California State University-San Marcos
San Marcos, CA · Public
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See the full analysis — freeAdmission rate
California State University-San Marcos admitted 95.1% of applicants university-wide (18,755 of 19,721).
| Cohort | Admit rate | Admitted | Applicants |
|---|---|---|---|
| University-wide | 95.1% | 18,755 | 19,721 |
| In-state | 95.3% | 17,568 | 18,428 |
| Out-of-state | 93.0% | 767 | 825 |
| International applicants | 97.1% | 268 | 276 |
| Men | 94.8% | 7,181 | 7,577 |
| Women | 95.3% | 11,538 | 12,105 |
Of 18,755 admitted students, 2,624 enrolled (14.0% yield).
California State University-San Marcos Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C1–C2 · 2024 — Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.
Test scores and GPA of admitted students
- SAT (mid-50%)
- 880–1070
- ACT (mid-50%)
- 18–23
- GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
- 3.34–3.34
Testing policy: Test-blind (scores not considered)
California State University-San Marcos Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C9–C12 · 2024 — Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.
Cost and financial aid
Published cost of attendance: $43,710/yr.
| Out-of-state tuition | $19,770 |
| Fees, housing, food, books & other | $23,940 |
| Sticker cost of attendance | $43,710/yr |
Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)
| Under $30k | $6,230 |
| $30k–48k | $7,240 |
| $48k–75k | $8,928 |
| $75k–110k | $12,525 |
| Over $110k | $18,734 |
US applicants
Need- and merit-based aid available.
International applicants
No need-based aid reported for internationals.
California State University-San Marcos Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections G–H · 2024
Application requirements
US applicants
- Official High School Transcript
- Official College Transcripts
- Official AP/IB Test Scores
- Application fee
International applicants
- Official High School Transcript
- Official College Transcripts
- Official AP/IB Test Scores
- Application fee
- English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
- GPA credential conversion
- Predicted Class XII marksheet
- Financial documentation (I-20)
California State University-San Marcos · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025
Essay prompts
California State University-San Marcos requires no supplemental essays.
Prompts from the Cal State Apply member feed · verified Jul 4, 2026
Graduate outcomes
- Median earnings
- $62,908
- Median earnings · 10 years after entry
- Graduation rate
- 54.6%
- Within 150% of normal time
- First-year retention
- 78.4%
- Return for year two · CDS Section B
- Median debt
- $17,350
- At graduation
California State University-San Marcos · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023 — Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.
Published rankings
- WSJ: #79
- Forbes: #285
- Niche: #647
Deadlines
- 2027-01-31Regular Decision — Standard deadline
California State University-San Marcos Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C21–C22 · 2024
Academics and campus
Largest degree fields: Social sciences (18%), Business & marketing (16%), Psychology (9%).
Student–faculty ratio: 24:1 · 12% of class sections have under 20 students.
California State University-San Marcos Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024 — Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.