Quad

Key differences on Getting in

  1. 1

    Metropolitan State University of Denver's yield is 6 pts higher than California State University-San Marcos's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    Metropolitan State University of Denver's SAT midpoint is 15 points higher than California State University-San Marcos's

    SAT midpoint
  3. 3

    California State University-San Marcos admits 95% vs. 99% at Metropolitan State University of Denver

    Acceptance rate

Admissions

Getting in, fall 2024

Acceptance and yield, test score ranges, test policy, and what each college weighs.

The funnel

Acceptance rate
Metropolitan State University of Denver99%
California State University-San Marcos95%
Applicants
Metropolitan State University of Denver11.6K
California State University-San Marcos20.9K
Admitted
Metropolitan State University of Denver11.5K
California State University-San Marcos19.9K
Yield rate
Metropolitan State University of Denver19%
California State University-San Marcos14%

Quad's selectivity

  • Metropolitan State University of DenverOpen
  • California State University-San MarcosOpen

Men and women

Acceptance rate for men and women who applied, where a college reports admissions by sex.

Women admitted
Metropolitan State University of Denver99%
California State University-San Marcos95%
Men admitted
Metropolitan State University of Denver99%
California State University-San Marcos95%

Test scores

SAT total,

Metropolitan State University of Denver
880–1130
California State University-San Marcos
860–1113

Axis runs 800–1600. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

ACT composite,

Metropolitan State University of Denver
17–26
California State University-San MarcosTest-blind–

Axis runs 13–36. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

Submitted SAT
Metropolitan State University of Denver20%
California State University-San Marcos2%
Submitted ACT
Metropolitan State University of Denver2%
California State University-San MarcosNot reported

Test policy

  • Metropolitan State University of DenverTest-optional
  • California State University-San MarcosTest-blind

How they read a record

  • Metropolitan State University of Denver

    GPA, the high school record, and class rank are required; a college-prep program is considered.

  • California State University-San Marcos

    GPA is very important. 20% of first-years had a 3.75 or higher.

What they look at

FactorMetropolitan State University of DenverCalifornia State University-San Marcos
High school GPA RequiredVery important
High school record RequiredRequired
Class rank RequiredNot considered
College-prep program ConsideredRequired
Recommendations Not consideredNot considered
Essay Not consideredNot considered
Legacy status Not consideredNot considered
Work experience Not consideredNot considered
Demonstration of competencies Not consideredNot considered
English proficiency test RequiredRequired
Other tests Not consideredNot considered
All admissions numbers in the table

Sources:IPEDS Admissions survey, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;College Scorecard, most recent release;California State University-San Marcos (Fall 2025), Fall 2025;California State University-San Marcos Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2027 applicants;California State University-San Marcos Common Data Set 2025–26, Entered fall 2024About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)

Figures are the newest each college has published; years can differ between colleges. Each value's ⓘ shows its source and year. Why