UC Riverside vs. California State University-San Marcos vs. CSUDH vs. UNLV

Should I go to University of California Riverside or California State University San Marcos? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if UC Riverside 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.
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University of California Riverside vs. California State University San Marcos vs. California State University Dominguez Hills vs. University of Nevada Las Vegas comparison
University of California Riverside California State University San Marcos California State University Dominguez Hills University of Nevada Las Vegas
University of California Riverside California State University San Marcos California State University Dominguez Hills University of Nevada Las Vegas
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Overview

 UC Riverside California State University-San Marcos CSUDH UNLV
Location Riverside, CA San Marcos, CA Carson, CA Las Vegas, NV
Setting Large City Rural Fringe Small City Midsize City
Enrollment 26,426 15,431 15,181 31,094
Type Public 4 Year Public 4 Year Public 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #265 #833 #652
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit Non-profit Non-profit
Website ucr.edu csusm.edu csudh.edu unlv.edu
Team Colors                                        

Costs

 UC Riverside California State University-San Marcos CSUDH UNLV
Tuition (In State) $11,834 $5,742 $5,742 $8,354
Tuition (Out of State) $42,611 $17,622 $17,622 $25,310
Room & Board $19,433 $14,152 $16,886 $12,072
Avg Net Price $13,533 $10,500 $4,438 $11,388
Avg Grant Aid $21,566 $10,247 $11,074 $7,580
% Receiving Grant Aid 70% 72% 94% 90%

Admission

 UC Riverside California State University-San Marcos CSUDH UNLV
Applied 62,807 17,519 19,040 12,232
Admitted 39,758 16,765 17,388 11,774
Acceptance Rate 63.3% 95.7% 91.3% 61.8%
Enrolled % 13.9% 15.7% 9.9% 26.4%
Avg High School GPA 3.84 3.32 3.16 3.4
Typical High School Grades A- B+ B B+
Admissions Standards Difficult Extremely Easy Unavailable Easy
Applicant Competition Low
ACT Range 22/31 17/22 18/24
SAT Range 1080/1280 950/1130 980/1230
Submit Test Scores Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind) Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind) Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind) Not required for admission, but considered if submitted (Test Optional)
Application Deadline Nov 30, 2025 Nov 30, 2025 Dec 4, 2025 Jun 1, 2026

Academics

 UC Riverside California State University-San Marcos CSUDH UNLV
Student to Faculty Ratio 23:1 21:1 18:1 18:1
Popular Majors
  • Social Sciences (19%)
  • Business (18%)
  • Biology (14%)
  • Psychology (11%)
  • General Studies (6%)
  • Business (22%)
  • Social Sciences (18%)
  • Communication (12%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (9%)
  • Work and Family Studies (7%)
  • Business (21%)
  • Health Professions (13%)
  • Social Sciences (10%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (10%)
  • Psychology (9%)
  • Business (58%)
  • Psychology (15%)
  • Social Sciences (13%)
  • Education (11%)
  • Visual and Performing Arts (10%)

Outcomes

 UC Riverside California State University-San Marcos CSUDH UNLV
Graduation Rate 67% 49% 24% 40%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $52,200 $49,100 $46,800 $47,600
Making Student Loan Payments 65% 66% 52% 52%
Median Student Loan Debt $19,109 $17,995 $13,962 $19,018
Median Loan Payment $197 $186 $144 $196

Diversity

 UC Riverside California State University-San Marcos CSUDH UNLV
% Men 9% 2% 6% 7%
% Women 5% 6% 11% 10%
Racial Diversity Very High Very High High Very High
HBCU No No No No
% White 13% 30% 8% 35%
% Black 4% 3% 13% 8%
% Hispanic 36% 42% 59% 26%
% Native American 0% 0% 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0% 0% 1%
% Two or More Races 4% 6% 3% 9%
% International 4% 2% 3% 4%
% Unknown Race 1% 5% 4% 1%

Students

 UC Riverside California State University-San Marcos CSUDH UNLV
% In-State 95% 97% 99% 85%
% Out-of-State 1% 2% 0% 14%

Campus

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

Comparable Facts

  • University of California Riverside is larger than than California State University-San Marcos based on total student enrollment (26,426 students vs. 15,431 students)

UC Riverside vs. California State University-San Marcos Cost Comparison

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

  • University of California Riverside is 106.1% more expensive to attend than California State University-San Marcos for in-state tuition ($11,834.00 vs. $5,742.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 141.8% higher at UC Riverside than California State University San Marcos ($42,611.00 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 UC Riverside ($10,500 vs. $13,533)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at California State University San Marcos are 37.3% lower than costs at University of California Riverside ($14,152 vs. $19,433)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at California State University San Marcos than University of California Riverside (72% vs. 70%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by University of California Riverside students is 110.5% larger than aid received California State University San Marcos ($21,566 vs. $10,247)

UC Riverside vs. California State University-San Marcos Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, UC Riverside 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 UC Riverside .

  • The average SAT score at University of California Riverside (1119) is 164 points higher than at California State University-San Marcos (955)
  • Incoming UC Riverside students have a 5 point higher average ACT score (26) than students at California State University-San Marcos (21)
  • Accepted freshman UC Riverside students have a 0.52 point higher average high school GPA (3.84) than students at California State University-San Marcos (3.32)
  • California State University-San Marcos has a higher acceptance rate (95.7%) than UC Riverside (63.3%)

UC Riverside vs. California State University-San Marcos Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, UC Riverside 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 UC Riverside.

  • The graduation rate at UC Riverside is higher than California State University San Marcos (67% vs. 49%)
  • Graduates from University of California Riverside earn on average $3,100 more per year than California State University-San Marcos graduates after ten years. ($52,200 vs. $49,100)
  • California State University San Marcos students graduate with a $1,114 lower median federal student loan debt than UC Riverside graduates. ($17,995 vs. $19,109)
  • California State University-San Marcos graduates are paying $11 less per month on federal student loans than UC Riverside graduates. ($186 vs. $197)
  • More California State University-San Marcos graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former UC Riverside students, three years after graduation. (66% vs. 65%)

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