What is California State University, San Marcos's acceptance rate?

California State University, San Marcos admitted 19,864 of 20,881 first-year applicants for 2025-26, an acceptance rate of 95.1%, according to its Common Data Set.

Does California State University, San Marcos have early decision?

No. California State University, San Marcos does not offer early decision, per its 2025-26 Common Data Set.

What SAT score do you need for California State University, San Marcos?

The middle 50% of California State University, San Marcos's enrolled first-years scored 860–1113 on the SAT and 18.5–24 on the ACT.

How much does California State University, San Marcos cost?

Tuition is $6,838 in-state, plus $15,388 for food and housing, before aid.

What is California State University, San Marcos's graduation rate?

54.9% of students graduate within six years.

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California State University, San Marcos Common Data Set 2025-26

CATest policy: Test-optional: SAT/ACT not used in admission decisions (C8A No); scores used for placement (SAT, ACT, AP, CLEP, institutional, state exam)Compare with other schools AP credit

Acceptance rate

95.1%

19,864 of 20,881

Early decision rate

No ED

SAT middle 50%

860–1113

ACT middle 50%

18.5–24

Admissions

AppliedC1	20,881
AdmittedC1	19,864
EnrolledC1	2,705
YieldC1	13.6%
Early decisionC21	Not offered
Early actionC22	Not offered

Waitlist

Offered a placeC2	—
Accepted a placeC2	—
Admitted from waitlistC2	—
Odds if you stay on the listC2	—

Test scores and GPA

Submitted SATC9	2.3%
Submitted ACTC9	0.4%
SAT Reading & Writing (25th–75th)C9	450–570
SAT Math (25th–75th)C9	430–530
Average high school GPAC12	3.32
GPA of 4.0C11	6.6%
GPA 3.75–3.99C11	13.5%
GPA 3.50–3.74C11	16.6%
GPA below 3.50C11	63.5%

Cost and financial aid

Tuition, in-stateG1	$6,838
Tuition, out-of-stateG1	$20,968
Required feesG1	$2,496
Food and housingG1	$15,388
Need fully met (first-years)H2	—
Average % of need metH2	—
Average need-based packageH2	—
Average need-based grantH2	—

What admissions looks at

Rigor of secondary school recordNot considered
Class rankNot considered
Academic GPAVery important
Standardized test scoresNot considered
Application essayNot considered
Recommendation(s)Not considered
InterviewNot considered
Extracurricular activitiesNot considered
Talent/abilityNot considered
Character/personal qualitiesNot considered
First generationConsidered
Alumni/ae relationNot considered
Geographical residenceConsidered
State residencyConsidered
Religious affiliation/commitmentNot considered
Volunteer workNot considered
Work experienceNot considered
Level of applicant's interestNot considered

From item C7.

Outcomes

UndergraduatesB1	15,770
First-year retentionB22	79.1%
4-year graduation rateB	—
6-year graduation rateB	54.9%

Notes on this filing

C2: waitlist policy is 'No' and all three waitlist counts are blank; waitlist fields left null.
C.2101/C.2201: early decision and early action are 'No'; their applied/admitted counts are blank.
C8A says SAT/ACT are not used in admission decisions, but C8G lists SAT, ACT and AP as placement tests and C.901/C.902 report 2.3% SAT and 0.4% ACT submitters. C8F clarification is blank, so the policy phrase reflects C8A and C8G and this is flagged as inconsistent.
G/C.901: percent submitting converted from fractions (0.023 and 0.004).
B4-B11 four-year graduation rate is not printed as a rate; only completer counts (605 of 2131) are given, so grad_rate_4yr is null. The six-year rate (54.9) is from the Fall 2019 cohort total.
Retention rate 0.791 converted to 79.1 (C.2203).
C11 GPA bands sum to 100.32% (C.1130 total 1.0032), exceeding 100%. pct_below_3_50 is the sum of the 3.25-3.49, 3.00-3.24, 2.50-2.99 and 2.0-2.49 bands (0.6352), with 1.0-1.99 and below 1.0 at zero.
G1: public institution. In-district tuition (6838) equals in-state out-of-district tuition, so tuition_in_state is 6838 and tuition is null. Room and board is the on-campus food and housing figure (15388; housing 12020 + food 3368).
H2: only line A (2488 first-time first-year students) is printed; lines B-M and the H1 dollar amounts are blank, so all aid fields are null.
Financial aid data are for 2025-2026 (estimated), while cost data are for 2026-2027.

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California State University, San Marcos admissions FAQ

What is California State University, San Marcos's acceptance rate?: California State University, San Marcos admitted 19,864 of 20,881 first-year applicants for 2025-26, an acceptance rate of 95.1%, according to its Common Data Set.
Does California State University, San Marcos have early decision?: No. California State University, San Marcos does not offer early decision, per its 2025-26 Common Data Set.
What SAT score do you need for California State University, San Marcos?: The middle 50% of California State University, San Marcos's enrolled first-years scored 860–1113 on the SAT and 18.5–24 on the ACT.
How much does California State University, San Marcos cost?: Tuition is $6,838 in-state, plus $15,388 for food and housing, before aid.
What is California State University, San Marcos's graduation rate?: 54.9% of students graduate within six years.

Source: California State University, San Marcos Common Data Set 2025-26 . “—” means the college left the item blank.