College ROI

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California State University-San Marcos

San Marcos, CA 14,877 Undergrads 67.8% Grad Rate
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Total Cost
$21,649
Sticker Price
Avg Net Price
$10,229
After Aid
Median Earnings
$67,891
4yr Post-Grad

Vs. Peer Institutions

Net Price$10,229
Peer Midpoint: $20,081
Earnings (4yr Post-Grad)Completers only after graduation
$67,891
Peer Midpoint: $60,428
Earnings (10yr Post-Enroll)All enrolled after enrollment
$62,908
Peer Midpoint: $53,763
Graduation Rate67.8%
Peer Midpoint: 58.9%
Average Starting Age23.5
Warning: High average starting age indicates non-traditional students with prior work experience, which may inflate the median earnings shown.
Socio-Economic Diversity
Pell Grant Recipients43.3%
Enrollment Status
Full-Time83.7%
Economic Outcomes
Earn More than HS75.2%

Admissions Profile

Acceptance
95.1%
SAT Avg
-
SAT Reading
25th: --75th: -
SAT Math
25th: --75th: -
ACT Composite
25th: --75th: -

ROI Sensitivity Analysis
Assuming 4 Years to Graduation

This analysis tests three cost scenarios (Scholarship, Average Net Price, Full Sticker Price) to show how college costs impact your long-term return compared to the average student and a high school graduate.

Lifetime Value Added (NPV)
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Institution Lifetime NPV
Vs Median Peer
Vs HS Grad
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
+$598k
+$131k
+$113k
Median Cost$10k/yr
+$561k
+$94k
+$76k
Full Cost$22k/yr
+$520k
+$53k
+$35k

ROI Efficiency Metrics
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Break-Even Age
Return on Inv. %
Zero Cost (Scholarship)$0
31
∞
Median Cost$10k/yr
37
208%
Full Cost$22k/yr
47
45%
Analysis Assumptions:
  • Starting Salary: Estimated from the 4-year post-graduation median earnings (assuming 2% annual growth from graduation).⚠️ Warning: The high average starting age or low completion rate may inflate the Median earnings and ROI shown.
  • Comparisons: "Vs Median Peer" compares to the median student nationwide in a similar level program. "Vs HS Grad" compares to a median high school graduate.
  • Break-Even: The age at which the college investment net income exceeds the median high school graduate's lifetime earnings.
  • NPV: Net Present Value of all future earnings minus costs and taxes, discounted at 7.8%.

Social Impact ROINew
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Measures the societal return on a donor's investment. Calculated as the incremental pre-tax lifetime earnings vs. HS grad, divided by the tax-adjusted donation cost.

Donor Return184%

Gov. Pell Grant ROINew
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Measures the government's return on Pell Grants via increased tax revenue. Calculated as the portion of incremental lifetime taxes (discounted at 5.4%) attributed to the Pell Grant investment.

Taxpayer Return5%
Important Note: Your ROI with any major will depend on the cost you pay to attend the program, and your starting salary. Both vary significantly across institutions. We encourage you to explore the ROI of a specific program variant by selecting the Program title of the credential level you are interested in. You will then have a more detailed return analysis for programs at specific institutions. We also encourage you to use the ROI calculator, or for more sophisticated analysis, the Guided ROI Interview, with your specific estimates of cost and salary.

Program ROI Analysis
⚠️ Caution: Underlying earnings data reflects graduates only. This institution flagged for high risk factors (low completion/older demographics) that may artificially inflate this ROI.

