California State University-San Marcos

San Marcos, CA · Public

Website Admissions

At a glance

95.1%

Acceptance rate

$10,550

Avg net price

14,174

Enrollment

Degrees awarded

2024-25

	Bachelor’s	Master’s	Doctoral
All fields, 2024-25Bachelor’s 3,373Master’s 450Doctoral 0	3,373	450	0
Bachelor’s 601Master’s 59Doctoral None reported	601	59	None reported
Bachelor’s 578Master’s 11Doctoral None reported	578	11	None reported
Bachelor’s 349Master’s 121Doctoral None reported	349	121	None reported
Bachelor’s 304Master’s 10Doctoral None reported	304	10	None reported
Bachelor’s 238Master’s 10Doctoral None reported	238	10	None reported
Bachelor’s 219Master’s 32Doctoral None reported	219	32	None reported
Bachelor’s 168Master’s 19Doctoral None reported	168	19	None reported
Bachelor’s 161Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported	161	None reported	None reported
Bachelor’s 136Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported	136	None reported	None reported
Bachelor’s 103Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported	103	None reported	None reported
Bachelor’s 102Master’s 76Doctoral 0	102	76	0
Bachelor’s 86Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported	86	None reported	None reported
Bachelor’s 63Master’s 2Doctoral None reported	63	2	None reported
Bachelor’s 62Master’s 12Doctoral None reported	62	12	None reported
Bachelor’s 47Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported	47	None reported	None reported
Bachelor’s 39Master’s 3Doctoral None reported	39	3	None reported
Bachelor’s 36Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported	36	None reported	None reported
Bachelor’s 25Master’s 3Doctoral None reported	25	3	None reported
Bachelor’s 18Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported	18	None reported	None reported
Bachelor’s 15Master’s 5Doctoral None reported	15	5	None reported
Bachelor’s 13Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported	13	None reported	None reported
Bachelor’s 10Master’s None reportedDoctoral None reported	10	None reported	None reported
Bachelor’s None reportedMaster’s 87Doctoral None reported	None reported	87	None reported

College athletics

NCAA program details

NCAA program

California State University, San Marcos

Primary division: Division II
Primary conference: California Collegiate Athletic Association

Projected sponsored sports14

BaseballMen's BasketballMen's Cross CountryMen's GolfMen's SoccerMen's Track, OutdoorSoftballWomen's Basketball

Athletic participation

302 unique student-athletes · 11 varsity teams

Application deadlines

For fall 2027 entry

Priority

Dec 31, 2026

General

Feb 28, 2027

FAFSA due Mar 2

· Apply with Cal State Apply or CaliforniaColleges

Cost

Published on-campus price, 2024–25

Tuition: $6,084
Required fees: $1,998
Food and housing: $14,152
Books and supplies: $1,061
Other expenses: $3,713
Total: $27,008

Total by year

$25,9252019–2019–20
$25,0862020–2120–21
$24,6532021–2221–22
$25,5072022–2322–23
$26,6232023–2423–24
$27,0082024–2524–25

Net price by family income, 2022–23

Students of all incomes paid $10,550 on average. Grants and scholarships covered the rest of the cost.

Net price covers first-time, full-time students who received federal aid and paid in-state tuition.

Need-based aid, 2025–26

First-years with need-based aid: 60%
Average share of need met: 66%
Average need-based grant: $13,865
Required forms: FAFSA and State aid form

Graduation and Retention

4-year graduation24%

6-year graduation54%

Retention rate75%

Earnings and Debt

Median earnings (10yr)$62,908

Median debt$17,350

Campus

Enrollment14,174

Student-faculty ratio21:1

SettingSuburb

HSI

Sources

IPEDS Institutional Characteristics · National Center for Education Statistics · 2025–26
IPEDS Admissions · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024–25
College Scorecard · U.S. Department of Education · 2025-10-03
Application process · College websites · 2026–27
NCAA Projected Sports Sponsorship by School · National Collegiate Athletic Association · 2025–26
Equity in Athletics Disclosure Act · U.S. Department of Education · 2024–25
Common Data Set · Reporting institutions · 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26
IPEDS Completions · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024–25
IPEDS Student Charges · National Center for Education Statistics · 2019–20, 2020–21, 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25

Every figure below is read directly from California State University-San Marcos’s own reported data, with no scores, ratings, or estimates added. Derived from 5 Common Data Set filings (2021–22 to 2025–26).

