California State University – San Marcos: Statistics
Updated:
EliteDegrees
| Position | Category |
|---|---|
| # 1771 of 14,131 | In the World |
| # 487 of 2,597 | In North America |
| # 440 of 2,496 | In the United States |
| # 44 of 249 | In California |
| # 1 of 4 | In San Marcos, CA |
| # 544 of 100 | For Early Childhood Education |
| Top 1-3 | For 12 other topics |
Quick Review
Acceptance rate
95%
Enrollment
18,492
Average SAT
1,350
Average ACT
30
Aid receiving
79%
Undergraduates
14,977
Graduates
1,260
Male:Female Ratio
41:59
Type
Public
not-for-profit
not-for-profit
Highest Degree
Doctor's degree
Website
Acceptance rate & Admissions
California State University – San Marcos has an acceptance rate of 95% and is among the top 1% of the most difficult universities to gain admission to in the United States. The university reports the admission statistics without distinguishing between local and international students.
| Total | Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance Rate | 95% | 95% | 95% |
| Applicants | 19,721 | 7,595 | 12,126 |
| Admissions | 18,755 | 7,198 | 11,557 |
| Freshmen enrolled full time | 2,473 | 1,004 | 1,469 |
Admissions requirements
| College-preparatory program | Required |
|---|---|
| Secondary school GPA | Required |
| Secondary school record | Required |
| TOEFL | Required |
| Formal demonstration of competencies | Neither required nor recommended |
| Other Tests | Neither required nor recommended |
| Recommendations | Neither required nor recommended |
| SAT/ACT | Neither required nor recommended |
| Secondary school rank | Neither required nor recommended |
Enrollment demographics by race or ethnicity
| â– White | 25% |
|---|---|
| â– Nonresident Alien | 1% |
| â– Asian | 9% |
| â– Hispanic | 51% |
| â– Black or African American | 4% |
| â– Two or more races | 6% |
| â– Unknown | 3% |
Tuition
Below is the standard credit pricing for the various degree levels offered at California State University – San Marcos.
| Degree Level | Cost Per Credit |
|---|---|
| Associate Degree | 1,749 CR |
| Bachelor Program | 1,950 CR |
| Master Program | 2,149 CR |
| Ph.D. / Doctoral | 2,850 CR |
Final tuition fees may vary based on specific department requirements, residency status, and selected elective courses. Please contact the admissions office for a detailed financial breakdown.
California State University – San Marcos majors
California State University – San Marcos has granted 3,309 bachelor's degrees across 39 programs, and 432 master's across 22 programs. Below is a table with majors that lead to degrees at California State University – San Marcos.
| Major | Bachelor | Master |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration and Management, General | 537 | 49 |
| Registered Nursing & Registered Nurse | 294 | 31 |
| Psychology, General | 306 | 10 |
| Sociology, General | 236 | 9 |
| Computer Science | 193 | 21 |
| Criminology | 178 | - |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education & Fitness, General | 164 | 9 |
| Biology & Biological Sciences, General | 161 | 6 |
| Speech Communication and Rhetoric | 158 | - |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences & Liberal Studies | 146 | - |
| Human Development and Family Studies, General | 99 | - |
| Speech-Language Pathology & Pathologist | 70 | 28 |
| Early Childhood Education and Teaching | 89 | - |
| Visual and Performing Arts, General | 80 | - |
| History, General | 68 | 9 |
| Political Science and Government, General | 67 | - |
| Public Health, General | - | 66 |
| Social Work | - | 63 |
| English Language and Literature, General | 56 | 6 |
| Social Sciences, General | 62 | - |
| Biotechnology | 29 | 22 |
| Environmental Studies | 42 | - |
| Computer Software Engineering | 36 | - |
| Mathematics, General | 26 | 6 |
| Economics, General | 27 | - |
| Spanish Language and Literature | 18 | 6 |
| Biochemistry | 23 | - |
| Electrical and Electronics Engineering | 23 | - |
| Education, General | - | 22 |
| Mass Communication & Media Studies | 21 | - |
| Curriculum and Instruction | - | 19 |
| Fire Protection, Other | 18 | - |
| Reading Teacher Education | - | 18 |
| Bilingual and Multilingual Education | - | 16 |
| Chemistry, General | 14 | 1 |
| Physics, Other | 13 | - |
| Anthropology, General | 12 | - |
| Computer and Information Systems Security & Auditing & Information Assurance | - | 11 |
| Women's Studies | 10 | - |
| Music, General | 9 | - |
| International & Globalization Studies | 7 | - |
| Linguistics | 7 | - |
| Drama and Dramatics & Theatre Arts, General | 6 | - |
| Special Education and Teaching, General | - | 4 |
| Geography | 2 | - |
| Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other | 1 | - |
| Multi- & Interdisciplinary Studies, Other | 1 | - |
| Grand Total | 3,309 | 432 |
Publications & Citations
California State University - San Marcos has published 3,930 scientific papers with 156,016 citations received. The research profile covers a range of fields, including Liberal Arts & Social Sciences, Biology, Computer Science, Medicine, Environmental Science, Political Science, Psychology, Law, Sociology, and Philosophy.
