CSU San Marcos vs CSU Bakersfield

California State University-San Marcos (CSUSM) and California State University-Bakersfield (CSUB) are two distinct universities within the California State University system, each offering unique educational experiences. CSUSM, located in the vibrant city of San Marcos, boasts a higher acceptance rate and a larger student body compared to CSUB. With its focus on liberal arts and sciences, CSUSM attracts students interested in fields like business, psychology, and communication. On the other hand, CSUB, situated in the heart of California's agricultural region, emphasizes agricultural sciences and business, catering to students seeking careers in these industries. While both universities offer a diverse range of programs, their acceptance rates, popular majors, student demographics, and graduation rates vary significantly. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California State University-Bakersfield	California State University-San Marcos
Overview
Location	Bakersfield, 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	75.0%	79.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	85.2%	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	12,334	13,986
Total number of admissions given out	10,510	13,049
Admitted students who chose to enroll	1,165	2,413
Yield rate	11.1%	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: $28,783 Out of state: $40,663	In state: $22,366 Out of state: $34,246
Average net price	$7,368	$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: $9,000 Meal plan: $4,200
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	88.0% Average amount $10,725	70.0% Average amount $9,298
Students receiving federal student loan	16.0% Average amount $4,511	22.0% Average amount $4,734
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $5,495	1.0% Average amount $12,988

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	9,367 Men 34.7% Women 65.3%	14,963 Men 38.4% Women 61.6%
Graduate students	1,605 Men 25.1% Women 74.9%	1,292 Men 28.4% Women 71.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.9%	1.5%
International students	3.7%	3.4%
Campus local/setting	City: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	500	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 Colorado Washington Florida	California Colorado Washington Virginia Arizona

Academics
Popular study areas	Education Public Administration and Social Service Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Communication and Journalism Business	Business Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences Computer and Information Science Kinesiology & Leisure Studies
Students to faculty ratio	21:1	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	47.6%	59.2%
Dropout rate	43.9%	33.6%
Transferred out	1.8%	2.6%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $81,247 Year 2: $80,521 Year 3: $85,224 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $63,530 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $79,366 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,597 Year 2: $67,995 Year 3: $72,066 Engineering Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,382 Year 2: $48,041 Year 3: $64,423 Social Work (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $57,342 Year 2: $58,943 Year 3: $64,084 Natural Resources Management and Policy (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $63,823 Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $53,608 Year 3: $62,781 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $50,856 Year 3: $60,695 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $54,359 Year 3: $60,583 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $52,941 Year 3: $60,474	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 San Marcos vs CSU Bakersfield

California State University-Bakersfield

California State University-San Marcos

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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