Health Insurance
Medical care in the U.S. is very expensive! International students are required to show proof of full coverage health insurance to cover major medical expenses. SSALI requires that you purchase the health insurance policy, designed for CSU students, which is available through a direct arrangement between the student and the private insurance company before registering for classes. SSALI staff will be available to assist you with this purchase. A detailed description of this Medical Insurance Plan is available upon request by email. 
The mandatory SSU Health Center Services fee ($175 per semester) provides SSALI students with convenient on-campus care for minor medical problems. It is available during the Fall and Spring semesters only.
California State University requires all F-1 students to have full coverage health insurance to cover major medical expenses. When you register for classes, you will be expected to purchase the school-sponsored policy. This plan provides excellent coverage at a reasonable cost, approximately $145 per month (one-time payment per term).
All SSALI students are also required to complete a TB Questionaire and Immunization form before they arrive to the program so the document can be evaluated by the Health Center. Additional TB screening or immunizations can be obtained from the Health Center.
Housing
Homestay
A homestay is a unique opportunity for international students to live with a local American host family. In addition to providing an affordable private room with an option of two meals per day, the program gives students a chance to experience American culture from a first-hand perspective and build cross-cultural friendships
SSALI works very closely with International Student Placements (ISP), a local homestay company that has placed international students in local host families since 1992. ISP visits each host family's house and views the student's room to make sure that it is adequate. ISP is a wonderful partner known for its professionalism, caring and committed staff, and superior service to students and schools.
If you are in a Group coming from a University or Agent partner, please email info@isphomestays.com or go to the Contact Us page for more information.
Groups are when multiple students come from either the same agent or the same international school. The students complete a different ISP application (shorter) and ISP contracts directly with either their international school/agent and signs an agreement with them.
The agent/international school collects the student applications and pays ISP directly on behalf of the students in one sum. ISP pays the hosts directly and oversees the program much more closely, hosts get separate informational packets, and the host lists are sent to the agent//international partner in one batch, before the group arrives (not to the students directly).
If you are a student who is coming to study at Sonoma State by yourself, please apply to ISP directly and complete the PDF found here http://isphomestays.com/downloads/isp-app-sonoma.pdf and send it to International Student Placements (ISP). You will be paying your host family the fees for your room and meals directly.
*Estimated Fees (per month):
- Homestay with 2 meals a day: $1000
- Homestay with no meals: $825
- Homestay placement fee: $375
*Prices may change; please contact International Student Placements (ISP) for latest pricing and availability.
ISP works hard to provide a well-matched homestay in which the student will feel comfortable and secure. Host families will be selected based on the student's application form. Please be as specific as possible about your particular requests for a comfortable living environment (allergies to pets, host's religion, etc.). The more information you include about yourself and your preferences, the better! ISP will do its best to honor your requests.
If you have never lived abroad or in the United States, or you are under 18 years old, we strongly recommend that you consider living with a host family for at least the first 3 months.
On-Campus
For on-campus housing, submit your request early, several months in advance, if possible. For more information see http://www.sonoma.edu/housing/. You can also take a virtual tour http://housing.sonoma.edu/villages of on-campus housing.
Off-Campus
You can find more information at Off-campus housing.
CORT provides furniture rental packages and Housing Information
Transportation
Bus:
Students can travel around Sonoma County by using Sonoma County Transit - http://sctransit.com/
Students can also easily travel to San Francisco by using Golden Gate Transit - http://goldengatetransit.org/
Airports:
The Santa Rosa Airport is 17 miles north of Sonoma State University - http://www.sonomacountyairport.org/
The San Francisco Airport is 60 miles south of Sonoma State University - http://www.flysfo.com/