Azimuth places the return pillar at the 80th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Four years after completion, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $67,891, in the 73rd percentile.
That is $2,281 above the $65,610 median for comparable institutions (same type and size). Graduates earn about $17,200 more than the model expects for similar students.
That places the gap at the 93rd percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $5,988.
The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $11,212. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $665.
California State University-San Marcos records a median of $67,891 four years after completion among 3,709 federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled. That median is above the $65,610 median at comparable institutions (same type and size) by $2,281, placing it in the 73rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.
Graduates earn about $17,200 more than the model expects for similar students, an outcome in the 93rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios estimated from the program mix show a typical outcome of $67,891, a downside of $52,430 and an upside of $94,972.
The model projects graduate-school continuation at 32.3% based on the program mix rather than observed enrollment data.
Four years after completion, graduates of California State University-San Marcos earn a median of $67,891, which places the university in the 73rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. That figure runs above the median of $65,610 for comparable institutions (same type and size), by $2,281.
Graduates earn about $17,200 more than the model expects for similar students, a result that sits in the 93rd percentile nationally. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $5,988.
The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $11,212. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $665.
Azimuth ranks the university #288 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Earnings scenarios grounded in the program mix show a downside of $52,430 and an upside of $94,972 four years after completion.
The largest bachelor's program, Business Administration and Management, awarded 532 degrees and shows median earnings of $70,900 four years after completion, or 1.04x the national median for the field. Nursing is the highest-earning large program, with 318 degrees awarded and a median of $120,196 (1.35x the national median).
Among the university's ranked programs, Communication Disorders Sciences and Services holds Azimuth's #5 spot nationally and #3 in California, with 71 degrees awarded and earnings of $71,068. Nursing earns $120,196 and ranks #20 nationally, delivering 1.35x the national median for its field.
The range between the downside and upside scenarios spans from $52,430 to $94,972, reflecting the variation in earnings potential across the university's program clusters. The highest-earning program, Nursing, shows a median of $120,196 four years after completion, while the largest program, Business Administration and Management, sees graduates earning a median of $70,900.
A third program, Computer Science, reports median earnings of $97,827 for its completers, further illustrating the spread of outcomes tied to field of study.
Graduates of California State University-San Marcos earn about $17,200 more than the model expects for similar students. That earnings strength coincides with federal student debt that sits below the median for comparable institutions (same type and size): $17,350 versus $20,076.
If repaid over ten years, the estimated monthly payment on that debt is $197. The university's average net price of $10,229 runs below the peer median of $15,634 for comparable institutions.
For families earning under $30,000, the average net price drops to $6,230; for families earning over $110,000, it reaches $18,734. Parent PLUS borrowers, a separate population, carry a median of $18,031.