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California State University-San Marcos

Students comparing California State University-San Marcos on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

CompareOfficial site
San Marcos, California14,877 undergraduatesMean consensus percentile 25Public universityResearch universityU.S. News ranked

The short answer

California State University-San Marcos: U.S. News ranks it #22 on Regional Universities (West) (2026); Forbes ranks it #285 on America's Top Colleges (2026); Washington Monthly ranks it #64 on Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars (2026); WSJ ranks it #97 on Best Colleges in the U.S. (2026); Niche ranks it #681 on Best Colleges (Overall) (2026); Money lists it on Best Value Colleges (2026) — 4.5 stars. It enrolls 14,877 undergraduates, admits 95.1% of applicants, and posts a 54.6% six-year graduation rate. Out-of-state tuition is $20,682; aid recipients pay $10,229 on average. Median earnings ten years after entry: $62,908.

The six numbers that matter most

Acceptance rate
95.1%

Above the dataset median of 76%

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported entering class, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Average net price
$10,229

71% below the $34,834 published price

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardAverage for full-time first-time aid recipients, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median earnings, 10 yrs
$62,908

Above the dataset median of $54,053

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian earnings 10 years after entry, working and not enrolled, College Scorecard June 2026 release

6-year graduation rate
54.6%

About the dataset median

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent six-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Median debt at graduation
$17,350

Above the dataset median of $23,250

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMedian federal loan debt of completers, College Scorecard June 2026 release

SAT middle 50%
Not reportedCalifornia State University-San Marcos reports that it neither requires nor recommends admissions test scores, and does not report a score range to the Department of Education.

U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard

Where California State ranks, and why the answers differ

Each publisher's position, the list it belongs to, and how many institutions it was drawn from.

SourceListRank
US News2026Regional Universities (West)#22of 118Regional univ. (West)
Forbes2026America's Top Colleges#285of 500Top colleges (Forbes)
Washington Monthly2026Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars#64of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)
WSJ2026Best Colleges in the U.S.#97of 500U.S. colleges (WSJ)
Niche2026Best Colleges (Overall)B#681of 2,605Overall (Niche)
Money2026Best Value Colleges4.5 starsListedBest value (Money)
Princeton Review2026Best Colleges (Overall)Not ranked by this source
QS2026World University RankingsNot ranked by this source

Methodology sensitivity: California State's position moves 53 percentile points depending on which published list you read. That is a wide spread, so which list you consult substantially changes the impression you get. How we compute this

Ranking positions are the editorial property of their publishers and are reproduced here with attribution for comparison and commentary. Follow each source link for its full list and methodology.

About California State

California State University-San Marcos is a public institution in San Marcos, California. Federal data show 78.6% first-year retention and a 21:1 student-faculty ratio. Figures on this page come from College Scorecard and IPEDS; publisher rankings shown here are transcribed from named sources and checked in our dataset.

Strengths and honest considerations

Strengths

  • Cost and outcome metrics on this profile come directly from federal collections, not self-reported marketing sheets.
  • Net price $10,229 reflects what aid recipients actually paid in the most recent federal reporting year.

Considerations

  • This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
  • Compare $34,834 sticker cost against $10,229 net price before ruling a school in or out on price alone.
  • Publishers we have not loaded yet, or lists that omit this school, show as “not ranked by this source” — that is expected.

Who this school genuinely fits

Students comparing California State University-San Marcos on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.

What it costs

Published price, then what families actually pay after grants and scholarships.

In-state tuition & fees
$8,082

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Out-of-state tuition & fees
$20,682

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Room & board
$14,152

U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

Published cost of attendance comes to roughly $34,834 a year, but the average family pays $10,229 — a 71% difference. 42.6% of undergraduates receive Pell grants, the federal marker of low family income.

Net price varies enormously by income band, so run California State's net price calculator for your own household before drawing conclusions. Why net price is the only cost number that matters.

Programs and academics

Most popular majors

  1. 1Business
  2. 2Biology
  3. 3Psychology
  4. 4Computer Science
  5. 5Economics

Standout programs

    Student-faculty ratio
    21:1

    IPEDS / National Center for Education StatisticsIPEDS 2023 fall enrollment

    First-year retention
    78.6%

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent first-year cohort, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    Undergraduate enrollment
    14,877

    U.S. Dept. of Education College ScorecardMost recent reported year, College Scorecard June 2026 release

    California State: questions families ask

    Out-of-state tuition is $20,682 and on-campus room and board is $14,152, for a published total of $34,834 before aid. The average net price for first-time full-time students receiving aid is $10,229.

    The most recent federal admissions rate reported to the Department of Education is 95.1%. Test policy as reported in IPEDS: see the admissions section on this page for the institution's own category.

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