California State University-Monterey Bay (CSUMB) vs CSU San Marcos

California State University-Monterey Bay (CSUMB) and California State University-San Marcos (CSUSM) are two distinct universities within the California State University system, each offering unique educational experiences. CSUMB, located in the vibrant coastal city of Seaside, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a smaller student body, fostering a close-knit community. In contrast, CSUSM, situated in the dynamic city of San Marcos, has a larger student population and a lower acceptance rate, providing a more diverse and bustling campus environment. While both universities offer a wide range of academic programs, CSUMB excels in marine science and environmental studies, while CSUSM is renowned for its business and nursing programs. Explore the detailed comparison table below to delve into further distinctions between these two esteemed institutions and discover which one aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California State University-Monterey Bay	California State University-San Marcos
Overview
Location	Seaside, California	San Marcos, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Midsize	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	81.0%	79.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	92.8%	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	10,026	13,986
Total number of admissions given out	9,305	13,049
Admitted students who chose to enroll	779	2,413
Yield rate	8.4%	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: $26,430 Out of state: $38,310	In state: $22,366 Out of state: $34,246
Average net price	$6,085	$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: $9,642 Meal plan: $4,558
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	69.0% Average amount $9,097	70.0% Average amount $9,298
Students receiving federal student loan	25.0% Average amount $3,379	22.0% Average amount $4,734
Students taking out private loans	2.0% Average amount $11,953	1.0% Average amount $12,988

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	6,692 Men 38.1% Women 61.9%	14,963 Men 38.4% Women 61.6%
Graduate students	811 Men 29.8% Women 70.2%	1,292 Men 28.4% Women 71.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	2.4%	1.5%
International students	4.8%	3.4%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Midsize	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	3,565	1,547
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Colorado Hawaii Arizona Illinois	California Colorado Washington Virginia Arizona

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Psychology Liberal Arts Computer and Information Science Public Administration and Social Service	Business Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences Computer and Information Science Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	23:1	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	60.2%	59.2%
Dropout rate	30.1%	33.6%
Transferred out	7.3%	2.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $109,260 Year 2: $76,460 Year 3: $110,683 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $80,700 Year 2: $79,389 Year 3: $83,389 Educational/Instructional Media Design (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $69,186 Year 2: $71,957 Year 3: $75,206 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $58,031 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $68,691 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,187 Year 2: $55,964 Year 3: $65,124 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,008 Year 2: $60,049 Year 3: $63,971 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,999 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $52,338 Human Services, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $35,158 Year 2: $36,533 Year 3: $43,406 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,259 Year 2: $32,467 Year 3: $40,471 Mathematics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $37,318 Year 2: $33,993 Year 3: $40,347	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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