Know before you go
California State University-San MarcosTuition & Cost · 2025–26
Tuition and fees only; living costs excluded.
About this number
Published in-state tuition and required fees. This does not include living costs. Public colleges may have separate in-district rates that are not in this package.
Source field: TUITIONFEE_IN. Source-file year: 2025-2026. Coverage: Academic year 2025–26. Official cohort note: AcadYr 2025-26, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26. Institution source release: October 15, 2026.
Tuition and fees only; living costs excluded.
About this number
Published out-of-state tuition and required fees, excluding living costs.
Source field: TUITIONFEE_OUT. Source-file year: 2025-2026. Coverage: Academic year 2025–26. Official cohort note: AcadYr 2025-26, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26. Institution source release: October 15, 2026.
After grants and scholarships; loans are not deducted. In-state, federally aided students.
About this number
Average cost after grants and scholarships for full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving Title IV aid. Public-college figures cover in-state students. Loans are not deducted. Your actual price may differ.
Source field: NPT4_PUB. Source-file year: 2025-2026. Coverage: Academic year 2024–25. Official cohort note: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26. Institution source release: October 15, 2026.
Includes tuition, books and living expenses.
About this number
Average cost of attendance before grants: tuition, fees, books, supplies and living expenses for full-time, first-time students receiving Title IV aid. Living arrangements vary; this is not an individual quote.
Source field: COSTT4_A. Source-file year: 2025-2026. Coverage: Academic year 2024–25. Official cohort note: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26. Institution source release: October 15, 2026.
01 / Beyond the sticker price
Reported costs at California State University-San Marcos.
Attendance cost includes tuition and required fees, books, supplies and living expenses. Net price subtracts grants and scholarships, but not loans. Each average below has its own reporting period.
Before and after grants.
Average cost before grants
$23,131
Academic year 2024–25
Tuition, fees, books, supplies and living expenses.
Average net price after grants
$10,939
Academic year 2024–25
Costs after grants and scholarships; loans are not deducted.
Historical averages; their difference is not an aid award or a saving you can expect.
These are reported academic-year costs. Living arrangements and the students covered by each average can differ.
Definitions and source years
Net price includes tuition and fees, books and supplies, and living expenses, after grants and scholarships. Loans are not subtracted.
First-time, full-time undergraduates receiving federal financial aid (Title IV); the public-college figures use the reported in-state student population. These averages do not cover every student.
These are reported academic-year costs. Living arrangements and the students covered by each average can differ.
- Before grants: Academic year 2024–25. Source-file year 2025–26. Source field COSTT4_A. Official cohort: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26. Source release: 2026-10-15.
- After grants: Academic year 2024–25. Source-file year 2025–26. Source field NPT4_PUB. Official cohort: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26. Source release: 2026-10-15.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. These are historical group averages, not a current bill, aid offer or personal estimate.
02 / Historical averages by family income
Average cost after grants, by family income.
Average total cost after grants and scholarships for each family-income group. Includes living expenses; loans are not deducted.
Academic year 2024–25
5 of 5 family-income groups have reported averages. Longer bars mean higher reported costs after grants.
First-time, full-time undergraduates receiving federal financial aid (Title IV); the public-college figures use the reported in-state student population.
These are reported academic-year costs. Living arrangements and the students covered by each average can differ.
What is included and where these figures come from
Net price includes tuition and fees, books and supplies, and living expenses, after grants and scholarships. Loans are not subtracted.
First-time, full-time undergraduates receiving federal financial aid (Title IV); the public-college figures use the reported in-state student population. These averages do not cover every student.
These are reported academic-year costs. Living arrangements and the students covered by each average can differ.
- Family income $0–30,000: Academic year 2024–25. Source-file year 2025–26. Source field NPT41_PUB. Official cohort: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26. Source release: 2026-10-15.
- Family income $30,001–48,000: Academic year 2024–25. Source-file year 2025–26. Source field NPT42_PUB. Official cohort: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26. Source release: 2026-10-15.
- Family income $48,001–75,000: Academic year 2024–25. Source-file year 2025–26. Source field NPT43_PUB. Official cohort: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26. Source release: 2026-10-15.
- Family income $75,001–110,000: Academic year 2024–25. Source-file year 2025–26. Source field NPT44_PUB. Official cohort: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26. Source release: 2026-10-15.
- Family income $110,001+: Academic year 2024–25. Source-file year 2025–26. Source field NPT45_PUB. Official cohort: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26. Source release: 2026-10-15.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard. These are historical group averages, not a current bill, aid offer or personal estimate.
Older income-group observations
These separately dated observations are retained history. Source-file years may differ from the year costs were measured. They are not replacements for missing current groups.
| Family income | Source-file year | Average net price |
|---|---|---|
| $0–30,000 | 2024–25 | $6,230 |
| $30,001–48,000 | 2024–25 | $7,240 |
| $48,001–75,000 | 2024–25 | $8,928 |
| $75,001–110,000 | 2024–25 | $12,525 |
| $110,001+ | 2024–25 | $18,734 |
03 / Help paying for college
The financial aid picture.
Pell Grant recipients
46.8%
Share of undergraduates · Academic year 2024–25
About this number
Share of undergraduates receiving Pell Grants. This is not the share receiving any financial aid.
Source field: PCTPELL. Source-file year: 2025-2026. Coverage: Academic year 2024–25. Official cohort note: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26. Institution source release: October 15, 2026.
Federal loan recipients
26.6%
Share of undergraduates · Academic year 2024–25
About this number
Share of undergraduates receiving federal student loans. Loans must generally be repaid; they are not grant aid.
