CSU San Marcos vs Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU)

California State University-San Marcos (CSUSM) and Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU) are two public universities located in distinct regions of the United States, each offering unique educational experiences. CSUSM, nestled in the vibrant city of San Marcos, California, boasts a diverse student body and a strong focus on undergraduate education. In contrast, FGCU, situated in the sunny city of Fort Myers, Florida, is known for its beautiful campus, commitment to sustainability, and emphasis on research. While both universities share similarities in their academic offerings and commitment to student success, they differ in acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California State University-San Marcos	Florida Gulf Coast University
Overview
Location	San Marcos, California	Fort Myers, Florida
Campus setting	Suburb: 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	79.0%	82.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	93.3%	89.2%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $30 Graduate: $30
SAT range	N/A	1010 - 1180
ACT range	N/A	19 - 25
Students submitting SAT score		79.0%
Students submitting ACT score		45.0%
Total number of applicants	13,986	14,462
Total number of admissions given out	13,049	12,901
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,413	3,125
Yield rate	18.5%	24.2%
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	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,366 Out of state: $34,246	In state: $20,390 Out of state: $39,434
Average net price	$14,296	$9,840
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $4,191 Out of state: $22,328
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $4,820 Meal plan: $4,346
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	70.0% Average amount $9,298	78.0% Average amount $6,754
Students receiving federal student loan	22.0% Average amount $4,734	30.0% Average amount $7,251
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $12,988	4.0% Average amount $16,201

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,963 Men 38.4% Women 61.6%	14,228 Men 42.9% Women 57.1%
Graduate students	1,292 Men 28.4% Women 71.6%	1,681 Men 29.2% Women 70.8%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	1.5%	17.6%
International students	3.4%	2.1%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,547	4,732
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Colorado Washington Virginia Arizona	Florida Illinois New Jersey Pennsylvania Ohio

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

Outcome
Graduation rate	59.2%	56.2%
Dropout rate	33.6%	26.2%
Transferred out	2.6%	13.4%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	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	Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,910 Year 2: $59,722 Year 3: $85,341 Computer Software and Media Applications (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $74,972 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $70,296 Year 3: $73,324 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $66,429 Year 2: $66,821 Year 3: $68,880 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $51,840 Year 2: $59,124 Year 3: $68,095 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $47,707 Year 2: $47,520 Year 3: $65,837 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $60,279 Year 2: $62,409 Year 3: $64,731 Civil Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,799 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $63,963 Biomedical/Medical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $48,944 Year 2: $46,769 Year 3: $59,253 Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $54,874 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $58,083

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