California State University-San Marcos

California State University-San Marcos

San Marcos, CA, USA

With campus situated on a hilltop overlooking the surrounding community, California State University-San Marcos is a 4-year public institution in southern California and part of the Cal State system. CSUSM is home to colleges of Humanities, Business Administration, Education, and Science granting bachelor’s degrees in 43 academic majors. In addition to classroom space, CSU San Marcos hosts the Kellogg Library, one of the largest such facilities in the state. To help explore the surrounding area, CSUSM Outdoor Adventures sponsors day and weekend trips for activities such as hiking and camping.

Admissions

Key Admissions Stats

Institution Type
Public
  • Not for Profit
  • Coed

Need Blind

This school does not consider an applicant’s financial situation when deciding admission

Level of Institution
4 Year
Campus Setting
Suburb or town
0
100
93%
Acceptance Rate

Admissions Requirements

SAT
SAT is not checked
No
ACT
ACT is not checked
No
Transcript
Transcript is checked
Yes

Important Deadlines

Application TypeApplication DeadlineReply Deadline
Fall Regular DecisionNovember 30
Spring Regular DecisionAugust 31
OtherJune 30

Admitted Student Stats

In-State Students
98%
Out-Of-State Students
2%
25%
Submitting ACT
94%
Submitting SAT
Average ACT Composite: 19
0
36
Average SAT Composite: 1043
0
1600

Academics

Key Academic Stats

Highest Degree Offered
Doctorate
Total Number of Students
16,255
Total Number of Undergrads
14,963
Academic Calendar

Semester

See your fit
Classroom Sizes

2-19 Students
15%
20-39 Students
54%
40-99 Students
27%
100+ Students
2%
0
100
15%
Graduate in 4 Years US National: 28%
0
100
54%
Graduate in 6 Years US National: 52%
Student:Faculty Ratio
25:1
US National: 21:1

Tuition, Cost & Aid

Key Financial Stats

Average Net Price
$13,399
Calculate your net cost
Tuition
In-State Tuition In-state tuition is the tuition charged by institutions to those students who meet the state's or institution's residency requirements. In-district tuition is the tuition charged by the institution to those students residing in the locality in which they attend school and may be a lower rate than in-state tuition if offered by the institution.
$7,733
Out-of-State Tuition Out-of-state tuition is the tuition charged by institutions to those students who do not meet the state’s or institution’s residency requirements. Out-of-district tuition is the tuition charged by the institution to those students not residing in the locality in which they attend school.
$19,613
Additional Costs
Room and Board The weighted average for room and board and other expenses is generated as follows:
  • (amount for on-campus room, board and other expenses * # of students living on-campus.
  • + amount for off-campus (with family) room, board and other expenses * # of students living off-campus with family
  • + amount for off-campus (not with family) room, board and other expenses * # of students living off-campus not with family)
divided by the total # of students. Students whose living arrangements are unknown are excluded from the calculation. For some institutions the # of students by living arrangement will be known, but dollar amounts will not be known. In this case the # of students with no corresponding dollar amount will be excluded from the denominator.
$13,972
Books and Supplies
$1144

Aid & Grants

0
100
49%
Need Met
Students Receiving Gift Aid Percent of undergraduate students awarded federal gift aid. Federal gift aid includes any grant or scholarship aid awarded, from the federal government, a state or local government, the institution, and other sources known by the institution.
47%
Average Aid Per Year
$9,192
Students Receiving Grants Percent of undergraduate students awarded grant aid. Grant aid includes any grant or scholarship aid awarded, from the federal government, a state or local government, the institution, and other sources known by the institution.
47%
Average Federal Grant Aid Per Year
$5,234
Average Institution Grant Aid Per Year
$5,413

Student Loans

Students Borrowing Loans Loans to students - Any monies that must be repaid to the lending institution for which the student is the designated borrower. Includes all Title IV subsidized and unsubsidized loans and all institutionally- and privately-sponsored loans. Does not include PLUS and other loans made directly to parents.
36%
Average Loan Amount Per Year
$5,834
Average Debt at Graduation The median federal debt of undergraduate borrowers who graduated. This figure includes only federal loans; it excludes private student loans and Parent PLUS loans.
$12,500
Median Monthly Loan Payment The median monthly loan payment for student borrowers who completed, if it were repaid over 10 years at a 5.05% interest rate.
$169

Campus Life

Key Campus Stats

Student Gender
Male
Female
38%
62%
Student Organizations
127
Size of Town
Suburb or town
LGBTQIA Student Resource Groups
LGBTQIA Student Resource Groups is checked
Yes
On Campus Women's Center
On Campus Women's Center is checked
Yes

Housing

0
100
95%
Undergrads Living on Campus
On-campus living required of freshman
No

Athletics

Divisional Sports Nickname
Cougars
School Colors
blue and white
Varsity Athletics Association
NCAA
Varsity Athletics Conference Primary
Not applicable

Campus Safety

24-HR security patrol
24-HR security patrol is checked
Yes
Campus emergency phones
Campus emergency phones is checked
Yes

After Graduation

Post Grad Stats

Top 5 Cities
San Diego
Los Angeles
Orange
San Francisco
Seattle
Average Salary
6 years after graduation
$51,100

What Students Are Saying

CSUSM has wonderful programs for students who are pursing business or nursing majors. The campus life is friendly and there are tons of activities to get involved. The resources and academic counseling offered by CSUSM is extensive.
Sarah from Santa Ysabel, CA
Its a good smaller, mainly commuters school. Its nice for most majors except for nursing. Planning to major in anything else and you'll be fine. Nursing and Kinesiology are both impacted and you need to have the highest grades to make it in.
Tamara from Lake Elsinore, CA
California State University is a very open, welcoming and relatively small school. The professors and the students become like a family to you while you experience college life. The campus is also very active in helping its students to do more than they are required, to reach out and be involved.
Ayesha from Escondido, CA
Prof. are great and well educated, they are really committed to the students education. The campus, although a commuter campus, has a great community scene and has many opportunities to get involved and develop not only character but leaderships as well. There is always classes to choose from, even when sections are closed as long as you are on top of it, you can usually crash and get into the course.
Shayla from Oceanside, CA
CSUSM is a fantastic school! I am a transfer student and this is my first semester at this school, and I absolutely love it here. They have a wonderful campus, fantastic programs and great teachers.
Kimberly from San Diego, CA