Quad

Key differences on Getting in

  1. 1

    U. New Mexico's yield is 18 pts higher than California State University-San Marcos's

    Yield rate
  2. 2

    U. New Mexico's SAT midpoint is 40 points higher than California State University-San Marcos's

    SAT midpoint
  3. 3

    California State University-San Marcos admits 95% vs. 95% at U. New Mexico

    Acceptance rate

Admissions

Getting in, fall 2024

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

The funnel

Acceptance rate
U. New Mexico95%
California State University-San Marcos95%
Applicants
U. New Mexico12.3K
California State University-San Marcos20.9K
Admitted
U. New Mexico11.7K
California State University-San Marcos19.9K
Yield rate
U. New Mexico31%
California State University-San Marcos14%

Quad's selectivity

  • U. New MexicoOpen
  • 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
U. New Mexico95%
California State University-San Marcos95%
Men admitted
U. New Mexico95%
California State University-San Marcos95%

Test scores

SAT total,

U. New Mexico
890–1170
California State University-San Marcos
860–1113

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

ACT composite,

U. New Mexico
19–26
California State University-San MarcosTest-blind–

Axis runs 15–36. The dark tick marks the national median midpoint.

Submitted SAT
U. New Mexico48%
California State University-San Marcos2%
Submitted ACT
U. New Mexico8%
California State University-San MarcosNot reported

Test policy

  • U. New MexicoTest-optional
  • California State University-San MarcosTest-blind

How they read a record

  • U. New Mexico

    GPA, the high school record, and a college-prep program are required.

  • California State University-San Marcos

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

What they look at

FactorU. New MexicoCalifornia State University-San Marcos
High school GPA RequiredVery important
High school record RequiredRequired
Class rank Not consideredNot considered
College-prep program RequiredRequired
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