$10,241/yr
Average net price per year, what students actually pay
California State University-San Marcos
San Marcos, CA·Public · 4-year
GradFax Verified · Federal IPEDS data, updated July 26, 2026
Overview
Admission is open here, so getting in is not the hard part. Most students pay far less than the sticker price: the average student receiving aid pays $10,241 a year against a $27,008 list price, a 62% gap.
California State University-San Marcos is a suburban public four-year institution located in San Marcos, CA. It enrolls a mid-sized student body of approximately 16,237 undergraduate students. As a public institution, it is supported by state funding and typically offers lower tuition rates for in-state residents.
At a glance
Data from IPEDS, U.S. Dept. of Education.
Admissions
Academic fit
Admission probability
Students like you
Application tracker
Deadline tracker
Essay prompts
Data from IPEDS, U.S. Dept. of Education. Verify current figures with the school.
Academics
Student:faculty
24:1
Avg class size (est.)
~60 students
Data from IPEDS, U.S. Dept. of Education. Verify current figures with the school.
Costs
Sticker price
$27,008
Avg net price after aid
$10,241
Net price calculator
Data from IPEDS, U.S. Dept. of Education. Verify current figures with the school.
Financial aid
Receiving financial aid
63%
Avg grant aid
$11,025
Data from College Scorecard, U.S. Dept. of Education.
Student body
Data from IPEDS, U.S. Dept. of Education. Verify current figures with the school.
Campus life
Food near campus
Housing & living costs
Find off-campus housing
Data from IPEDS, U.S. Dept. of Education. Verify current figures with the school.
Location
Distance from home
Cost of living
Data from IPEDS, U.S. Dept. of Education. Verify current figures with the school.
Graduate programs
Search grad programs →Detailed graduate program data coming soon.
More about California State University-San Marcos
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19 reported figures shown on this page. Every one is sourced from a federal database, a verified API, or clearly labeled community data.