California State University-San Marcos vs. The America's College

Deciding between California State University San Marcos and The University of America? The table below shows tuition, aid, admissions, and outcomes side by side. Data comes from public sources across more than 3,000 U.S. colleges and universities. No account is required.

California State University San Marcos

Frequently compared to these colleges. Click a college to add to the comparison. 

  • Overview

  • Location
  • California State University-San Marcos San Marcos, CA
  • The America's College Temecula, California
  • Setting
  • California State University-San Marcos Rural Fringe
  • The America's College Midsize City
  • Total enrollment
  • California State University-San Marcos 16,237
  • The America's College 0
  • Type
  • California State University-San Marcos Public 4 Year
  • The America's College Private 4 Year
  • National Ranking
  • California State University-San Marcos #830
  • The America's College
  • Religious Affiliation
  • California State University-San Marcos -
  • The America's College Baptist
  • Status
  • California State University-San Marcos Non-profit
  • The America's College Non-profit
  • Website
  • California State University-San Marcos csusm.edu
  • The America's College ua-edu.us
  • Team Colors
  • California State University-San Marcos
  • The America's College
  • Cost

  • Tuition (In State)
  • California State University-San Marcos $8,082
  • The America's College $0
  • Tuition (Out of State)
  • California State University-San Marcos $20,682
  • The America's College $0
  • Room & Board
  • California State University-San Marcos $14,152
  • The America's College $0
  • Average Net Price
  • California State University-San Marcos $10,241
  • The America's College -
  • Average Grant Aid
  • California State University-San Marcos $11,123
  • The America's College $0
  • % Receiving Grant Aid
  • California State University-San Marcos 71%
  • The America's College 0%
  • Admissions

  • Admission Chances
  • California State University-San Marcos Calculate
  • The America's College Calculate
  • Applied
  • California State University-San Marcos 19,721
  • The America's College -
  • Admitted
  • California State University-San Marcos 18,755
  • The America's College -
  • Acceptance Rate
  • California State University-San Marcos 95.1%
  • The America's College Open
  • Enrolled
  • California State University-San Marcos 14%
  • The America's College Open
  • Typical SAT score
  • California State University-San Marcos 1040
  • The America's College
  • Typical ACT score
  • California State University-San Marcos 19
  • The America's College
  • Average High School GPA
  • California State University-San Marcos 3.32
  • The America's College -
  • Typical High School Grades
  • California State University-San Marcos B+
  • The America's College -
  • Admissions Standards
  • California State University-San Marcos Extremely Easy
  • The America's College Unavailable
  • Applicant Competition
  • California State University-San Marcos
  • The America's College
  • ACT Range
  • California State University-San Marcos 17/22
  • The America's College
  • SAT Range
  • California State University-San Marcos 950/1130
  • The America's College
  • Submit Test Scores
  • California State University-San Marcos Test-free
  • The America's College Open admission
  • Application Deadline
  • California State University-San Marcos Nov 30, 2026
  • The America's College
  • Academics

  • Student to Faculty Ratio
  • California State University-San Marcos 24:1
  • The America's College 0:1
  • Popular Majors
  • California State University-San Marcos
    • Business (22%)
    • Social Sciences (18%)
    • Communication (12%)
    • Liberal Arts and Humanities (9%)
    • Work and Family Studies (7%)
  • The America's College
  • Outcomes

  • Graduation Rate
  • California State University-San Marcos 49%
  • The America's College -
  • Median Earnings (After 10 years)
  • California State University-San Marcos $49,100
  • The America's College N/A
  • Making Student Loan Payments
  • California State University-San Marcos 66%
  • The America's College -
  • Median Student Loan Debt
  • California State University-San Marcos $17,995
  • The America's College N/A
  • Median Loan Payment
  • California State University-San Marcos $186
  • The America's College N/A
  • Diversity

