Cal State San Marcos
Basic Information
Type
Public
Geographical Reach
Regional
Location
San Marcos, CA
Population
2,500,000
Website
http://www.csusm.edu/
Demographics
Total Undergraduates
14,174
Men / Women
43% / 57%
Hispanic
50%
White
24%
Asian
9%
Mixed
6%
Black
4%
Native American
1%
International
1%
From State
98%
From Region
0%
Academics
Undergraduate Degrees
Business & Economics
17%
Health Sciences
16%
Life & Natural Sciences
8%
Computer Science
7%
Education
7%
Arts
3%
Physical Sciences & Math
2%
Engineering
1%
Professional
1%
Financial
In-State Tuition & Fees
$8,082
Out-of-State Tuition & Fees
$20,682
Est. In-State Cost
$10,455
Est. Out-of-State Cost
$26,754
10-Year ROI
$228,000
ROI Percentile
90th
Retention & Graduation
Full-Time Retention
79%
4-Year Graduation Rate
28%
6-Year Graduation Rate
55%
Transfer-Out Rate
4%
Weather
Comfortable Days
125 (91% 😎)
Sunshine Hours
3,338 (97% ☀️)
Days Without Precipitation
324 (97% 🏖️)
Admissions
Uses Common App
No
Acceptance Rate
78%
Yield (Unbound)
13%
Regular Decision
Jan 1
Research
Research Level
R3
Expenditure
| Engineering, Computing & Math | $2M | #270 |
| Humanities & Social Sciences | $1M | #275 |
| Life & Natural Sciences | $3M | #338 |
Honors College
Standardized Tests
Test Scores
Test Policy
blind
Earnings by Major Category
Each major category's degree-weighted estimated median 5-year earnings at this college, expressed as a z-score against the national degree-weighted distribution for that category. 0 is the national average. The shaded band between +1.28 and −1.28 marks the central 80% of the national distribution (10th–90th percentile).
Schools & Majors
| ⇅ | Trends | Degrees | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | ROI | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California State University, San Marcos | 3,309 | 38% / 62% | 1% | $68,022 | 94% | ||
| Electrical Engineering | 23 — | 87% / 13% | 0% | $99,016 | 98 | — | |
| Computer Science | 193 +2 | 86% / 14% | 2% | $110,266 | 99 | 98% | |
| Computer Software Engineering | 36 — | 69% / 31% | 3% | $102,502 | 99 | — | |
| Chemistry | 14 — | 50% / 50% | 0% | $71,604 | 87 | 100% | |
| Mathematics | 26 — | 54% / 46% | 0% | $68,561 | 84 | — | |
| Physics | 13 — | 85% / 15% | 8% | $80,480 | 93 | 100% | |
| Biochemistry | 23 — | 39% / 61% | 0% | $64,169 | 80 | 100% | |
| Biology | 161 — | 29% / 71% | 0% | $76,916 | 90 | 96% | |
| Biotechnology | 29 — | 38% / 62% | 3% | $75,425 | 90 | 92% | |
| Environmental Studies | 42 — | 38% / 62% | 0% | $54,785 | 65 | 100% | |
| Nursing | 294 — | 23% / 77% | 0% | $105,792 | 99 | 95% | |
| Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist | 70 — | 3% / 97% | 0% | $69,647 | 85 | 100% | |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 164 — | 35% / 65% | 1% | $63,880 | 80 | 93% | |
| Business Management and Administration | 537 +1 | 59% / 41% | 1% | $74,005 | 89 | 97% | |
| Economics | 27 +1 | 74% / 26% | 4% | $77,155 | 91 | 91% | |
| Anthropology | 12 — | 33% / 67% | 0% | $48,851 | 51 | 92% | |
| Criminology | 178 +10 | 40% / 60% | 1% | $54,589 | 65 | 97% | |
| English | 56 +2 | 27% / 73% | 0% | $51,512 | 58 | 88% | |
| Ethnic Studies | 1 — | 0% / 100% | 0% | $52,347 | 60 | — | |
| Geography | 2 +1 | 100% / 0% | 0% | $61,983 | 77 | — | |
| History | 68 +1 | 82% / 18% | 0% | $43,090 | 35 | 84% | |
| Human Development and Family Studies | 99 — | 10% / 90% | 0% | $49,769 | 54 | 89% | |
| Intercultural and International Studies | 7 — | 57% / 43% | 0% | $59,408 | 73 | — | |
| Interdisciplinary Studies | 1 +1 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $52,638 | 61 | — | |
| Linguistics | 7 — | 0% / 100% | 0% | $48,608 | 51 | — | |
| Mass Communication/Media Studies | 21 +4 | 52% / 48% | 0% | $55,408 | 66 | 88% | |
| Political Science | 67 +1 | 48% / 52% | 0% | $53,339 | 62 | 89% | |
| Psychology | 306 +2 | 21% / 79% | 0% | $54,559 | 65 | 93% | |
| Social Sciences | 62 +1 | 21% / 79% | 0% | $63,814 | 80 | 85% | |
| Sociology | 236 +9 | 19% / 81% | 1% | $51,480 | 58 | 89% | |
| Spanish | 18 +3 | 6% / 94% | 0% | $47,058 | 47 | 100% | |
| Speech Communication and Rhetoric | 158 — | 38% / 62% | 1% | $55,408 | 66 | 89% | |
| Women's Studies | 10 +1 | 10% / 90% | 10% | $52,020 | 59 | — | |
| Early Childhood Education | 89 +2 | 6% / 94% | 0% | $50,416 | 56 | 100% | |
| General Education | 146 — | 14% / 86% | 0% | $55,289 | 66 | 89% | |
| Music | 9 +1 | 67% / 33% | 0% | $41,377 | 30 | — | |
| Theater | 6 — | 50% / 50% | 0% | $39,467 | 24 | — | |
| Visual and Performing Arts | 80 — | 42% / 57% | 4% | $41,204 | 29 | 93% | |
| Fire Protection | 18 — | 94% / 6% | 0% | $68,057 | 84 | — |