California State University-San Marcos
San Marcos, CA · West
- Undergraduates
- 14,877Fall 2024
- Admission rate
- 95.1%Fall 2024
- Tuition & fees
- $8,0822024–25
- Graduates in 6 yrs
- 54.6%2024–25
General information
- Type
- Four or more years, Public
- Campus setting
- Suburb: Large
- Campus housing
- Yes — capacity 1,954
- Student population
- 15,431 total · 14,246 undergraduate
- Student-to-faculty
- 24 to 1
- Highest award offered
- Doctor's degree · Four or more years
Dig into the details
Choose a topic. The list stays put, so you can move between them.
Tuition, fees and estimated expenses
The published price, before any aid.
- Tuition & fees / year
- $8,0822024–25Excludes housing and other living expenses.
- In-state vs out-of-state
- $8,082 in-state · $20,682 out-of-state2024–25
- Room & board, on campus
- $14,1522024–25
- Books & supplies
- $1,018IPEDS, academic year 2023-24
Ask a student
The numbers start the conversation. A current student can tell you what they feel like.
Annual campus housing and meals
$14,152
2024–25
Ask a student: What are the housing and dining tradeoffs?
What this measures
Cost of attendance: on-campus room and board. AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard. View source ↗
Financial aid
Who gets help, and how much.
- Students receiving any aid
- 79%IPEDS, academic year 2022-23Full-time first-time degree-seeking undergraduates only.
- Average grant or scholarship
- $10,247IPEDS, academic year 2022-23
- Students with federal loans
- 28.3%2023–24
- Average loan amount
- $4,896IPEDS, academic year 2022-23
Ask a student
The numbers start the conversation. A current student can tell you what they feel like.
Students receiving Pell Grants
42.6%
2023–24
Ask a student: Which resources help students manage college costs?
What this measures
Percentage of undergraduates who receive a Pell Grant. AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
Students using federal loans
28.3%
2023–24
Ask a student: How manageable is combining campus work with coursework?
What this measures
Percent of all undergraduate students receiving a federal student loan. AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
Median federal debt among graduates who borrowed
$17,350
2020–21
Ask a student: What would you ask financial aid before committing?
What this measures
Median debt of completers, suppressed for n=30. NSLDS FY2020, FY2021 pooled cohorts.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid component. View source ↗
Net price
What families actually pay after aid.
- Average net price
- $10,2292023–24First-time full-time students receiving federal aid.
- Family income $0–30,000
- $6,812IPEDS, academic year 2022-23
- Family income $48,001–75,000
- $9,980IPEDS, academic year 2022-23
- Family income over $110,000
- $19,772IPEDS, academic year 2022-23
Budget for life here
Compare campus living with an off-campus housing benchmark before planning everyday spending.
- Campus room & board
- $14,152
- Studio rental benchmark
- $2,290
- 1-bedroom rental benchmark
- $2,460
- 2-bedroom rental benchmark
- $3,000
Per academic year · 2024–25
Per month · HUD FY2026
Per month · HUD FY2026
Whole apartment / month · HUD FY2026
Rental area: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA MSA, ZIP 92096. HUD figures are 40th-percentile gross rents, not average asking rents. Basic utilities are included; phone, television, and internet are excluded. Room and board is an annual college-reported cost, not a monthly rent.
HUD rental data ↗A night at the movies
Check local prices
One adult standard 2D evening ticket. Premium formats and booking fees vary.
A verified local price is not yet available.
Find nearby theaters ↗The Big Mac benchmark
Check local prices
One Big Mac sandwich at regular pickup price, before tax. Excludes meals, delivery, and offers.
A verified local price is not yet available.
Find nearby McDonald’s ↗Ask a student: What do you actually spend in a typical month, and where do you save?
Ask a student
The numbers start the conversation. A current student can tell you what they feel like.
Average annual cost after grants
$10,229
2023–24
Ask a student: Which costs surprised you beyond tuition?
What this measures
Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid; public institutions cover in-state students. AcadYr 2023-24, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard. View source ↗
Enrollment
How many people are here, and who.
- Total enrollment
- 15,431IPEDS 2023
- Undergraduate
- 14,246IPEDS 2023
- Graduate and professional
- 1,185IPEDS 2023
- Student-to-faculty ratio
- 24 to 1Fall 2024Not a class size.
Ask a student
The numbers start the conversation. A current student can tell you what they feel like.
Students per faculty member
24:1
Fall 2024
Ask a student: How easy is it to get help from professors?
What this measures
Undergraduate student to instructional faculty ratio. Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
Students studying part time
16.3%
Fall 2024
Ask a student: How do students balance classes with work or other responsibilities?
What this measures
Share of undergraduate, degree-/certificate-seeking students who are part-time. Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
IPEDS institutional directory. Total, undergraduate and graduate are reported together for IPEDS 2023, so they reconcile. The undergraduate figure in the key stats above is a newer College Scorecard count for Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25. View source ↗
Admissions
How selective, and what they weigh.
- Admission rate
- 95.1%2024–25
- Applicants
- 17,519IPEDS 2023
- SAT total, middle 50%
- Not reported
- Required for admission
- Completion of college-preparatory program · English Proficiency Test · Secondary school GPA · Secondary school recordIPEDS 2023
U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard. View source ↗
Retention and graduation rates
Who comes back, and who finishes.
