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California State University San Marcos: Courses, Admission, Cost
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California State San Marcos (CSUSM) is a fully accredited state university, recognized for quality in undergraduate and graduate academic offerings, community service learning, and research excellence. California State University-San Marcos (CSUSM) has a total student body of 17,000 including 373 international and exchange students. Further, 15% of the international students are Indian.
About California State University San Marcos
History
Based in San Marcos, California, The California State University San Marcos (CSUSM) is a public institution that first opened its doors back in 1989, in a rented office space, with a total of 448 juniors, seniors, & a dozen faculty members.
It offered its first of Bachelor of Arts degrees in 1991 to seven students & opened its permanent campus in Fall 1992, after the completion of the Craven Hall, Academic Hall & Science Hall I.
Accreditation
The instituite is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC), the official accrediting body of higher educational institutions in the Western parts of the United States.
Student Population
The overall student population at CSUSM is over 14,000 students, that are enrolled across 43 undergradaute courses, 24 postgraduate courses, 39 minor courses, 8 credential programs, & 1 joint doctoral program in collaboration with UC San Diego
Rankings
The institute ranks highly as part of university rankings given by numerous prominent university ranking platforms. The institute attains a US-wide rank of #313 for its BBA course & #335 for its Business & Management studies courses, overall, as part of the latest Shiksha Popularity Rankings.
A major university ranking platform ranks it #251-300 as part of its National University Rankings 2025, while another ranks it #22 as part of its Regional University West Rankings 2025.
Commonly asked questions On Highlights
San Maros is famous for being the educational hub of the North County, being home to the award-winning Palomar College & the California State University San Marcos.
Other than that, it is home to one of the top wineries in North County San Diego, the Sunshine Mountain Wines. Its NCAA Division II team, the Cal State San Marcos Cougars are the city's favorites that participate in over 13 different sports.
And last but not the least, it is located just 35 miles south of San Diego that is known for its beautiful, sunny beaches, & scenic shorelines.
CSUSM is considered among the best institutions in the region, being fully accredited by the region's most prominent accreditation board: Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC).
The institute also ranks highly as part of country-level rankings given by some popular university ranking publications, with one major source ranking it #22 for Regional Universities West Rankings 2025 while another ranked it #251-300 as part of its National University Rankings 2025.
California State San Marcos Rankings
Check where California State University-San Marcos (CSUSM) ranked to get an idea about its offerings. US News has ranked CSUSM under the following categories.
- #39 in Regional Universities West
- #10 in Best Undergraduate Teaching
- #33 in Best Value Schools
- #17 in Top Public Schools (Top Public Universities in the West)
California State San Marcos Popular Programmes
CSUSM offers 43 bachelor's, 39 minors, 24 master's, 8 credentials, and 1 joint doctoral program through its four colleges: the College of Business Administration; the College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics; the College of Humanities, Arts, Behavioral and Social Sciences; and the College of Education, Health and Human Services. Social Sciences, Business, Management, Marketing, Psychology, Health Professions, Communication, and Journalism are some of the popular majors offered by CSUSM.
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California State University San Marcos Admission 2026
For California State University San Marcos admission, Indian students have to apply online through the official website. The general admission requirements include meeting the entry requirements and English language proficiency requirements. The California State University San Marcos accepts English Language exam scores such as IELTS, TOEFL, PTE, Duolingo, GRE and GMAT as a proof. Also at the end of application process, there is an application fee. To complete the application process, students are required to submit a few documents such as SOP, LOR, Essay and CV.
- Application fees :USD 70
- Type of deadline :Depends on course
4 yearsCalifornia State San Marcos Placements
CSUSM has an impressive placement rate. As per the university, 78% job placement rates 6 months post-graduation.