Source field: PCTFLOAN. Source-file year: 2025-2026. Coverage: Academic year 2024–25. Official cohort note: AcadYr 2024-25, reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26. Institution source release: October 15, 2026.
Grants lower your cost. Loans help fund it, but usually need to be repaid.
04 / What borrowers leave with
Debt, in perspective.
Pooled FY2024 and FY2025 cohorts. Includes only borrowers who completed.
About this number
Median cumulative federal student-loan debt among borrowers who completed. This is not an average across all students. Federal debt may be reported for a group of campuses sharing a federal aid identifier.
Source field: GRAD_DEBT_MDN. Source-file year: 2024-2025. Coverage: Pooled FY2024 and FY2025 cohorts. Official cohort note: NSLDS FY2024, FY2025 pooled cohorts. Institution source release: October 15, 2026.
05 / After you enroll
Finishing. Then earning.
First-time, full-time students · Fall 2019 / academic year 2019–20 entry cohort
About this number
Share of first-time, full-time students who complete at this institution within 150% of normal program time. Typically six years for a bachelor’s degree, three for an associate’s degree; certificate lengths vary.
Source field: C150_4. Source-file year: 2025-2026. Coverage: Fall 2019 / academic year 2019–20 entry cohort. Official cohort note: Fall 2019 or AcadYr 2019-20 cohort (differs by institutional calendar), reported in IPEDS DCY2025-26. Institution source release: October 15, 2026.
Working and not enrolled · Measured in 2022 and 2023; 2024 dollars
About this number
Median earnings among federally aided former students who are working and not enrolled. Entry-based cohorts include both completers and noncompleters. This is an earnings measure, not a guaranteed salary.
Source field: MD_EARN_WNE_P10. Source-file year: 2022-2023. Coverage: Measured in 2022 and 2023; 2024 dollars. Official cohort note: Treasury AY2011-12, AY2012-13 pooled cohort measured in CY2022, CY2023, inflation adjusted to 2024 dollars. Institution source release: October 15, 2026.
06 / The longer view
Older tuition and net-price observations.
These are older reported observations, in U.S. dollars without inflation adjustment. The labels are source-file years; the retained snapshot does not establish a measurement year for every row.
View retained tuition and net-price observations
| Source-file year | In-state tuition & fees | Out-of-state tuition & fees | Average net price after grants |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015–16 | $7,269 | $18,429 | $10,547 |
| 2016–17 | $7,383 | $18,543 | $9,451 |
| 2017–18 | $7,653 | $19,533 | $11,029 |
| 2018–19 | $7,713 | $19,593 | $12,872 |
| 2019–20 | $7,717 | $19,597 | $13,399 |
| 2020–21 | $7,712 | $19,592 | $13,218 |
| 2021–22 | $7,727 | $19,607 | $14,048 |
| 2022–23 | $7,733 | $19,613 | $10,774 |
| 2023–24 | $7,739 | $19,619 | $10,550 |
| 2024–25 | $8,082 | $20,682 | $10,229 |
These rows are not current prices. Missing values are not zero. Net-price student groups and reporting practices can change, so these averages are not a continuous personal-cost trend.
07 / The major matters
A look at programs.
Reported median earnings four years after completing, for graduates working and not enrolled.
| Program & credential | Earnings after 4 years | Median federal debt |
|---|---|---|
| Accounting and Related ServicesBachelor's Degree | $86,318 | $22,500 |
| AnthropologyBachelor's Degree | $49,848 | $17,000 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBachelor's Degree | $65,479 | $16,666 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's Degree | $70,789 | $24,174 |
| BiotechnologyBachelor's Degree | $76,622 | $18,500 |
| BiotechnologyMaster's Degree | $92,859 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's Degree | $70,900 | $19,015 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's Degree | $105,743 | Not reported |
| Business/Commerce, GeneralBachelor's Degree | $68,984 | $22,875 |
| Cell/Cellular Biology and Anatomical SciencesBachelor's Degree | $80,303 | $19,375 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesBachelor's Degree | $71,068 | $15,998 |
| Communication Disorders Sciences and ServicesMaster's Degree | $88,196 | Not reported |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's Degree | $59,842 | $16,500 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's Degree | $97,827 | $12,850 |
| Computer Systems AnalysisBachelor's Degree | $93,047 | Not reported |
| CriminologyBachelor's Degree | $55,418 | $14,810 |
| EconomicsBachelor's Degree | $83,339 | $17,500 |
| Education, GeneralMaster's Degree | $95,348 | Not reported |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's Degree | $54,985 | $15,500 |
| Finance and Financial Management ServicesBachelor's Degree | $77,312 | $15,125 |
| HistoryBachelor's Degree | $52,985 | $16,923 |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesBachelor's Degree | $53,568 | $17,193 |
| International BusinessBachelor's Degree | $77,965 | $15,965 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's Degree | $58,289 | $15,125 |
| Management Information Systems and ServicesBachelor's Degree | $72,448 | $16,170 |
| MarketingBachelor's Degree | $73,290 | $19,032 |
| Natural Resources Conservation and ResearchBachelor's Degree | $55,903 | $12,424 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's Degree | $50,857 | $19,485 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's Degree | $55,196 | $18,312 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's Degree | $120,196 | $25,047 |
About these program numbers
Up to 30 programs with reported four-year earnings, in alphabetical order. A program is identified by institution, CIP field and credential. Debt is median Stafford and Grad PLUS debt disbursed at all institutions for program completers who borrowed. Figures are drawn from the June 10, 2026 field-of-study snapshot. The existing package does not preserve exact program cohort years, so none are inferred and these figures are excluded from cross-college comparison.
Other options to explore.
Colleges in California.