California State University-San Marcos
San Marcos, California · Website
$62,908
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$62,908
median earnings, 10 years after starting
California State University-San Marcos is a public 4-year college in San Marcos, California with 14,877 undergraduates and 1,260 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $10,229 a year (tuition and fees $8,082 in-state, $20,682 out-of-state). It admits 95% of applicants and 55% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $62,908 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $17,350 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$10,229
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$8,082
Out-of-state $20,682
Admission rate
95%
US median 78%
Completion rate
55%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$17,350
About $184 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$62,908
Rank 634 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $10,229
- Tuition in-state
- $8,082
- Tuition out-of-state
- $20,682
- Cost of attendance
- $21,649
- Students with a need-based grant
- 43%
- Students with federal loans
- 28%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $6,230
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $7,240
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $8,928
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $12,525
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $18,734
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $7,269 in 2015-16 to $8,082 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 95%
- Undergraduates
- 14,877
- Graduate students
- 1,260
- Part-time students
- 16%
- Women
- 57%
- Students per teacher
- 24
- Completion rate
- 55%
- Retention rate
- 79%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 84
- Endowment
- $36.6M
- Other
- Hispanic-serving
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 634 of 5,094 US colleges and 99 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $10,229 | $20,161 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $8,082 | $8,086 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 95% | 76% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 55% | 64% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 79% | 80% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $17,350 | $11,537 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $48,673 | $36,048 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $62,908 | $41,472 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 67% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 75% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
84 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 471 | $19,500 | $49,543 | $70,900 | $68,257 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 315 | $17,750 | $31,355 | $55,196 | $50,706 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 295 | $15,000 | $34,541 | $53,287 | $52,657 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 278 | $24,246 | $103,799 | $120,196 | $88,910 |
| CriminologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 234 | $14,810 | $34,694 | $55,418 | $55,556 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 201 | $14,545 | $36,310 | $59,842 | $56,359 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 188 | $23,750 | $38,527 | $70,789 | $57,214 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 164 | $17,500 | $26,203 | $61,252 | $54,562 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 163 | $17,362 | $31,184 | $53,568 | $48,568 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 155 | $16,226 | $29,341 | $58,289 | $53,072 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 152 | $12,500 | $60,645 | $97,827 | $107,009 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 117 | $15,000 | $29,055 | $51,445 | $47,382 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 76 | $18,625 | $27,741 | $48,043 | $41,688 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 74 | $15,500 | $29,638 | $54,985 | $48,590 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 73 | $16,847 | $22,407 | $52,985 | $50,680 |
| Social WorkMaster's | Master's | 69 | $41,000 | $62,668 | $77,471 | $65,123 |
| Public HealthMaster's | Master's | 67 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 63 | $17,666 | $35,297 | $50,857 | $63,293 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsOnlineMaster's | Master's | 59 | $36,990 | $84,450 | $105,743 | $103,485 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 58 | $15,000 | $22,567 | $71,068 | $58,928 |
| EconomicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 52 | $18,620 | $40,155 | $83,339 | $82,686 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's | Bachelor's | 50 | $13,273 | $37,364 | $55,903 | $55,012 |
| Social Sciences, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 39 | $15,000 | $37,446 | $63,622 | $53,366 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingMaster's | Master's | 37 | $60,000 | $119,753 | $148,800 | $120,193 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 36 | $20,983 | $57,682 | $65,479 | $65,466 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much does California State University-San Marcos cost?
$10,229 a year is the average net price at California State University-San Marcos after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $8,082 for in-state students and $20,682 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $21,649. Families earning under $30,000 pay $6,230 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at California State University-San Marcos?
95% of applicants are admitted to California State University-San Marcos. The median admission rate of colleges in California is 76%.
How much do California State University-San Marcos graduates earn?
$62,908 a year is the median pay of former California State University-San Marcos students who work, 10 years after they started ($48,673 after 6 years). That ranks 634 of 5,094 US colleges and 99 of 494 in California. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's) at $119,753.
How much student debt do California State University-San Marcos graduates have?
$17,350 is the median federal student loan debt of California State University-San Marcos graduates, about $184 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 28% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at California State University-San Marcos?
55% of first-time, full-time students at California State University-San Marcos finish within 6 years. 79% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at California State University-San Marcos?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (471 bachelor's graduates), Psychology, General (315 bachelor's graduates), Sociology (295 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 84 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.