Bachelor's Degrees

Median Debt
$20,452
Earnings (4yr)
$86,318
Natl Median: $76,194
Lifetime Value Added
+$217k
Anthropology
BachCIP: 4502
Median Debt
$16,250
Earnings (4yr)
$49,848
Natl Median: $46,676
Lifetime Value Added
-$69k
Median Debt
$20,983
Earnings (4yr)
$65,479
Natl Median: $65,466
Lifetime Value Added
+$58k
Biology, General
BachCIP: 2601
Median Debt
$23,750
Earnings (4yr)
$70,789
Natl Median: $57,214
Lifetime Value Added
+$99k
Biotechnology
BachCIP: 2612
Median Debt
$16,500
Earnings (4yr)
$76,622
Natl Median: $67,097
Lifetime Value Added
+$143k
Median Debt
$19,500
Earnings (4yr)
$70,900
Natl Median: $68,257
Lifetime Value Added
+$100k
Median Debt
$20,951
Earnings (4yr)
$68,984
Natl Median: $68,407
Lifetime Value Added
+$85k
Median Debt
$19,462
Earnings (4yr)
$80,303
Natl Median: $66,697
Lifetime Value Added
+$171k
Chemistry
BachCIP: 4005
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $65,120
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$14,545
Earnings (4yr)
$59,842
Natl Median: $56,359
Lifetime Value Added
+$13k
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$71,068
Natl Median: $58,928
Lifetime Value Added
+$101k
Computer Science
BachCIP: 1107
Median Debt
$12,500
Earnings (4yr)
$97,827
Natl Median: $107,009
Lifetime Value Added
+$305k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$93,047
Natl Median: $78,929
Lifetime Value Added
+$269k
Criminology
BachCIP: 4504
Median Debt
$14,810
Earnings (4yr)
$55,418
Natl Median: $55,556
Lifetime Value Added
-$23k
Median Debt
$23,000
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $48,842
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Economics
BachCIP: 4506
Median Debt
$18,620
Earnings (4yr)
$83,339
Natl Median: $82,686
Lifetime Value Added
+$195k
Median Debt
$15,500
Earnings (4yr)
$54,985
Natl Median: $48,590
Lifetime Value Added
-$26k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $51,710
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$16,337
Earnings (4yr)
$77,312
Natl Median: $83,343
Lifetime Value Added
+$149k
History
BachCIP: 5401
Median Debt
$16,847
Earnings (4yr)
$52,985
Natl Median: $50,680
Lifetime Value Added
-$43k
Median Debt
$17,362
Earnings (4yr)
$53,568
Natl Median: $48,568
Lifetime Value Added
-$38k
Median Debt
$15,965
Earnings (4yr)
$77,965
Natl Median: $73,201
Lifetime Value Added
+$154k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $66,596
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$16,226
Earnings (4yr)
$58,289
Natl Median: $53,072
Lifetime Value Added
+$718
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$72,448
Natl Median: $83,290
Lifetime Value Added
+$111k
Marketing
BachCIP: 5214
Median Debt
$18,000
Earnings (4yr)
$73,290
Natl Median: $69,303
Lifetime Value Added
+$118k
Mathematics
BachCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,562
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,693
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Music
BachCIP: 5009
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $42,892
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$13,273
Earnings (4yr)
$55,903
Natl Median: $55,012
Lifetime Value Added
-$19k
Physics
BachCIP: 4008
Median Debt
$19,000
Earnings (5yr)
$80,480
Natl Median: $76,786
Lifetime Value Added
+$161k
Median Debt
$15,154
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $62,172
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$17,666
Earnings (4yr)
$50,857
Natl Median: $63,293
Lifetime Value Added
-$60k
Psychology, General
BachCIP: 4201
Median Debt
$17,750
Earnings (4yr)
$55,196
Natl Median: $50,706
Lifetime Value Added
-$24k
Median Debt
$24,246
Earnings (4yr)
$120,196
Natl Median: $88,910
Lifetime Value Added
+$475k
Median Debt
$9,000
Earnings (5yr)
$47,058
Natl Median: $55,000
Lifetime Value Added
-$100k
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$63,622
Natl Median: $53,366
Lifetime Value Added
+$43k
Sociology
BachCIP: 4511
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$53,287
Natl Median: $52,657
Lifetime Value Added
-$40k
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness
BachCIP: 3105
Median Debt
$17,500
Earnings (4yr)
$61,252
Natl Median: $54,562
Lifetime Value Added
+$25k
Median Debt
$15,000
Earnings (4yr)
$51,445
Natl Median: $47,382
Lifetime Value Added
-$56k
Median Debt
$18,625
Earnings (4yr)
$48,043
Natl Median: $41,688
Lifetime Value Added
-$84k

Master's Degrees

Biology, General
MastCIP: 2601
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $69,830
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Biotechnology
MastCIP: 2612
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
$92,859
Natl Median: $107,682
Lifetime Value Added
+$159k
Median Debt
$36,990
Earnings (4yr)
$105,743
Natl Median: $103,485
Lifetime Value Added
+$272k
Median Debt
$70,750
Earnings (4yr)
$88,196
Natl Median: $67,030
Lifetime Value Added
+$118k
Computer Science
MastCIP: 1107
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $145,571
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Education, General
MastCIP: 1301
Median Debt
$20,936
Earnings (4yr)
$95,348
Natl Median: $65,824
Lifetime Value Added
+$181k
Median Debt
$15,100
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $71,685
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,512
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
History
MastCIP: 5401
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $55,360
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Mathematics
MastCIP: 2701
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $72,654
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Psychology, General
MastCIP: 4201
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $64,711
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Median Debt
$60,000
Earnings (4yr)
$148,800
Natl Median: $120,193
Lifetime Value Added
+$645k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $60,728
Lifetime Value Added
N/A
Social Work
MastCIP: 4407
Median Debt
$41,000
Earnings (4yr)
$77,471
Natl Median: $65,123
Lifetime Value Added
+$24k
Sociology
MastCIP: 4511
Median Debt
-
Earnings (2yr)
$39,927
Natl Median: $63,330
Lifetime Value Added
-$308k
Median Debt
-
Earnings (5yr)
$82,494
Natl Median: $61,632
Lifetime Value Added
+$54k

Professional Degrees

Education, General
ProfCIP: 1301
Median Debt
-
Earnings (4yr)
-
Natl Median: $72,062
Lifetime Value Added
N/A

Note: Lifetime Value Added is the Net Present Value (NPV) of estimated career earnings relative to a median high school graduate (for undergraduate programs) or a median bachelor's degree holder (for graduate programs), accounting for this institution's average cost and taxes. Computed over a career to retirement age.

For graduate programs (Master's, Doctoral, etc.), the calculation assumes a starting age of 22 (after undergraduate completion) and does not include the sunk costs of prior degrees. It represents the value added of the graduate decision moving forward. Note that the institution's average undergraduate net price is used as a proxy for annual cost, which may differ from actual graduate tuition. These Lifetime Value Added results for graduate degrees should not be compared with those for Undergraduate Certificates, Associates or Bachelors.

Completers Only: Federal median earnings data strictly reflects outcomes for students who successfully graduated. Students who do not complete their degree typically earn significantly less and face higher risks of debt default.