San Francisco State University (SFSU) vs CSU San Marcos

San Francisco State University (SFSU) and California State University-San Marcos (CSUSM) are two distinct universities within the California State University system, each offering unique educational experiences. SFSU, located in the heart of San Francisco, boasts a diverse student body and a wide range of academic programs, while CSUSM, situated in the vibrant city of San Marcos, emphasizes hands-on learning and boasts a strong focus on undergraduate research. With different acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates, these universities cater to diverse student populations and aspirations. Explore our comprehensive comparison table to discover which university aligns best with your academic goals and personal preferences.

	California State University-San Marcos	San Francisco State University
Overview
Location	San Marcos, California	San Francisco, California
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: 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%	85.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	93.3%	92.9%
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	13,986	27,777
Total number of admissions given out	13,049	25,809
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,413	3,149
Yield rate	18.5%	12.2%
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	Not required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,366 Out of state: $34,246	In state: $30,675 Out of state: $42,555
Average net price	$14,296	$13,641
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622
Room & board		Room/dormitory: $10,134 Meal plan: $4,392
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	70.0% Average amount $9,298	72.0% Average amount $9,586
Students receiving federal student loan	22.0% Average amount $4,734	19.0% Average amount $4,829
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $12,988	1.0% Average amount $13,379

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,963 Men 38.4% Women 61.6%	23,424 Men 44.5% Women 55.5%
Graduate students	1,292 Men 28.4% Women 71.6%	3,475 Men 34.7% Women 65.3%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.5%	1.6%
International students	3.4%	7.0%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,547	4,332
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	California Washington Oregon Texas Colorado

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences Computer and Information Science Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Health Professions Education Visual & Performing Arts Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Business
Students to faculty ratio	25:1	20:1
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	59.2%	53.7%
Dropout rate	33.6%	35.5%
Transferred out	2.6%	7.4%
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $113,349 Year 2: $112,270 Year 3: $136,160 Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions (Post-Baccalaureate Certificates) Year 1: $111,466 Year 2: $119,061 Year 3: $134,876 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $99,655 Year 2: $111,769 Year 3: $118,952 Educational Administration and Supervision (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $88,331 Year 2: $84,653 Year 3: $92,910 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,088 Year 2: $68,499 Year 3: $89,726 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $77,510 Year 2: $80,124 Year 3: $88,723 Public Administration (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,988 Year 2: $72,605 Year 3: $85,412 Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,876 Year 2: $68,219 Year 3: $82,073 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,604 Year 2: $69,338 Year 3: $80,061 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $70,296 Year 3: $78,899

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