What are the admission requirements at California State University San Marcos?

CSUSM is considered among the best institutions in the region, being fully accredited by the region's most prominent accreditation board: Western Association of Schools & Colleges (WASC). 

The institute also ranks highly as part of country-level rankings given by some popular university ranking publications, with one major source ranking it #22 for Regional Universities West Rankings 2025 while another ranked it #251-300 as part of its National University Rankings 2025.

San Maros is famous for being the educational hub of the North County, being home to the award-winning Palomar College & the California State University San Marcos.

Other than that, it is home to one of the top wineries in North County San Diego, the Sunshine Mountain Wines. Its NCAA Division II team, the Cal State San Marcos Cougars are the city's favorites that participate in over 13 different sports.

And last but not the least, it is located just 35 miles south of San Diego that is known for its beautiful, sunny beaches, & scenic shorelines.  

As per some unofficial souces, the California State University San Marcos acceptance rate stands at 95.70% for the year 2024 which is a good acceptance rate for a university. This suggests the out of every 100 applications, 95 to 96 students were accepted by the university. In the year 2024, 17,519 applications were received by California State University San Macros. Out of which, 16,765 students were rolled out an offer letter. 

The students are expected to apply through the official application portal of the university named as Cal State Apply website for the UG and PG courses. While appying for the same, the students are expected to pay an application fee of USD 70 (INR 6,011). 

Yes, as part of CSUSM admission requirements,  the students are required to take an English proficiency test in order to qualify for admissions. 

For different courses and the level of study, the requirements can vary: