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The real 4-year cost of California State University-San Marcos in California
Over the 15 years from 2008 to 2023, published tuition and required fees at California State University-San Marcos went from $3,650 to $7,734, an average of 0.8% a year.
Read with care: this school's history shows a tuition freeze or guarantee, so a smooth projection may not hold.
2008–2027: history and projection
| Year | Published | Projected estimate | Estimate range |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | $3,650 | – | – |
| 2009 | $4,650 | – | – |
| 2010 | $5,044 | – | – |
| 2011 | $6,596 | – | – |
| 2012 | $6,867 | – | – |
| 2013 | $6,649 | – | – |
| 2014 | $7,169 | – | – |
| 2015 | $7,269 | – | – |
| 2016 | $7,383 | – | – |
| 2017 | $7,653 | – | – |
| 2018 | $7,713 | – | – |
| 2019 | $7,717 | – | – |
| 2020 | $7,723 | – | – |
| 2021 | $7,727 | – | – |
| 2022 | $7,733 | – | – |
| 2023 | $7,734 | $7,734 | – |
| 2024 | – | $7,799 | $7,048–$8,551 |
| 2025 | – | $7,865 | $6,423–$9,454 |
| 2026 | – | $7,932 | $5,853–$10,452 |
| 2027 | – | $7,999 | $5,334–$11,556 |
If you pay full sticker
Projected tuition + fees, entering fall 2026.
| Year 1 | $7,932 |
| Year 2 | $7,999 |
| Year 3 | $8,067 |
| Year 4 | $8,135 |
| 4-year total | $32,133 |
Two aid scenarios
4-year out-of-pocket total.
- $10,000/yr flat scholarship
- $0
- Flat aid doesn't grow, so it covers less each year.
- 50%-of-tuition scholarship
- $20,204
- Percentage aid keeps pace with tuition.
On-campus housing & meals
Room & board (housing plus the standard meal plan), on top of tuition.
- Latest (2023)
- $14,152/ yr
- rising 1.1% / yr
- Projected 4-year add-on
- $59,400
Books & supplies typically add ~$1,200 a year (national median, not included).
Housing here has kept rising even while tuition was frozen; the creep moved to room & board.
Run your own numbers
Enter your actual scholarship offer to see your real 4-year total.
See my 4-year cost at California State University-San Marcos4-year schools with similar prices in California
Closest to California State University-San Marcos by published tuition and fees. Similar sticker prices can still compound very differently.
- Southern California University of Health Sciences$7,725
- California State University-Bakersfield$7,696
- California State University-San Bernardino$7,675
- University of West Los Angeles$7,795
- California State University Maritime Academy$7,672
- California State University-Stanislaus$7,826
- California State University-Sacramento$7,602
- California State Polytechnic University-Humboldt$7,913
Use this data
Published figures for California State University-San Marcos from federal IPEDS data through 2023, free to download or embed with attribution. The embed stays current as the data updates.