Publication / Citation count by topic
| Liberal Arts & Social Sciences |
2,567
/ 108,342
|
|---|---|
| Biology |
1,839
/ 81,883
|
| Computer Science |
1,805
/ 75,023
|
| Medicine |
1,621
/ 50,009
|
| Environmental Science |
1,593
/ 87,192
|
| Political Science |
1,585
/ 78,614
|
| Psychology |
1,571
/ 77,739
|
| Law |
1,493
/ 69,293
|
| Sociology |
1,452
/ 49,436
|
| Philosophy |
1,334
/ 68,713
|
| Engineering |
1,288
/ 55,232
|
| Physics |
1,172
/ 56,990
|
| Mathematics |
990
/ 46,725
|
| Chemistry |
977
/ 47,204
|
| Business |
973
/ 43,154
|
| Geography and Cartography |
912
/ 32,091
|
| History |
818
/ 25,750
|
| Geology |
813
/ 49,230
|
| Ecology |
764
/ 66,180
|
| Quantum and Particle physics |
740
/ 37,610
|
| Social Psychology |
740
/ 51,945
|
| Economics |
698
/ 20,871
|
| Archaeology |
650
/ 20,500
|
| Genetics |
617
/ 18,479
|
| Statistics |
616
/ 35,246
|
| Biochemistry |
603
/ 17,901
|
| Artificial Intelligence (AI) |
585
/ 16,094
|
| Art & Design |
580
/ 15,042
|
| Paleontology |
565
/ 29,607
|
| Linguistics |
547
/ 40,831
|
| Pathology |
536
/ 15,649
|
| Psychiatry |
529
/ 21,642
|
| Management |
492
/ 28,325
|
| Neuroscience |
492
/ 29,920
|
| Anthropology |
396
/ 12,631
|
| Organic chemistry |
389
/ 21,214
|
| Education |
388
/ 14,555
|
| Machine Learning |
384
/ 22,492
|
| Development Studies |
374
/ 9,051
|
| Botany |
368
/ 20,741
|
Annual publication & citation counts
7 Notable alumni
1. Kimberly Dark
1968-. (aged 58)
writer
Kimberly Dark is an American author, professor of sociology, and storyteller.
2. Mason Grimes
1992-. (aged 34)
association football player
Mason Douglas Grimes is a Guamanian international footballer who plays as a defender for the Guam national football team.
3. Mark Hoppus
1972-. (aged 54)
singer
guitarist
songwriter
bass guitarist
record producer
Mark Allan Hoppus is an American musician and record producer. He is the co-lead vocalist, co-founder, and bassist for the rock band Blink-182 and the only member to appear on every album.
+ show more
4. Taylor Tomlinson
1993-. (aged 33)
stand-up comedian
television presenter
Taylor Elyse Tomlinson is an American stand-up comedian. She has released three Netflix stand-up specials: Quarter-Life Crisis (2020), Look At You (2022) and Have It All (2024). She hosted the CBS late-night show After Midnight, which ran from January 2024 through June 2025.
+ show more
All 7 notable alumni
General Info & Contacts
Alternative names
CSUSM
Founded
1989
Colors
blue, white
Academic calendar
September to May
Total staff
1,471
Classification
Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Address
333 S Twin Oaks Valley Rd San Marcos, California, 92096-0001 United States
City Population
95,000
Phone
7607504000
Securing connection to Elite Portal...
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