Cal U of Pa vs CSU San Marcos

California University of Pennsylvania and California State University-San Marcos, while sharing the "California" name, offer distinct educational experiences. Cal U, located in California, Pennsylvania, boasts a higher acceptance rate (79%) compared to CSUSM's 36%, making it a more accessible option. Cal U's student body is predominantly undergraduate, with a larger population of male students, while CSUSM has a more balanced gender ratio and a significant graduate student population. Both universities offer diverse academic programs, with Cal U excelling in fields like Business, Education, and Health Professions, and CSUSM excelling in Business, Communication, and Psychology. Explore the detailed comparison table to discover more about these institutions' unique strengths and make an informed decision that aligns with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California State University-San Marcos	California University of Pennsylvania
Overview
Location	San Marcos, California	California, Pennsylvania
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Small
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%	67.0%
Common app member	No	Yes
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	93.3%	97.1%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	Undergraduate: $35 Graduate: $35
SAT range	N/A	940 - 1150
ACT range	N/A	18 - 24
Students submitting SAT score		38.0%
Students submitting ACT score		6.0%
Total number of applicants	13,986	3,933
Total number of admissions given out	13,049	3,818
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,413	815
Yield rate	18.5%	21.3%
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: $22,366 Out of state: $34,246	In state: $27,904 Out of state: $32,522
Average net price	$14,296	$20,317
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $7,716 Out of state: $11,574
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $6,822 Meal plan: $3,900
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	70.0% Average amount $9,298	92.0% Average amount $6,250
Students receiving federal student loan	22.0% Average amount $4,734	62.0% Average amount $4,982
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $12,988	8.0% Average amount $9,920

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,963 Men 38.4% Women 61.6%	4,463 Men 43.3% Women 56.7%
Graduate students	1,292 Men 28.4% Women 71.6%	2,046 Men 30.4% Women 69.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Low
Out-of-state students	1.5%	13.0%
International students	3.4%	1.0%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	Suburb: Small
Dormitory capacity	1,547	2,075
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	Pennsylvania Ohio New York Maryland New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences Computer and Information Science Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Education Health Professions Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business Law Enforcement and Firefighting
Students to faculty ratio	25:1	19:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Middle States Commission on Higher Education

Outcome
Graduation rate	59.2%	48.4%
Dropout rate	33.6%	23.8%
Transferred out	2.6%	26.0%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $78,275 Year 2: $79,284 Year 3: $81,087 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,369 Year 2: $63,402 Year 3: $67,338 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $44,734 Year 2: $55,693 Year 3: $63,169 Electrical Engineering Technologies/Technicians (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,118 Year 2: $54,109 Year 3: $57,285 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $50,198 Year 2: $48,139 Year 3: $55,763 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $56,913 Year 2: $52,684 Year 3: $54,844 Legal Professions and Studies, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $42,682 Year 3: $51,531 Legal Research and Advanced Professional Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $51,279 Year 2: $37,208 Year 3: $50,258 Communication Disorders Sciences and Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $41,266 Year 2: $46,087 Year 3: $49,620 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $42,906 Year 2: $45,589 Year 3: $48,321

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Cal U of Pa vs CSU San Marcos

California State University-San Marcos

California University of Pennsylvania

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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