UC Riverside vs. California State University-San Marcos

Should I go to University of California Riverside or California State University San Marcos? Compare 50+ facts and figures about the colleges to help you determine if UC Riverside or California State University-San Marcos is the better college for you. The CollegeSimply comparison tool allows side-by-side comparison of 50+ statistics and facts for over 2,500 colleges and universities.

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University of California Riverside vs. California State University San Marcos comparison
University of California Riverside California State University San Marcos College 3 College 4
University of California Riverside California State University San Marcos
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Overview

UC Riverside California State University-San Marcos
Location Riverside, CA San Marcos, CA
Setting Large City Rural Fringe
Enrollment 26,809 15,109
Type Public 4 Year Public 4 Year
National Ranking #272 #836
Religious Affiliation - - - -
Status Non-profit Non-profit
Website ucr.edu csusm.edu
Team Colors                    

Costs

UC Riverside California State University-San Marcos
Tuition (In State) $11,564 $5,742
Tuition (Out of State) $41,636 $17,622
Room & Board $17,333 $13,972
Avg Net Price $14,487 $10,463
Avg Grant Aid $22,042 $8,922
% Receiving Grant Aid 75% 67%

Admission

UC Riverside California State University-San Marcos
Admission Chances Calculate Calculate
Applied 54,683 14,774
Admitted 37,563 14,064
Acceptance Rate 68.7% 95.2%
Enrolled % 14.8% 18.1%
Avg High School GPA 3.84 3.32
Typical High School Grades A- B+
Admissions Standards Difficult Extremely Easy
Applicant Competition Low
ACT Range 22/31 17/22
SAT Range 1080/1280 950/1130
Submit Test Scores Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind) Not considered for admission, even if submitted (Test Blind)
Application Deadline Nov 30, 2024 Nov 30, 2024

Academics

UC Riverside California State University-San Marcos
Student to Faculty Ratio 24:1 23:1
Popular Majors
  • Social Sciences (19%)
  • Business (18%)
  • Biology (14%)
  • Psychology (11%)
  • General Studies (6%)
  • Business (22%)
  • Social Sciences (18%)
  • Communication (12%)
  • Liberal Arts and Humanities (9%)
  • Work and Family Studies (7%)

Outcomes

UC Riverside California State University-San Marcos
Graduation Rate 67% 49%
Median Earnings (After 10 years) $52,200 $49,100
Making Student Loan Payments 65% 66%
Median Student Loan Debt $19,109 $17,995
Median Loan Payment $197 $186

Diversity

UC Riverside California State University-San Marcos
% Men 49% 39%
% Women 51% 61%
Racial Diversity Very High Very High
HBCU No No
% White 13% 30%
% Black 4% 3%
% Hispanic 36% 42%
% Native American 0% 0%
% Pacific Islander 0% 0%
% Two or More Races 4% 6%
% International 4% 2%
% Unknown Race 1% 5%

Students

UC Riverside California State University-San Marcos
% In-State 94% 98%
% Out-of-State 2% 1%

Campus

UC Riverside California State University-San Marcos
Campus Housing Yes Yes
Freshman Dorm Required No No
Meal Plan Yes No
Weekend/Evening Classes No No
Daycare Facility Yes Yes
Learn More Details Details

Comparable Facts

  • University of California Riverside is larger than than California State University-San Marcos based on total student enrollment (26,809 students vs. 15,109 students)

UC Riverside vs. California State University-San Marcos Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, UC Riverside or California State University-San Marcos?

  • University of California Riverside is 101.4% more expensive to attend than California State University-San Marcos for in-state tuition ($11,564.00 vs. $5,742.00)
  • Out of state tuition is 136.3% higher at UC Riverside than California State University San Marcos ($41,636.00 vs. $17,622.00)
  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at California State University San Marcos than UC Riverside ($10,463 vs. $14,487)
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at California State University San Marcos are 24.1% lower than costs at University of California Riverside ($13,972 vs. $17,333)
  • More students receive financial grant aid at University of California Riverside than California State University San Marcos (75% vs. 67%)
  • The average total grant financial aid received by University of California Riverside students is 147.1% larger than aid received California State University San Marcos ($22,042 vs. $8,922)

UC Riverside vs. California State University-San Marcos Admissions Difficulty Comparison

Which college is harder to get into, UC Riverside or California State University-San Marcos? Average SAT and ACT scores plus acceptance rates offer good insight into the difficulty of admission between California State University-San Marcos or UC Riverside .

  • The average SAT score at University of California Riverside (1119) is 164 points higher than at California State University-San Marcos (955)
  • Incoming UC Riverside students have a 5 point higher average ACT score (26) than students at California State University-San Marcos (21)
  • Accepted freshman UC Riverside students have a 0.52 point higher average high school GPA (3.84) than students at California State University-San Marcos (3.32)
  • California State University-San Marcos has a higher acceptance rate (95.2%) than UC Riverside (68.7%)

UC Riverside vs. California State University-San Marcos Graduation Outcomes Comparison

Which is better, UC Riverside or California State University-San Marcos? Graduation rate, salary and amount of student loan debt are indicators of a college which offers better outcomes for its graduates. Compare the following outcomes facts between California State University-San Marcos and UC Riverside.

  • The graduation rate at UC Riverside is higher than California State University San Marcos (67% vs. 49%)
  • Graduates from University of California Riverside earn on average $3,100 more per year than California State University-San Marcos graduates after ten years. ($52,200 vs. $49,100)
  • California State University San Marcos students graduate with a $1,114 lower median federal student loan debt than UC Riverside graduates. ($17,995 vs. $19,109)
  • California State University-San Marcos graduates are paying $11 less per month on federal student loans than UC Riverside graduates. ($186 vs. $197)
  • More California State University-San Marcos graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former UC Riverside students, three years after graduation. (66% vs. 65%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/