- Graduation rate, 6 years
- 54.6%2024–25First-time full-time students only; excludes transfers entirely.
- Graduation rate, 4 years
- 24%IPEDS 2023
- First-year retention, full-time
- 78.6%2023–24
- Transfer-out rate
- 4%IPEDS 2023
Ask a student
The numbers start the conversation. A current student can tell you what they feel like.
First-year return rate
78.6%
2023–24
Ask a student: What helped you settle in during your first year?
What this measures
First-time, full-time student retention rate at four-year institutions. Fall 2023 bachelor's-seeking cohort, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
U.S. Dept. of Education, College Scorecard. View source ↗
Outcome measures
Eight-year results for every kind of student.
- Award rate, first-time full-time
- 62%IPEDS 2023, 2015–16 entering cohortShare of the 2015–16 entering cohort holding an award eight years later.
- Award rate, first-time part-time
- 29%IPEDS 2023, 2015–16 entering cohort
- Award rate, non-first-time
- 81%IPEDS 2023, 2015–16 entering cohortStudents who transferred in or returned — the group graduation rates leave out.
- Still enrolled at 8 years
- 1%IPEDS 2023, 2015–16 entering cohort
Student perspective
People you could talk with
These sample profiles show the kinds of conversations we are building for California State University-San Marcos. Actual students and availability will appear here.
Maya
A sample perspective for students exploring Business Administration and Management, General at California State University-San Marcos. Ask about classes, finding your people, and settling into life in San Marcos.
Jordan
A sample perspective for students curious about Psychology, General and the choices outside class at California State University-San Marcos. Bring questions about campus culture, activities, and a typical week.
Alex
A sample perspective for students considering Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse at California State University-San Marcos. Talk through housing, budget, and what the move to San Marcos could feel like.
Sample profiles. Actual students and availability will appear here.
Ask a student
The numbers start the conversation. A current student can tell you what they feel like.
Median earnings four years after graduation
$67,891
2022–23 earnings; 2024 dollars
Ask a student: How do students find internships and career support?
What this measures
Median earnings of graduates working and not enrolled 4 years after completing. Treasury AY2017-18, AY2018-19 pooled cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars.
IPEDS Outcome Measures component. View source ↗
Programs and majors
What you can study, and to what level.
- Highest award
- Doctor's degreeIPEDS 2023
- Largest program
- Business Administration and Management, General2023–24Ranked by degrees awarded, not by program quality.
- Carnegie classification
- Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsIPEDS 2023
- Academic calendar
- SemesterIPEDS 2023
Top 10 majors
2023–24Ranked by bachelor’s degrees awarded, not by program quality.
- Business Administration and Management, General537 awarded
- Psychology, General306 awarded
- Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse294 awarded
- Sociology, General236 awarded
- Computer Science193 awarded
- Criminology178 awarded
- Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General164 awarded
- Biology/Biological Sciences, General161 awarded
- Speech Communication and Rhetoric158 awarded
- Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies146 awarded
Federal program names may differ from the college’s own major names.
IPEDS Completions component. View source ↗
Servicemembers and veterans
Benefits, credit and support on campus.
- Yellow Ribbon Program
- Not reportedIPEDS 2023Post-9/11 GI Bill benefit that can cover costs above the state cap.
- Credit for military training
- YesIPEDS 2023
- Dedicated point of contact
- YesIPEDS 2023
- Student veteran organization
- YesIPEDS 2023
IPEDS institutional directory. View source ↗
Varsity athletic teams
Association, conference and what is fielded.
- National athletic association
- NCAAIPEDS 2023
- Primary conference
- California Collegiate Athletic AssociationIPEDS 2023
- Sports with conference play
- Baseball · Basketball · Cross country / trackIPEDS 2023IPEDS records football, basketball, baseball and cross country / track only.
- NCAA division
- Not reported
IPEDS institutional directory. View source ↗
A year on campus
What each month actually feels like.
- Warmest month
- August — 89° / 65°1991–2020 normals
- Coldest month
- December — 68° / 44°1991–2020 normals
- Wettest month
- February — 3.6 in1991–2020 normalsPrecipitation includes the water equivalent of snow.
- Move-in week, late August
- 89° / 65°1991–2020 normals
Right now on campus
Checking nearby weather…
Typical daily highs and lows, plus monthly precipitation. Plan for the whole school year.
1991–2020 climate averages from ESCONDIDO #2, CA US, 4 miles from campus. Precipitation includes the water equivalent of snow. NOAA normals may include estimated records; actual conditions vary.
NOAA climate source ↗NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals. View source ↗
About these numbers
College Scorecard release: 2026-06-10. Data retrieved: 2026-09-17. Majors: IPEDS 2023–24 bachelor’s completions. Reporting years vary by measure and are shown with each figure.
Enrollment, admissions, tuition, and graduation reporting periods
- Enrollment of undergraduate certificate/degree-seeking students: Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
- Admission rate: Fall 2024, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
- In-state tuition and fees: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
- Out-of-state tuition and fees: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.
- Completion rate for first-time, full-time students at four-year institutions (150% of expected time to completion): Fall 2018 or AcadYr 2018-19 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2024-25.