CSU Fresno vs CSU San Marcos

California State University-Fresno and California State University-San Marcos, both esteemed institutions within the California State University system, offer unique educational experiences to prospective students. While they share the common goal of providing high-quality education, they differ in several key aspects. CSU-Fresno boasts a higher acceptance rate, allowing more students the opportunity to pursue their academic aspirations. CSU-San Marcos, on the other hand, has a slightly higher graduation rate, indicating a strong commitment to student success. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details, including popular majors, student body demographics, and additional factors that may influence your decision. Discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences, ensuring a fulfilling and enriching college experience.

	California State University-Fresno	California State University-San Marcos
Overview
Location	Fresno, California	San Marcos, California
Campus setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	77.0%	79.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	97.3%	93.3%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	15,231	13,986
Total number of admissions given out	14,816	13,049
Admitted students who chose to enroll	3,451	2,413
Yield rate	23.3%	18.5%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $28,085 Out of state: $39,965	In state: $22,366 Out of state: $34,246
Average net price	$6,336	$14,296
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622
Room & board	Room/dormitory: $5,433 Meal plan: $4,560
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	82.0% Average amount $10,314	70.0% Average amount $9,298
Students receiving federal student loan	12.0% Average amount $4,620	22.0% Average amount $4,734
Students taking out private loans	0.0% Average amount $8,114	1.0% Average amount $12,988

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	22,187 Men 39.9% Women 60.1%	14,963 Men 38.4% Women 61.6%
Graduate students	2,860 Men 33.8% Women 66.2%	1,292 Men 28.4% Women 71.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.1%	1.5%
International students	4.8%	3.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,139	1,547
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Arizona Washington Colorado Hawaii	California Colorado Washington Virginia Arizona

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Engineering Public Administration and Social Service	Business Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences Computer and Information Science Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	22:1	25:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	56.6%	59.2%
Dropout rate	36.1%	33.6%
Transferred out	1.6%	2.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $134,798 Year 2: $152,201 Year 3: $138,860 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $108,496 Year 2: $102,409 Year 3: $120,286 Educational Administration and Supervision (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $86,427 Year 2: $101,964 Year 3: $107,577 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $83,988 Year 2: $90,049 Year 3: $93,007 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $83,843 Year 2: $86,867 Year 3: $92,510 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $84,004 Year 2: $85,159 Year 3: $89,931 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,885 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $84,934 Construction Engineering Technologies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $66,380 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $83,440 Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $81,726 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $69,361 Year 2: $70,009 Year 3: $79,715	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $107,746 Year 2: $103,555 Year 3: $111,324 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $90,827 Year 2: $88,074 Year 3: $90,666 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,843 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $83,791 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $66,941 Year 3: $72,765 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,962 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $71,818 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,769 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $68,571 Physics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $65,899 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,297 Year 2: $49,520 Year 3: $62,797 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,252 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $59,957 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $45,864 Year 3: $57,022

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CSU Fresno vs CSU San Marcos

California State University-Fresno

California State University-San Marcos

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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