Does Sonoma State pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Sonoma State employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.4 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Sonoma State. This rating has improved by 5% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Sonoma State?

79% of Sonoma State employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Sonoma State 3.9 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.7 for culture and values and 3.4 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Sonoma State?

Student Assistant (20) , Residential Advisor (5) , Adjunct Professor (4) , Lecturer (4) , Professor (3) , Usher (3) , Accountant (2) , Administrative Analyst (2) , Analyst (2) , Campus Tour Guide (2) , Coordinator (2) , Instructional Student Assistant (2) , Research Fellow (2) , Server/Waiter (2) , Student Research Assistant (2)

What are the pros of working at Sonoma State according to real employee reviews?

"Benefits are great but that’s for any CSU campus" ((in 19 reviews)); "Great people to work with." ((in 16 reviews)); "The campus is beautiful and the community here is even better." ((in 13 reviews)); "Very down to earth place to work overall, good staff /team." ((in 12 reviews)); "Good coworkers and fun job" ((in 8 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Sonoma State according to real employee reviews?

"Low pay; limited support / resources" ((in 21 reviews)); "Little to no room for growth, no performance based pay increase" ((in 3 reviews)); "Remote options are very limited, low pay, upper management rarely shows appreciation, staff is treated as less important than faculty, bad managers remain in power despite their failings, additional duties are constantly added to job duties without additional compensation, many staff work in cubicles instead of offices, very limited professional development and growth opportunities offered." ((in 3 reviews)); "Morale is low." ((in 3 reviews)); "The leadership is completely out of touch with reality and are living in a bubble of what is truly needed for students." ((in 2 reviews))

What are employees saying about Sonoma State layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Sonoma State layoffs and their outlook for job security at Sonoma State in 2026.

What are the top reviewed Sonoma State locations?

Rohnert Park , Sonoma , Santa Rosa , Sacramento , Lafayette , San Francisco , Bodega Bay , Petaluma , Tracy

Skip to content Skip to footer

Notifications

Sonoma State

Sonoma State reviews

3.9

79% would recommend to a friend

(245 total reviews)

Ruben Armiñana

52% approve of CEO

51% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.0

Diversity & inclusion

3.9

Work/Life balance

3.7

Culture & values

3.5

Senior management

3.4

Compensation and benefits

3.4

Career opportunities

Sonoma State has an employee rating of 3.9 out of 5 stars, based on 245 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Sonoma State employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

245 reviews

4.0

Aug 10, 2022

Great place to work; low salaries

Media production specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

SSU is a great place to work for benefits, work-life balance, on a beautiful campus with great people, but for many roles the salaries do not adequately cover Sonoma County cost of living.

Cons

Salaries are generally low, especially for Sonoma County.

3.0

Mar 11, 2022

Great Benefits Horrible Pay

Admissions counselor/diversity recruiter

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Working for CSU system, there's always great benefits such as: Free/discounted tuition, health/dental coverage and cost, and access to university amenities (ex. gym, CAPS, and events discounts!

Cons

Extremely over worked and extremely underpaid (especially during Fall admissions). I tried negotiating my salary, and was knocked down, even though I knew there were other making more on my team. I contributed an entirely new system for the university admissions process, and felt very little appreciation from it. At one point a higher up just took credit for my idea and work, and didn't even acknowledge me when presenting the slides I MADE. I love working with students, but the CSU system does not make it at all doable for folks living in this area. Management was all over the place, we went through multiple managers and none quite understood the nuts and bults of the job because they didn't stick around for long enough...

3.0

Mar 10, 2022

Not the best

Graduate teaching associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great support system from faculty Nice campus

Cons

Paid almost nothing Overworked, taken advantage of

Viewing 4 - 6 of 245 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

University of Michigan

3.9★Compensation & Benefits

University of Washington

3.5★Compensation & Benefits

NYU (New York University)

3.9★Compensation & Benefits

Stanford University

3.6★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at Sonoma State

Director of ITS Business Operations (Administrator II) - San Francisco Bay Region Network, Information Technology Services

Rohnert Park, CA

View job

ORSP Administrative Analyst, Administrative Analyst/Specialist, Non-Exempt, Part time, Hourly, Temporary

NAGPRA Administrative Specialist, Administrative Analyst/Specialist, Non-Exempt, Part time, Hourly, Temporary

Digital Media Coordinator, Media Production Specialist II, Temporary

Gardening Specialist, Short-term, Temporary