Rohnert Park highlight
Sonoma State University
Founded in 1961 as part of the California State University system, Sonoma State University serves about 5,000 students from its campus in Rohnert Park.
Sonoma State University was established in 1961 when Governor Edmund G. Brown signed Senate Bill 43, making it part of the California State University system. The 269-acre campus sits in Rohnert Park at the foot of the Sonoma Mountains, with views over the wine-growing regions of Sonoma County. Today it enrolls approximately 5,000 students (87.8% undergraduate and 12.2% graduate), making it one of the most significant employers and educational institutions in the region.
The university offers degree programs across engineering, business, sciences, humanities and social sciences. Students come from throughout California and beyond; many live in the surrounding Rohnert Park area during their studies, and many stay in the region after graduation to work for local employers drawn by the university's talent pipeline and the broader Sonoma County economy.
For families with college-bound children, the presence of Sonoma State means a strong local university option that fits both academics and household budgets. Life insurance that covers the working years until those children finish school and become independent is part of the same planning.