San Francisco State vs. California State University-San Marcos

Should I go to San Francisco State University or California State University San Marcos? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if San Francisco State or California State University-San Marcos is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.

Add a college to compare up to four schools
San Francisco State University vs. California State University San Marcos comparison
San Francisco State University California State University San Marcos College 3 College 4
San Francisco State University California State University San Marcos
Remove Remove +Add +Add

Overview

San Francisco State California State University-San Marcos
Location San Francisco, CA San Marcos, CA
Setting Large City Rural Fringe
Enrollment 25,282 15,109
Type Public 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #789 #836
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website sfsu.edu csusm.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

San Francisco State California State University-San Marcos
Tuition (In State) $5,742 $5,742
Tuition (Out of State) $17,622 $17,622
Room & Board $17,955 $13,972
Avg Net Price $13,267 $10,463
Avg Grant Aid $9,830 $8,922
% Receiving Grant Aid 72% 67%

Admission

San Francisco State California State University-San Marcos
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 29,932 14,774
Admitted 28,195 14,064
Acceptance Rate 94.2% 95.2%
Enrolled % 11.8% 18.1%
Avg High School GPA 3.31 3.32
Typical High School Grades B+ B+
Admissions Standards Extremely Easy Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition
ACT Range 16/23 17/22
SAT Range 930/1130 950/1130
Submit Test Scores Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind) Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)
Application Deadline Nov 30, 2023 Nov 30, 2023

Academics

San Francisco State California State University-San Marcos
Student to Faculty Ratio 19:1 23:1
Popular Majors
  • Business (22%)
  • Social Sciences (9%)
  • Communication (9%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (9%)
  • Psychology (7%)
  • Business (22%)
  • Social Sciences (18%)
  • Communication (12%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (9%)
  • Work and Family Studies (7%)

Outcomes

San Francisco State California State University-San Marcos
Graduation Rate 46% 49%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $52,600 $49,100
Making Student Loan Payments 63% 66%
Median Student Loan Debt $17,250 $17,995
Median Loan Payment $178 $186

Diversity

San Francisco State California State University-San Marcos
% Men 43% 39%
% Women 57% 61%
Racial Diversity Very High Very High
HBCU No No
% White 21% 30%
% Black 5% 3%
% Hispanic 29% 42%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 6% 6%
% International 6% 2%
% Unknown Race 5% 5%

Students

San Francisco State California State University-San Marcos
% In-State 96% 98%
% Out-of-State 1% 1%

Campus

San Francisco State California State University-San Marcos
Campus Housing Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan Yes No
Weekend/Evening Classes No No
Daycare Facility Yes Yes
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • San Francisco State University is larger than than California State University-San Marcos based on total student enrollment (25,282 students vs. 15,109 students)

San Francisco State vs. California State University-San Marcos Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, San Francisco State or California State University-San Marcos?

  • San Francisco State University and California State University-San Marcos cost the same to attend based on in-state tuition ($5,742.00 vs. $5,742.00)
  • Out of state tuition is the same at San Francisco State as California State University San Marcos ($17,622.00 vs. $17,622.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at California State University San Marcos than San Francisco State ($10,463 vs. $13,267)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at California State University San Marcos are 28.5% lower than costs at San Francisco State University ($13,972 vs. $17,955)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at San Francisco State University than California State University San Marcos (72% vs. 67%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by San Francisco State University students is 10.2% larger than aid received California State University San Marcos ($9,830 vs. $8,922)

San Francisco State vs. California State University-San Marcos Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, San Francisco State or California State University-San Marcos? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between California State University-San Marcos or San Francisco State .

  • The average SAT score at San Francisco State University (979) is 24 points higher than at California State University-San Marcos (955)
  • Incoming San Francisco State students have at the same average ACT score (21) as students at California State University-San Marcos (21)
  • Accepted freshman California State University-San Marcos students have a 0.01 point higher average high school GPA (3.32) than students at San Francisco State (3.31)
  • California State University-San Marcos has a higher acceptance rate (95.2%) than San Francisco State (94.2%)

San Francisco State vs. California State University-San Marcos Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, San Francisco State or California State University-San Marcos? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between California State University-San Marcos and San Francisco State.

  • The graduation rate at California State University-San Marcos is higher than San Francisco State University (49% vs. 46%)
  • Graduates from San Francisco State University earn on average $3,500 more per year than California State University-San Marcos graduates after ten years. ($52,600 vs. $49,100)
  • San Francisco State University students graduate with a $745 lower median federal student loan debt than California State University-San Marcos graduates. ($17,250 vs. $17,995)
  • San Francisco State graduates are paying $8 less per month on federal student loans than California State University-San Marcos graduates. ($178 vs. $186)
  • More California State University-San Marcos graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former San Francisco State students, three years after graduation. (66% vs. 63%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/