Metro State vs CSU San Marcos

Metropolitan State University and California State University-San Marcos, both esteemed institutions of higher learning, offer distinct educational experiences. Metropolitan State University, located in the vibrant city of Denver, Colorado, boasts an acceptance rate of 90%, welcoming a diverse student body of over 20,000. In contrast, California State University-San Marcos, nestled in the picturesque city of San Marcos, California, has a more selective admissions process with an acceptance rate of 52%, attracting a student population of approximately 15,000. While both universities offer a wide range of undergraduate and graduate programs, Metropolitan State University is known for its strengths in business, nursing, and education, while California State University-San Marcos excels in business, psychology, and criminal justice. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to delve into further details and discover which university aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	California State University-San Marcos	Metropolitan State University
Overview
Location	San Marcos, California	Saint Paul, Minnesota
Campus setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Public	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	79.0%	65.0%
Common app member	No	No
Religious affiliation

Admission
Acceptance rate	93.3%	66.6%
Application fees	Undergraduate: $70 Graduate: $70	$20
SAT range	N/A	N/A
ACT range	N/A	N/A
Students submitting SAT score
Students submitting ACT score
Total number of applicants	13,986	650
Total number of admissions given out	13,049	433
Admitted students who chose to enroll	2,413	133
Yield rate	18.5%	30.7%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	In state: $22,366 Out of state: $34,246	$33,727
Average net price	$14,296	$16,830
Tuition	In state: $5,742 Out of state: $17,622	$8,282
Room & board
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	70.0% Average amount $9,298	97.0% Average amount $6,790
Students receiving federal student loan	22.0% Average amount $4,734	29.0% Average amount $4,675
Students taking out private loans	1.0% Average amount $12,988	0.0% Average amount $0

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	14,963 Men 38.4% Women 61.6%	6,000 Men 42.0% Women 58.0%
Graduate students	1,292 Men 28.4% Women 71.6%	914 Men 40.5% Women 59.5%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Moderate	Moderate
Out-of-state students	1.5%	N/A
International students	3.4%	3.1%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Large	City: Large
Dormitory capacity	1,547	N/A
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	N/A
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	California Colorado Washington Virginia Arizona	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Business Health Professions Biological and Biomedical Sciences Computer and Information Science Kinesiology & Leisure Studies	Health Professions Business Computer and Information Science Multidisciplinary Studies Psychology
Students to faculty ratio	25:1	13:1
Institutional accreditation	Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission	Higher Learning Commission

Outcome
Graduation rate	59.2%	38.4%
Dropout rate	33.6%	28.8%
Transferred out	2.6%	30.1%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $107,746 Year 2: $103,555 Year 3: $111,324 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $90,827 Year 2: $88,074 Year 3: $90,666 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,843 Year 2: $74,576 Year 3: $83,791 Special Education and Teaching (Master's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $66,941 Year 3: $72,765 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $58,962 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $71,818 Education, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $71,769 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $68,571 Physics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $65,899 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $45,297 Year 2: $49,520 Year 3: $62,797 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,252 Year 2: $55,286 Year 3: $59,957 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $45,864 Year 3: $57,022	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,050 Year 2: $76,998 Year 3: $82,901 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,701 Year 2: $68,821 Year 3: $77,450 Management Information Systems and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $43,045 Year 2: $62,012 Year 3: $73,235 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,528 Year 2: $63,005 Year 3: $69,642 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,630 Year 2: $65,131 Year 3: $69,109 Information Science/Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $55,220 Year 2: $53,775 Year 3: $64,626 Computer/Information Technology Administration and Management (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $52,103 Year 2: $57,318 Year 3: $63,483 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,095 Year 2: $49,784 Year 3: $53,451 Accounting and Related Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $49,903 Year 2: $51,077 Year 3: $53,162 Human Resources Management and Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $46,058 Year 2: $45,816 Year 3: $50,804

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Metro State vs CSU San Marcos

California State University-San Marcos

Metropolitan State University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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