Quad

Key differences on Students & campus

  1. 1

    California State University-San Marcos has 8 pts more first-gen students than Metropolitan State University of Denver (48% vs. 40%)

    First-generation students
  2. 2

    California State University-San Marcos has 7 pts more Pell recipients than Metropolitan State University of Denver (43% vs. 36%)

    Pell Grant recipients
  3. 3

    Metropolitan State University of Denver is more diverse (index 0.68 vs. 0.66)

    Diversity index

Students

Students & campus

Who's on each campus, how many get Pell Grants or are the first in their family, and campus life.

Who's on campus

Undergrads
Metropolitan State University of Denver15K
California State University-San Marcos15.6K
Pell Grant share
Metropolitan State University of Denver36%
California State University-San Marcos43%
First-gen share
Metropolitan State University of Denver40%
California State University-San Marcos48%
Diversity index
Metropolitan State University of Denver0.68
California State University-San Marcos0.66

Who they are

Men
Metropolitan State University of Denver45%
California State University-San Marcos43%
Part-time students
Metropolitan State University of Denver44%
California State University-San Marcos17%
Students 25 and older
Metropolitan State University of Denver29%
California State University-San Marcos18%

Race & ethnicity

Metropolitan State University of Denver
California State University-San Marcos
  • White
  • Asian
  • Hispanic/Latino
  • Black
  • Two or more
  • International
  • Other/unknown

Where they're from

First-years from in state
Metropolitan State University of Denver97%
California State University-San Marcos97%
First-years from other states
Metropolitan State University of Denver3%
California State University-San Marcos2%
First-years from abroad
Metropolitan State University of Denver0%
California State University-San Marcos1%
New transfer students this fall
Metropolitan State University of Denver1,926
California State University-San Marcos2,162
Transfers, share of new undergraduates
Metropolitan State University of Denver47%
California State University-San Marcos45%

Campus

Metropolitan State University of Denver
Large cityNo college housingNCAA D-II · Rocky Mountain Athletic ConferenceROTCStudy abroadUndergrad research
California State University-San Marcos
Large suburbNCAA D-II · California Collegiate Athletic AssociationROTCStudy abroadUndergrad research

LGBTQ+ policies

Each item is dated: either the college's own page, checked on that date, or a national list's claim, read on that date — never a plain “yes” or “no.” A key missing for a college isn't shown as “no”: nothing was found for it.

All student numbers in the table

Sources:College Scorecard, Fall 2024;College Scorecard, most recent release;College Scorecard, Fall 2023;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part C, residence of first-time students), Fall 2024;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part A, enrollment by level), Fall 2024;IPEDS directory (Institutional Characteristics: HD), 2025–26;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey, 2023–24;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26;California State University-San Marcos Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025About 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