California State University-San Marcos
San Marcos, CA · Public
Acceptance Rate Trend
Up 37.3 percentage points since 2018
Applications & Admissions
Yield Rate Trend
Percentage of admitted students who enroll
Most Popular Majors (2023)
Degrees awarded in latest year
Major Popularity Over Time
How top majors have grown or declined
Earnings by Major
This school vs. national range (2yr after graduation)
Historical Admissions Data
Each row shows the admissions cycle for that academic year. Applicants is the total number of students who applied for freshman admission. Admitted shows how many received acceptance letters. Rate is the acceptance rate (admitted ÷ applicants) — lower percentages indicate more selective schools. Yield measures the percentage of admitted students who actually enrolled — a high yield (above 50%) suggests the school is a top choice for admitted students, while lower yields indicate students often choose other options. SAT shows the 25th-75th percentile range, meaning the middle 50% of enrolled students scored within this range. Data is sourced from IPEDS, the federal database where all US colleges report annually.
| Year | Applicants | Admitted | Rate | Yield |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023 | 17,519 | 16,765 | 95.7% | 15.7% |
| 2022 | 14,774 | 14,064 | 95.2% | 18.1% |
| 2021 | 13,986 | 13,049 | 93.3% | 18.5% |
| 2020 | 15,413 | 12,241 | 79.4% | 18.4% |
| 2019 | 17,349 | 10,699 | 61.7% | 21.0% |
| 2018 | 17,649 | 10,311 | 58.4% | 24.0% |
| 2017 | 16,514 | 9,374 | 56.8% | 26.7% |
| 2016 | 15,366 | 7,965 | 51.8% | 27.0% |
| 2015 | 13,718 | 7,413 | 54.0% | 29.7% |
Graduate Outcomes
Tuition & Costs (2023)
What You'll Actually Pay
Net price after grants/scholarships by family income
Popular Majors
- 1 Business Administration, Management and Operations
- 2 Psychology, General
- 3 Sociology
- 4 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
- 5 Criminology
Highest Earning Majors
- Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing $88,074
- Computer Science $71,015
- Physics $57,318
- Accounting and Related Services $55,286
- Finance and Financial Management Services $49,520
Student Demographics (2023)
Financial Aid (2023)
Grants are free money; loans must be repaid