Quad

Head-to-head

Key differences

The biggest gaps between these schools, largest first.

  1. 1

    California State University-San Marcos graduates 24 pts more of its students than Austin Peay State (68% vs. 43%)

    Graduation rate
  2. 2

    California State University-San Marcos grads earn $18.6K more ten years out than Austin Peay State's ($62,908 vs. $44,301)

    Median earnings, 10 yrs
  3. 3

    Austin Peay State's yield is 14 pts higher than California State University-San Marcos's

    Yield rate
  4. 4

    Austin Peay State's grants cover 40% of its full price on average, vs. 29% at California State University-San Marcos

    Aid generosity
  5. 5

    California State University-San Marcos has 2.1× as many undergrads as Austin Peay State

    Undergrads
  6. 6

    California State University-San Marcos has 9 pts more first-gen students than Austin Peay State (48% vs. 40%)

    First-generation students

The shape of each school

Each axis is a national rank among 4-year colleges; further out = more of it.

SelectivityTest scoresSizePell shareFirst-genDiversity

Who's hardest to get into

California State University-San Marcos admits 95%, Austin Peay State 96%; Austin Peay State's yield is higher, at 27%.

Acceptance rate
California State University-San Marcos95%
Austin Peay State96%
Quad's selectivity
  • California State University-San MarcosOpen
  • Austin Peay StateOpen
SAT middle 50%Axis 700–1600
California State University-San Marcos
860–1113
Austin Peay State
843–1126
How they read a recordfirst-years at 3.75+
  • California State University-San MarcosGPA very important20%
  • Austin Peay StateGPA and school record required27%

Who's on each campus

California State University-San Marcos has 2.1× as many undergrads as Austin Peay State; Austin Peay State has the larger Pell share.

Undergrads
California State University-San Marcos15.6K
Austin Peay State7.6K
Pell Grant share
California State University-San Marcos43%
Austin Peay State44%

Majors and faculty

Business Administration and Management leads at California State University-San Marcos, and Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse at Austin Peay State.

Students per faculty member
California State University-San Marcos24 to 1
Austin Peay State14 to 1
Most popular majorshare of graduates
  • California State University-San MarcosBusiness Administration and Management, General18%
  • Austin Peay StateRegistered Nursing/Registered Nurse11%

What each costs

Austin Peay State costs about $2.8K less a year than California State University-San Marcos on average, and its grants cover the larger share of its price.

Average cost, all students
California State University-San Marcos$19.2K
Austin Peay State$16.3K
Aid generosity
California State University-San Marcos29%
Austin Peay State40%

What each pays off

California State University-San Marcos's former students earn more, a median $62.9K ten years after enrolling.

Median earnings, 10 years
California State University-San Marcos$62.9K
Austin Peay State$44.3K
Graduation rate
California State University-San Marcos68%
Austin Peay State43%

How each has changed

Applications grew at both; both got less selective.

Applications, 10-year change
  • California State University-San MarcosGrowing+54%
  • Austin Peay StateGrowing+91%
All the numbersEvery figure for these colleges in one table, with differences highlighted.
Sources for this comparisonEvery dataset and year behind the numbers in this comparison; tap any ⓘ for one number's source

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