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California State University San Marcos

California State University San Marcos

California State University San Marcos or CSUSM or Cal State San Marcos is one of the campuses of the California State University (CSU) system. It was founded in 1989 as the 20th CSU campus. The university has three colleges:

  • College of Arts and Science (COAS)
  • College of Business and Administration (COBA)
  • College of Education (COE)

The school is a typical commuter campus. It is often referred to as the California State University Stair Master (CSUSM) because of its hilltop location. Cal State San Marcos won first place in the nationwide RecycleMania contest held in 2008.

The school newspaper is called The Pride. The original mascot of the campus was the Tukwut, but later it was changed to the Cougars. The school's athletics department has ten teams. The Cougar athletic teams compete as independents in Region II of the NAIA.

Overview of California State University San Marcos

Cal State San Marcos is located in a small city, in San Marcos, CA. The school is a public institution. Degree levels at Cal State San Marcos top out at the Master's degree.

Areas of Study

The school tries to do a few things and do them well, and doesn't offer a huge range of majors. Students at Cal State San Marcos often study media, art studies, and liberal arts.

Cal State San Marcos Selectivity

The admissions department at the school does not accept all those who apply. Most students' verbal SAT scores were in the range of 430 to 530 in 2007. A quarter of students admitted in 2007 scored 540 or higher on the math SAT.

Faculty

The school's tenure system is geared toward rewarding and keeping the most valuable professors. By paying its faculty better than most schools, Cal State San Marcos tries to attract and retain a high quality teaching staff.

Student Body

The school offers classes to 9,159 students (7,567 full-time equivalent).

Student Life

Cal State San Marcos has a large share of part-time students. Students sports include formal participation in Independent Far West Region competitions.

Cal State San Marcos Tuition and Affordability

Tuition is fairly low at Cal State San Marcos.

More complete details are provided below.

Contacting Cal State San Marcos

California State University San Marcos
333 S Twin Oaks Valley Rd
San Marcos, CA 92096-0001
General Phone: (760) 750-4000
http://www.csusm.edu

Cal State San Marcos Programs and Degrees (2007)

General CategoryDegreesMost Common Majors [see all]
Liberal Arts674liberal arts and sciences, sociology, English, history, political science, social services, Spanish language, economics, ...
Business And Management447business management, finance, marketing
Media140communication studies
Therapy And Counseling124psychology
Education And Teaching106education
Family And Social Work92family studies
Science59biology, biochemistry, chemistry, biotechnology
Art Studies44visual and performing arts
Security And Law Enforcement43criminology
Computer Science And Engineering38computer science
Mathematics19mathematics
Nutrition And Exercise Therapy10health and physical education

Number of programs and degrees for Cal State San Marcos in 2007:

Degree LevelTotal
Awarded
Number of
Programs
Bachelor's degree1,59825
Master's degree1989

Cal State San Marcos Student Body

In 2007, Cal State San Marcos had a total enrollment of 9,159 students (7,567 full-time equivalent).

Students in the Freshman Class:

GroupPercent
Men39%
Women61%
Full-Time83%
Part-Time17%

Students By Class:

GroupPercent
Undergraduate86%
Graduate14%

Racial Diversity:
RacePercent
White50%
Black3%
Hispanic21%
Asian11%
American Indian1%
Unknown11%
(Foreign Students)3%

Students by Age:

AgePercent
Under 180%
18-1923%
20-2116%
22-2427%
25-2918%
30-346%
35-393%
40-494%
50-642%
65+0%

Incoming (Freshman) Students by Place of Residence:
(From available data sampling)

ResidencePercent
California99%
(International Students)1%

Cal State San Marcos Graduation, Retention, and Transfers

Retention Rates (2007):

GroupReturning From
Previous Year
Full-Time74 %
Part-Time50 %

Cal State San Marcos Room and Board (2007)

Cal State San Marcos offers campus housing for 620 of its 7,567 (full-time) students.

(Please refer to our profile of San Marcos, California for details about the area surrounding the campus. Also see our list of other California Colleges).

The school does not offer students a meal plan.

