San Marcos, California · Public · 4-year · Large suburb
Overview
Located in San Marcos, California, California State University-San Marcos is a public four-year institution. The campus sits in a large suburban area. Fall 2024 enrollment was 16,237, made up of 14,977 undergraduates and 1,260 graduate students. It is part of California State University.
California State University-San Marcos offers certificates, bachelor's degrees, master's degrees, and doctoral degrees across 64 programs. Its largest programs by number of graduates are Business Administration and Management, Psychology, General, and Registered Nursing. It awarded 3,831 degrees and certificates in 2024-25. 6 of its programs can be completed entirely online.
79% of full-time first-year students return for a second year. The student-to-faculty ratio is 24 to 1.
Key figures
16,237
Students enrolled
79%
First-year retention
3,831
Degrees and certificates awarded, 2024-25
64
Programs and majors
24:1
Student-to-faculty ratio
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Delivery modes
CampusOnlineHybrid
Program levels
CertificateBachelorMasterPhD
Programs and majors offered 64
Graduate counts are degrees and certificates awarded in each program between July 2024 and June 2025. Largest fields are listed first.
Retention is for students who started in fall 2023 and returned in fall 2024.
First-year retention, full-time students
79%
First-year retention, part-time students
58%
Student-to-faculty ratio
24:1
Degrees and certificates awarded
Awards conferred between July 1, 2024 and June 30, 2025.
Bachelor's degrees
3,373
Master's degrees
450
Postbaccalaureate certificates
8
Enrollment
Students, fall 2024
16,237
Undergraduates, fall 2024
14,977
Graduate students, fall 2024
1,260
Full-time, fall 2024
83%
Students over the full 2024-25 year
17,760
Undergraduates, 2024-25
16,371
Graduate students, 2024-25
1,389
Full-time, 2024-25
80%
Size category
10,000 to 19,999 students
Student body
Share of all students enrolled during 2024-25. Small groups can round to zero and are not listed.
Women
59%
Men
41%
White
25%
Hispanic or Latino
50%
Black or African American
4%
Asian
9%
Two or more races
6%
International (U.S. nonresident)
1%
Race or ethnicity unknown
3%
Online and flexible learning
Distance education in 2024-25.
Programs that can be completed fully online
6
Programs with a fully online option
6
Online undergraduate programs
Yes
Online graduate programs
Yes
Students studying fully online
8%
Students taking some online courses
59%
Weekend or evening classes
Yes
Campus and services
Setting
Large suburb
Academic calendar
Semester
Part of
California State University
Carnegie classification
Master's Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Research designation
Research Colleges and Universities
Athletic association
NCAA
Athletic conference
California Collegiate Athletic Association
President
Ellen Neufeldt
Services and opportunities
Study abroad, ROTC, Undergraduate research, Teacher certification, Academic and career counseling, Student employment services, Job placement for graduates, On-campus day care, Accepts AP credit, Credit for life experience
For veterans and service members
Credit for military training, Dedicated veterans contact, Student veteran organization