  • % Men
  • California State University-San Marcos 41%
  • The America's College 0%
  • % Women
  • California State University-San Marcos 59%
  • The America's College 0%
  • Racial Diversity
  • California State University-San Marcos High
  • The America's College -
  • HBCU
  • California State University-San Marcos No
  • The America's College No
  • % White
  • California State University-San Marcos 30%
  • The America's College 0%
  • % Asian
  • California State University-San Marcos 10%
  • The America's College 0%
  • % Black
  • California State University-San Marcos 3%
  • The America's College 0%
  • % Hispanic
  • California State University-San Marcos 42%
  • The America's College 0%
  • % Native American
  • California State University-San Marcos 0%
  • The America's College 0%
  • % Pacific Islander
  • California State University-San Marcos 0%
  • The America's College 0%
  • % Two or More Races
  • California State University-San Marcos 6%
  • The America's College 0%
  • % International
  • California State University-San Marcos 2%
  • The America's College 0%
  • % Unknown Race
  • California State University-San Marcos 5%
  • The America's College 0%
  • Students

  • % In-State
  • California State University-San Marcos 97%
  • The America's College -
  • % Out-of-State
  • California State University-San Marcos 2%
  • The America's College -
  • Campus

  • Campus Housing
  • California State University-San Marcos Yes
  • The America's College
  • Freshman Dorm Required
  • California State University-San Marcos No
  • The America's College
  • Meal Plan
  • California State University-San Marcos No
  • The America's College
  • Weekend/Evening Classes
  • California State University-San Marcos No
  • The America's College
  • Daycare Facility
  • California State University-San Marcos Yes
  • The America's College
  • Learn More
  • California State University-San Marcos Details
  • The America's College Details

Comparable Facts

Compare California State University San Marcos in San Marcos, CA with The University of America in Temecula, California on tuition, admissions, graduation, earnings, and student body data using the table above.

California State University San Marcos is larger than The America's College based on total student enrollment (16,237 students vs. 0 students)

Location, institution type, and student-faculty ratio

  • California State University San Marcos is located in San Marcos, CA (Rural Fringe setting); The University of America is in Temecula, California (Midsize City setting).
  • California State University San Marcos is a public, non-profit 4-year institution. The University of America is a private, non-profit 4-year institution.
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: California State University San Marcos 24:1.

California State University-San Marcos vs. The America's College Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, California State University-San Marcos or The America's College? Published tuition is the sticker price; many students pay less after aid (see average net price below).

  • In-state tuition differs between California State University San Marcos and The America's College ($8,082.00 vs. $0.00).
  • Out-of-state tuition differs between California State University-San Marcos and The University of America ($20,682.00 vs. $0.00).
  • A larger share of students receive grant aid at California State University San Marcos than at The University of America (71% vs. 0%).

California State University-San Marcos vs. The America's College Admissions comparison

Which college is harder to get into, California State University-San Marcos or The America's College? Typical SAT and ACT scores (same estimates as in the table above), middle 50% test ranges where reported, test score submission policy, deadlines, and acceptance rates summarize admission difficulty between The America's College and California State University-San Marcos.

  • The University of America reports an open admissions policy.
  • Reported middle 50% SAT composite range (25th-75th percentile) for admitted students: California State University San Marcos 950/1130.
  • Reported middle 50% ACT composite range (25th-75th percentile) for admitted students: California State University San Marcos 17/22.
  • Submitting SAT or ACT scores: California State University-San Marcos - Test-free; The America's College - Open admission.
  • Typical fall application deadline: California State University-San Marcos Nov 30, 2026.

California State University-San Marcos vs. The America's College Graduation Outcomes Comparison

How do outcomes compare for California State University-San Marcos and The America's College? Graduation rate, earnings, and student loan debt are common indicators. The bullets below summarize the same federal outcomes fields as the comparison table (College Scorecard / IPEDS where applicable).

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/. Values reflect the most recent year available in our dataset.