Sonoma State once again named one of America’s ‘Best Value Colleges’

May 1, 2019
Sonoma State is one of Forbes Best Value Colleges

(Rohnert Park) — For the fourth year in a row, Sonoma State University has been named one of Forbes Magazine's 300 “Best Value Colleges” in the country.

Forbes creates its list by collecting and analyzing data from 645 colleges and universities across all 50 states. Schools are evaluated on a number of criteria including quality of academics, tuition and overall cost, student debt after graduation and how accessible the campus is for low-income students.

Colleges also are ranked based on the percentage of students who graduate within four years — or two years for transfer students — and the earnings of their alumni.

Out of the 300 campuses included among the “Best Value Colleges,” Sonoma State ranked No. 179, up nine spots from where it was listed in 2018. SSU finished ahead of such public universities as Auburn University and University of Texas and such private schools as Whitman College and Santa Clara University.

“We are honored to be recognized once again as a university that not only offers high-quality programs but does so in a way that is accessible and affordable to many students,” said Sonoma State President Judy K. Sakaki. “We’re particularly pleased to see that our university moved up nine spots from just a year ago. That’s a significant jump in just 12 months.”

Forbes used financial data provided by the Department of Education's’ College Scorecard and PayScale to determine debt and mid-career alumni earnings.

Sonoma State also was recently ranked by News & World Report as one of the top public universities in the West. Money magazine also recently ranked SSU as No. 12 in its list of “Best Colleges for Transfer Students.”

ABOUT US: With a student population of 9,300, Sonoma State is a regionally serving public university committed to educational access and excellence. Guided by our core values and driven by a commitment to the liberal arts and sciences, Sonoma State delivers high-quality education through innovative programs that leverage the economic, cultural and natural resources of the North Bay. See more news from SSU at http://news.sonoma.edu/ 

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Nate Galvan