since 2015 | Down 38% | Reported January 22, 2025 | SSU News |
Source: NCES College Navigator (Fall 2024); SSU Strategic Enrollment Management reports (September 2025, October 2025, Spring 2026); SSU News (January 2025).
The graduation rate covers full-time, first-time students who began their studies in Fall 2018 and finished within 150% of normal time. The 38% figure is SSU’s own statement about total enrollment.
Sonoma State explains the recent decline in its own words. Its Strategic Enrollment Management Plan, updated as of September 5, 2025, says that “In 2024-25, Sonoma State halted the extreme enrollment drops,” and that “The 2025-26 budget crisis and associated cuts, however, drastically impacted the University’s ability” to keep growing enrollment.
The same plan says the university “again experienced a substantial enrollment reduction for fall 2025.” It does not say how much of that reduction came from the cuts, and it gives no yield figure for admitted students.
Should Sonoma State Be on Your List?
The Sonoma State acceptance rate is high, but among the six CSU campuses compared below for Fall 2025 it is not the highest, and its yield is the lowest of the group.
| Campus | Rate | Non-resident rate | Yield | Enrolled vs Fall 2024 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sonoma State | 94.6% | 76.2% | 4.4% | -51.4% |
| SF State | 90.3% | 76.2% | 8.2% | -11.2% |
| Chico State | 91.1% | 75.9% | 9.9% | -7.1% |
| Cal Poly Humboldt | 93.6% | 85.0% | 6.3% | -2.0% |
| Sacramento State | 93.6% | 84.2% | 15.2% | -6.1% |
| CSU Monterey Bay | 96.8% | 87.5% | 9.2% | -11.2% |
Source: CSU IR Applications & Admissions dashboard, first-time freshmen, Fall 2025 (read October 17, 2026).
CSU Monterey Bay admitted a larger share of its freshman applicants than Sonoma State did. For non-residents, Sonoma State, SF State and Chico State sit at about the same level, near 76%.
Our take: If you are a California resident with a GPA above the minimum, getting into Sonoma State is not the risk. The real decision is whether the campus and your program fit, and for nursing that means planning for the second, much tighter step. Non-residents should keep backup options on the list.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Sonoma State closing?
No official statement about closing Sonoma State was found in SSU or CSU sources, and SSU lists open application windows for Spring 2027 and Fall 2027. On January 22, 2025, SSU announced steps to address “a projected $23.9-million budget deficit in 2025-26,” including 23 degree programs identified for elimination, six departments slated for closure and a plan to end its NCAA Division II athletics. On July 27, 2026, SSU News reported that the Geology BS, Physics BS and History MA had been restored and that “10 Division II sports will compete in the California Collegiate Athletic Conference in 2027-28.” CalChannel does not forecast the university’s future; these are the documents SSU has published.
Does Sonoma State require SAT or ACT scores?
No. Sonoma State does not use SAT or ACT scores in admission decisions. The CSU system dropped both tests permanently in 2022, and the rule applies to every Cal State campus. Your A-G GPA and completed A-G courses are what the application relies on.
What is the CSU Sonoma acceptance rate for out-of-state students?
For Fall 2025, Sonoma State admitted 76.2% of non-resident first-time freshman applicants, according to the CSU dashboard. That category includes international applicants as well as students from other states. The rate is clearly lower than the one for California residents. Non-residents also face a higher minimum GPA, explained in the GPA section above.
Does Sonoma State have a nursing program?
Yes. Sonoma State offers nursing through the impacted Pre-Nursing (BS) major and a BS Nursing pre-licensure program that transfers can also apply to. The pre-licensure program accepted 24 students each fall, according to SSU figures published in 2024. Admission to Pre-Nursing does not guarantee one of those seats, so plan for a second competitive application.
When is the Fall 2027 application deadline for Sonoma State?
Priority filing for Fall 2027 closes on November 30, 2026, per SSU’s application deadlines page. SSU lists no general, extended or late filing period for undergraduate Fall 2027 applicants. That makes the priority deadline the one that matters. International applicants have a longer window, listed in the timeline above.
What is the easiest Cal State to get into near Sonoma?
Among the six campuses compared above, CSU Monterey Bay had the highest Fall 2025 freshman admit rate. It admitted 96.8% of applicants. Sonoma State was not far behind. For non-residents, the gaps between campuses are wider, as the table shows.
Sources
- CSU Institutional Research, Applications & Admissions dashboard (read October 17, 2026)
- NCES College Navigator, Sonoma State University (Fall 2024)
- Sonoma State University, Strategic Enrollment Management Plan, Fall 2025 Update (as of September 5, 2025)
- Sonoma State Admissions, Impacted & Additional Criteria Majors
- Sonoma State Admissions, Application Deadlines
- SSU University Advising, Navigating Pre-Nursing & Nursing Majors (September 2024)
