Is Sonoma State University worth it? What it costs, and what graduates earn
You would borrow a median $16,705 — about $190 a month for ten years. Graduates earn a median
$65,986 ten years after starting, so the debt clears in roughly
0.6 years of the salary premium.
B
Is it worth the money?
Yes — you clear the borrowing faster than at most US universities.
You borrow$16,705median federal debt at graduation
You repay$190/mostandard 10-year federal plan
You earn$65,986median, 10 years after entry · beats 75%
Debt clears in0.6 yrsranked 136 of 795
What that feels like each month
Repayment against the salary that has to cover it.
Gross monthly pay
$5,499
Loan repayment
$190
Share of your pay
3.5%
0%15% — the comfort line25%
Under roughly 15% of gross pay, repayment is generally considered manageable alongside rent and living costs.
Cut the debt before you borrow it
We do not list an award tied specifically to Sonoma State University yet — but national, country and subject
scholarships still apply to students heading there, and each one cuts the $16,705 above.
We may earn a commission if you take a loan through a provider listed here. It never changes the figures on
this page — the debt, salary and payback come from the US Department of Education, not from lenders.
How Sonoma State University compares
Against the 795 US universities we grade on payback.
The typical graded university clears its debt in 1.3 years
on median earnings of $57,089 against
$22,500 of debt.
Sonoma State University clears its debt faster than that, and its graduates earn $26,466 a year more than a US worker with only a high-school diploma.
How much do graduates of Sonoma State University earn?
Median earnings are $65,986 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled — from tax records, not a survey. That is higher than 75% of the US universities we hold figures for.
How much debt will I have at Sonoma State University?
The median graduate leaves with $16,705 of federal loans. On the standard ten-year plan that is about $190 a month — roughly 3.5% of the median graduate's monthly pay before tax.
How long does a degree from Sonoma State University take to pay for itself?
About 0.6 years of the salary premium — the amount graduates earn above the $39,520 a US worker with only a high-school diploma makes. That ranks it 136 of 795 US universities we grade on payback.
Can scholarships reduce this debt?
We do not currently list a scholarship tied specifically to Sonoma State University, but national and subject-based awards still apply — start from our scholarships listing.
Do these numbers apply to my subject?
No. The Department of Education publishes one figure per institution, so nursing, engineering and fine art students at Sonoma State University all sit inside the same median. Treat it as the size of the financial risk, not a salary forecast for your course.
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard — earnings and debt cover students who received federal
financial aid and blend every subject taught at the institution. Figures imported
28 Aug 2026.
This page is information, not financial advice.