Cal State San Marcos Admissions and Selectivity (2007)

Acceptances:

GroupApplicantsAcceptedPercent
Accepted
EnrolledPercent of
Accepted Enrolled
Total8,0526,15776%1,37822%
Men3,0682,31375%53723%
Women4,9843,84477%84122%

Standardized Test Scores:

Test25th Percentile75th Percetile
SAT Verbal430530
SAT Math440540
ACT Verbal1722
ACT Math1823
ACT Composite1823

Application Requirements:

ItemRequirement
GPArequired
Class Ranknot required
High School Recordnot required
College Prep Programrequired
Recommendationsnot required
Formal Demonstration of Competencenot required
Standardized Tests (SAT and/or ACT)required
Percent of Applicants Submitting SAT95%
Percent of Applicants Submitting ACT23%
TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language)required
Other Standardized Testsnot required

Cal State San Marcos Expenses and Financial Aid (2007)

Expenses and Financial Aid:

ExpenseAmount
In-state tuition and fees$ 3,374
Out-of-state tuition and fees$ 13,544
Room and board$ 9,090
Room charge$ 5,875
Books and supplies$ 1,386
Other expenses$ 3,690

Financial Aid:
Cal State San Marcos participates in Federal Title IV financial aid programs. (The school's OPE ID is 3011300)

Cal State San Marcos Faculty

Cal State San Marcos has a tenure system for faculty.

Tenure Status of Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelMenWomen
Tenured6774
Non-tenured, but on tenure track3539
Non-tenured and not on tenure track1319

Salaries for full-time faculty:

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professorcalendar year0*2*
Lecturercalendar year1*1*
All faculty totalcalendar year1*3$103,580

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

Full-Time Faculty (2007):

Full-Time Faculty LevelContract LengthNumber MenAvg Salary MenNumber WomenAvg Salary Women
Professoracademic year41$92,53239$90,823
Associate professoracademic year34$81,86131$72,493
Assistant professoracademic year27$68,09341$66,216
Lectureracademic year10$60,49918$52,473
All faculty totalacademic year112$80,541129$73,246

*: salaries are not displayed where there are fewer than 3 professors in the category.

Cal State San Marcos Athletics

Athletic Conferences:

SportConference
TrackIndependent Far West Region

Students on Athletic Scholarships (2007):

SportMenWomenTotal
Total212243
Track121224
All Other Sports91019

Cal State San Marcos Degree Programs (2007)

ART STUDIES
Visual and Performing Arts, General

BUSINESS AND MANAGEMENT
Business Administration and Management, General
Finance, General
Marketing/Marketing Management, General

COMPUTER SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Computer Science

EDUCATION AND TEACHING
Education, General

FAMILY AND SOCIAL WORK
Human Development and Family Studies, General

LIBERAL ARTS
Economics, General
English Language and Literature, General
History, General
Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies
Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other
Political Science and Government, General
Social Sciences, General
Sociology
Spanish Language and Literature
Women's Studies

MATHEMATICS
Mathematics, General

MEDIA
Communication Studies/Speech Communication and Rhetoric

NUTRITION AND EXERCISE THERAPY
Health and Physical Education, General

SCIENCE
Biochemistry
Biology/Biological Sciences, General
Biotechnology
Chemistry, General

SECURITY AND LAW ENFORCEMENT
Criminology

THERAPY AND COUNSELING
Psychology, General

Cal State San Marcos Highlights

(Details are provided further down on this page.)

What Sets Cal State San Marcos Apart:

CategoryTrophy 
Lowest tuition & fees (in-state)
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 3%Cal State San Marcos Lowest tuition & fees (in-state)
% of degrees in liberal arts
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 7%Cal State San Marcos % of degrees in liberal arts
Number of students
(vs. all colleges)
Top 8%Cal State San Marcos Number of students
Salaries of full-time faculty
(vs. all colleges)
Top 9%Cal State San Marcos Salaries of full-time faculty
Degrees concentrated in limited number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 10%Cal State San Marcos Degrees concentrated in limited number of degree programs
% of degrees in media
(vs. all colleges)
Top 13%Cal State San Marcos % of degrees in media
% of freshmen enrolled part-time
(vs. all colleges)
Top 15%Cal State San Marcos % of freshmen enrolled part-time
Number of degree programs
(vs. all colleges)
Top 17%Cal State San Marcos Number of degree programs
% of degrees in art studies
(vs. colleges with similar degree levels)
Top 19%Cal State San Marcos % of degrees in art studies
% of full-time faculty on tenure track
(vs. all colleges)
Top 19%Cal State San Marcos % of full-time faculty on tenure track
Explanation of the Highlights categories

Notable:
Accepts some high school credits
Grants credits for AP courses
Offers distance learning
Career counseling
Career services
Student employment services
Option to study abroad
Offers part-time study
On-campus library
Offers campus housing
Tenure system for quality teaching
Offers athletic scholarships

Online Degree Alternatives

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