California State University-San Marcos

California State University-San Marcos admits 95.1% of applicants — accessible on admissions, compared to the national average of 72.3%.

The average annual net price — what students actually pay after grants and scholarships — is $10,229. The sticker price before any aid is $21,649, so most students receive substantial discounts. Over four years that net cost adds up to roughly $40,916.

Graduates leave California State University-San Marcos with a median federal student loan balance of $17,350, which works out to about $188 per month on a standard 10-year repayment plan. About 28.3% of students take federal loans.

Ten years after enrolling, California State University-San Marcos graduates earn a median of $62,908 per year (national median: $50,834). That's about 6.1× the annual net price. EduGradify assigns California State University-San Marcos a value grade of A.

54.6% of full-time undergraduates graduate from California State University-San Marcos within six years of enrolling — national average is 49.9%. First-year retention is 78.6%.

62 programs are listed in federal data; 43 have positive share data. The largest reported major at California State University-San Marcos is Business Administration, Management and Operations (14.4%), followed by Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (8.4%).

42.6% of California State University-San Marcos students receive a federal Pell Grant — the main need-based federal aid program. 28.3% take federal student loans.