California State University-San Marcos admitted of applicants, a admit rate. Of those, enrolled, a yield, across 5 years of Common Data Set filings.

Applicant funnel and admit rateHover or arrow-key a year for exact values

Students and applicationsAdmit rate

ApplicationsAdmittedEnrolledAdmit rate

No early admission plans appear in California State University-San Marcos's Common Data Set filing.

Regular Decision nonbindingApply by Feb 28 · priority date Dec 31

The enrolled class is roughly international, and about of its domestic students come from out of state. California State University-San Marcos admits in-state applicants at 95.3%, out-of-state applicants at 93.7%, and international applicants at 93.6%.

Enrolled first-years by geography

2,705 first-years

Out-of-state (domestic)≈54In-state (domestic)≈2,630International≈21

Admit odds by pool

Of enrolled first-years, submitted an SAT, down from 7.3% in 2021–22, and an ACT.

Some students submit both an SAT and an ACT, so the two shares overlap. They don’t add up to a single “submitted a test” rate.

SAT composite

2.3% of the class submitted an SAT

Middle 50%

Shape smoothed from reported percentiles and score bands

ACT composite

0% of the class submitted an ACT

Middle 50%

Shape smoothed from reported percentiles and score bands

California State University-San Marcos’s enrolled first-years averaged a high-school GPA, among the 1% who submitted one.

High-school GPA

shares of all enrolled first-years

Average 3.32

California State University-San Marcos rates 1 factor "very important." Each column reads strongest first.

Academic

Academic GPA: Very important
Rigor of secondary school record: Not considered
Class rank: Not considered
Standardized test scores: Not considered
Application essay: Not considered
Recommendation(s): Not considered

Nonacademic

First generation: Considered
Geographical residence: Considered
State residency: Considered
Interview: Not considered
Extracurricular activities: Not considered
Talent / ability: Not considered
Character / personal qualities: Not considered
Alumni/ae relation: Not considered
Religious affiliation/commitment: Not considered
Volunteer work: Not considered
Work experience: Not considered
Level of applicant's interest: Not considered

California State University-San Marcos leaves 3 Common Data Set answers blank — each one hidden below with what it would tell you.

Class-rank distributionCDS C10Not disclosed

Without the rank spread of enrolled students, there’s no top-of-class signal to place a transcript against.

GPA distributionCDS C11Not disclosed

Without the GPA spread, a family can’t see where their transcript lands within the class.

Waitlist offers & acceptancesCDS C2Not disclosed

With the pool size hidden, a student’s odds of clearing the waitlist can’t be computed.

Does disclose: SAT / ACT score bands (C9) · Admissions factor grid (C7)

California State University-San Marcos's net price after grant aid, by family income. of first-years received need-based aid. The school meets of demonstrated need, split into .

What aid recipients pay, by income

net price

Each figure averages only families who received federal aid in that income band (College Scorecard); $10,550 across all aid recipients. Aid share: 1,482 of 2,488 first-years in the 2025–26 Common Data Set.

How need-based aid is determined

Cost of attendance − expected family contribution = demonstrated need

Forms a family files to be considered

FAFSAState aid form

Merit aid reached of the class, or of enrolled first-years. For international applicants, California State University-San Marcos offers both need-based and merit aid: nonresidents received aid, averaging .

Waitlist activity, as reported to the Common Data Set.

Offered a place

Not disclosed

Accepted a place

Not disclosed

Admitted off waitlist

Not disclosed

Waitlist ranked

Not disclosed

74.8% of California State University-San Marcos’s first-years return for a second year and 54.2% graduate within six. Median earnings ten years out are against of median federal debt, roughly a earnings-to-debt ratio.

Sources

Common Data Set · Reporting institutions · 2021–22, 2022–23, 2023–24, 2024–25, 2025–26
College Scorecard · U.S. Department of Education · 2025-10-03