California State University, San Marcos
Academics

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How strong are the academics at California State University, San Marcos?

Let's cover class sizes, graduation rates, and outcomes.

24:1
Student to faculty ratio
32
Average class size
24%
4-year grad rate

Class Sizes

Class sizes likely stayed the same for you through high school. You'll find that college is much different. Some of the largest universities have classes that can seat hundreds of students in giant lecture halls. Conversely, as they progress and their focus narrows, higher-level courses can sometimes have just a handful of students.

Cal State San Marcos has an average student-to-faculty ratio of 24:1. The typical school is 14:1. While this ratio is important, what’s more important is how big a typical class is.

Class Sizes
2-9
42
10-19
203
20-29
561
30-39
507
40-49
313
50-99
22
100+
38

Outcomes

It’s critical to understand a school’s outcomes to understand if your four (or more) years at the school will be worth it. Here are some key statistics about the outcomes of students who enroll at California State University, San Marcos:

75%
First-year retention rate
24%
4-year grad rate
54%
6-year grad rate

Majors

Many students choose a school largely based on the what they want to study. The are California State University, San Marcos' most popular majors, ranked by how many people graduated with the concentration in the most recent year:

Business Administration and Management, General
Psychology, General
Sociology, General
Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse
Criminology
177.2
235.76
294.32
352.88
411.44
470

The Full List

Major Graduates
Area
  • Women's Studies 3
  • Ethnic, Cultural Minority, Gender, and Group Studies, Other 1
  • American Indian/Native American Studies 0
Biological And Biomedical Sciences
  • Biology/Biological Sciences, General 188
  • Biochemistry 36
  • Biotechnology 21
Business
  • Business Administration and Management, General 470
Communication
  • Speech Communication and Rhetoric 174
  • Mass Communication/Media Studies 25
Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
  • Computer Science 151
Education
  • Early Childhood Education and Teaching 113
Engineering
  • Computer Software Engineering 34
  • Electrical and Electronics Engineering 16
English Language And Literature/Letters
  • English Language and Literature, General 74
Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
  • Human Development and Family Studies, General 163
Foreign Languages
  • Spanish Language and Literature 22
Health Professions And Related Programs
  • Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse 278
  • Speech-Language Pathology/Pathologist 58
History
  • History, General 73
Homeland Security
  • Fire Protection, Other 13
Liberal Arts And Sciences
  • Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies 155
Mathematics And Statistics
  • Mathematics, General 30
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies
  • International/Globalization Studies 4
  • Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other 3
Natural Resources And Conservation
  • Environmental Studies 50
Parks
  • Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, General 164
  • Exercise Science and Kinesiology 0
Physical Sciences
  • Physics, Other 15
  • Chemistry, General 11
Psychology
  • Psychology, General 313
Social Sciences
  • Sociology, General 282
  • Criminology 226
  • Political Science and Government, General 62
  • Economics, General 50
  • Social Sciences, General 39
  • Anthropology, General 23
  • Geography 0
  • International Relations and Affairs 0
Visual And Performing Arts
  • Visual and Performing Arts, General 76
  • Music, General 6
  • Drama and Dramatics/Theatre Arts, General 5

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CollegeIQ relies on data from government and private resources. Always confer with the individual college or university for the most recent data. Learn more about our data and methodology.

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