California State San Marcos Fees & Eligibility
| Courses | 1st Year Tuition Fees | Duration & Eligibility |
|---|---|---|
B.Sc.(12 courses) | INR 16 L - 17 LGet Fee Details | Duration: 4 years Exam Accepted: IELTS: 5.5 & Above, PTE: 50 & Above, TOEFL: 61 & Above, Duolingo: 95 & Above |
MS(9 courses) | INR 13 L - 31 LGet Fee Details | Duration: 18-24 months Exam Accepted: IELTS: 6 & Above, PTE: 65 & Above, TOEFL: 80 & Above, Duolingo: 110 & Above, GRE |
B.E. / B.Tech(6 courses) | INR 16 L - 17 LGet Fee Details | Duration: 4 years Exam Accepted: IELTS: 5.5 & Above, PTE: 50 & Above, TOEFL: 61 & Above, Duolingo: 95 & Above |
B.A.(10 courses) | INR 17 LGet Fee Details | Duration: 4 years Exam Accepted: IELTS: 5.5 & Above, PTE: 50 & Above, TOEFL: 61 & Above, Duolingo: 95 & Above |
BSN(1 course) | INR 17 LGet Fee Details | Duration: 4 years Exam Accepted: IELTS: 5.5 & Above, PTE |
M.A.(6 courses) | INR 14 L - 15 LGet Fee Details | Duration: 18 months-2 years Exam Accepted: IELTS: 6 & Above, PTE: 65 & Above, TOEFL: 80 & Above, Duolingo: 110 & Above |
MBA/PGDM(1 course) | INR 29 LGet Fee Details | Duration: 1 year Exam Accepted: GMAT, GRE, IELTS, TOEFL: 80 & Above, PTE: 65 & Above, Duolingo: 110 & Above |
MPH(1 course) | INR 18 LGet Fee Details | Duration: 16 months Exam Accepted: IELTS, TOEFL: 80 & Above, PTE: 65 & Above, Duolingo: 110 & Above |
BBA(10 courses) | INR 17 LGet Fee Details | Duration: 4 years Exam Accepted: IELTS: 5.5 & Above, PTE: 50 & Above, TOEFL: 61 & Above, Duolingo: 95 & Above |
Others PG(3 courses) | INR 13 L - 14 LGet Fee Details | Duration: 18-24 months Exam Accepted: IELTS: 6 & Above, PTE |
Cal State San MarcosStudent profile
Hispanic
51%
Others
35%
Asian
9%
Black
3%
In state
98%
Out of state
1%
24 and under
81%
25 and over
18%
UG Number of Applicant
Overall Graduation Rate
UG Enrollment
PG Enrollment
California State San Marcos Notable Alumni
Some of the notable alumni of California State University San Marcos are mentioned below.
|
Name |
Profession |
|---|---|
|
Shaun White |
American Snowboarder |
|
Rocky Chavez |
American Politician |
|
Mark Hoppus |
Musician |
College comparison
Compare Cal State San Marcos with other similar colleges
| College | 1st Year Tuition Fees | Ranking |
|---|---|---|
| INR 16.12 L - 17.41 L | -/- | |
| INR 20.52 L | -/- | |
| INR 16.76 L - 17.73 L | #127 US News, 2026 | |
| INR 23.66 L | -/- | |
| INR 15.1 L - 18.52 L | #373 US News, 2026 | |
| INR 19.84 L | #301 US News, 2026 |
CompareCal State San MarcosStudying in USA
Key Facts About USA
Insights on education, demographics & weather.
International Students at California State San Marcos
California State University-San Marcos (CSUSM) has a total student body of 17,000 including 373 international and exchange students. further, 15% of the international students are Indian.
Student enrollment at CSUSM for Fall 2021
|
Particulars |
Students Enrolled |
|---|---|
|
Undergraduate enrollment |
14,963 |
|
Undergraduate transfer-in enrollment |
2,022 |
|
Graduate enrollment |
1,292 |
|
Total enrollment |
16,255 |
(Source: National Center for Education Statistics)
Cal State San Marcos
Student Forum
Anything you would want to ask experts?Answered 8 months ago
The students can make an application for two intakes in a year at this university which are Fall and Spring.
The students are expected to gather all the documents required before applying on the official portal for applying to the California State University San Marcos PG and UG courses.
The Californ
R
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 8 months ago
As per some unofficial souces, the California State University San Marcos acceptance rate stands at 95.70% for the year 2024 which is a good acceptance rate for a university. This suggests the out of every 100 applications, 95 to 96 students were accepted by the university. In the year 2024, 17,519
L
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 8 months ago
The admission requirements at California State University San Marcos vary on the level of study and the different programs. The basic CSUSM admission requirements include valid academic proofs, English proficiency test scores such as IELTS/TOEFL/PTE, academic transcripts, standardized entrance test
V
Contributor-Level 8
Answered 8 months ago
International students are required to get an F-1 student visa for California State University San Marcos as it is situated in the USA. After getting the admission confirmation from California State University San Marcos, the students must arrange all these documents with the VISA fee:
· SEVI
M
Contributor-Level 9
Answered 8 months ago
The students are expected to apply through the official application portal of the university named as Cal State Apply website for the UG and PG courses. While appying for the same, the students are expected to pay an application fee of USD 70 (INR 6,011).
P
Contributor-Level 8
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Cal State San MarcosLocation
| University City | San Marcos, California, USA |
Cal State San MarcosContact Information
333 S Twin Oaks Valley Rd, San Marcos, CA 92096, USA
San Marcos ( California)
(For general query)
(For admission query)
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