Quad

Key differences on Outcomes

  1. 1

    California State University-San Marcos grads earn $8.7K more ten years out than Sam Houston State's ($62,908 vs. $54,211)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  2. 2

    California State University-San Marcos graduates 5 pts more of its students than Sam Houston State (68% vs. 62%)

    Graduation rate

Outcomes

Outcomes

Earnings and finishing

Median earnings, 10 yrs
Sam Houston State$54.2K
California State University-San Marcos$62.9K
Graduation rate
Sam Houston State62%
California State University-San Marcos68%
Retention rate
Sam Houston State73%
California State University-San Marcos79%

Borrowing

Median debt
Sam Houston State$22K
California State University-San Marcos$17.4K
Undergrads with a federal loan
Sam Houston State46%
California State University-San Marcos28%
Median debt, Pell Grant recipients
Sam Houston State$18.3K
California State University-San Marcos$12.6K

Eight-year outcomes

Credential within 4 years, all students
Sam Houston State47%
California State University-San Marcos44%
Credential within 8 years, all students
Sam Houston State63%
California State University-San Marcos67%
Enrolled at another college, 8 years on
Sam Houston State23%
California State University-San Marcos20%

Graduation by group

Graduated in 6 years, Pell Grant recipients
Sam Houston State50%
California State University-San Marcos51%
Graduated in 6 years, neither Pell nor subsidized loan
Sam Houston State59%
California State University-San Marcos59%
Pell graduation gap
Sam Houston State9 pts lower
California State University-San Marcos8 pts lower

Graduated in 6 years, by race and ethnicity

GroupSam Houston StateCalifornia State University-San Marcos
White58%60%
Asian61%68%
Hispanic/Latino57%51%
Black44%41%
Two or more races44%50%
InternationalNot shown: under 30 students54%

All outcome numbers in the table

Sources:College Scorecard, most recent release;College Scorecard, Entered fall 2023;College Scorecard, 2023–24;IPEDS Outcome Measures survey, Students entering fall 2016;IPEDS Graduation Rates survey (Pell Grant and subsidized loan recipients), Entered fall 2018;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