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Career outcomes brief

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# California State University-San Marcos Career Outcomes & Earnings

Updated September 30, 2026

[Overview](/school/california-state-university-san-marcos/)[Cost & aid](/school/california-state-university-san-marcos/cost/)Outcomes[Admissions](/school/california-state-university-san-marcos/admissions/)[Majors](/school/california-state-university-san-marcos/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/california-state-university-san-marcos/similar/)

**On this page**+

## How much do CSUSM graduates earn?

The reported median is $67,891 four years after completion. The peer comparison uses $65,610 as its benchmark; the difference is $2,281 per year.

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.

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.

An estimated 32.3% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure derived from the university's program mix rather than observed enrollment. Because four-year earnings figures capture only those working and not enrolled, the median earnings understate the eventual earnings of the sizable share of completers who pursue advanced degrees.

**Median earnings · four years after completion**
$67,891

**Rank for difference from expectations**
94th percentile

Four-year median earnings against two benchmarks

**CSUSM reported median**
$67,891

**Peer schools comparable schools · $2,281 below CSUSM**
$65,610

**Model expectation what similar students would be expected to earn · $17,200 below CSUSM**
$50,691

School and program earnings use pooled 2017–18 and 2018–19 completion cohorts, measured in 2022 and 2023 and expressed in 2024 dollars. [How the model works](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

## How many CSUSM students return and finish their degrees?

First-time, full-time bachelor’s cohorts · CDS 2025-26

**Returned the following fall**
79.1%

**Completed within six years**
54.9%

**Pell recipients completed within six years**
52.8%

Source: California State University-San Marcos Common Data Set 2025-26, B22 retention; B4–B11 six-year completion. Retention and completion follow different entering cohorts.

## How could earnings differ from the median?

The planning scenarios range from $52,430 to $94,972, around the reported median of $67,891. Compare the lower scenario with [CSUSM borrowing and monthly payments](/school/california-state-university-san-marcos/cost/) to see how a smaller income could change your plan.

Modeled from the school’s program mix; not salary percentiles or a forecast for one graduate.

Earnings four years after completion

Planning rangeReported median

**Lower estimate**
$52,430

**Median · reported**
$67,891

**Higher estimate**
$94,972

Downside shows a lower-earning scenario based on the college’s mix of programs; upside shows a higher-earning scenario. Typical is the school’s reported median four years after completion. These are planning scenarios, not a forecast of your salary or percentiles of individual graduates.

[Why the downside matters](/analysis/median-roi-hides-a-harsh-reality/) explores the risk hidden by medians, using older ten-year entrant data. [Read about the move to four-year earnings](/analysis/college-scorecard-2026-4-year-vs-10-year-earnings-2-2/).

## Do CSUSM graduates earn more than expected?

Azimuth models what we would expect graduates to earn based on who the college enrolls, how selective it is and its local economy. The difference between that expectation and reported earnings is what Azimuth calls [value added](/methodology/#value-added).

CSUSM graduates’ reported earnings are $17,200 above that expectation, the 94th percentile for this measure. Unlike a peer comparison, it adjusts for who enrolls.

The breakdown separates the contribution attributed to observed factors from the remaining difference. Neither component establishes how much attending CSUSM caused a student to earn. [Read how expected earnings are estimated](/analysis/a-value-added-approach-to-college-outcomes/).

What explains value-added earnings?

**Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.**
+$5,988

**Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.**
+$11,212

**Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.**
+$17,200

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

## Which fields at CSUSM report the highest earnings?

[Azimuth ranks](/analysis/college-program-rankings-how-to-actually-evaluate-programs/) three of California State University-San Marcos's bachelor's programs nationally. Communication Disorders Sciences and Services holds a national rank of #5 and a median of $71,068 four years after completion, with 71 degrees awarded.

Visual and Performing Arts follows at #6 nationally and earns $48,043 on 76 degrees awarded. Biotechnology ranks #6 nationally and shows median earnings of $76,622 with 32 degrees awarded.

By contrast, Business Administration and Management, the largest program at 532 degrees awarded, reports $70,900, while Sociology reaches $53,287 on 283 degrees awarded, illustrating the spread between higher- and moderate-earning fields.

California State University-San Marcos has 23 nationally ranked bachelor's programs and earnings data for 23 programs. The largest program, Business Administration and Management, awarded 532 degrees and shows median earnings of $70,900 four years after completion.

Nursing is the highest-earning large program, with 318 degrees awarded and median earnings of $120,196. Among the university's top-ranked programs, Communication Disorders Sciences and Services ranks #5 nationally and #3 in California, with median earnings of $71,068.

Visual and Performing Arts ranks #6 nationally and #1 in California, with median earnings of $48,043.

Highest reported four-year program earnings

**Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing**
$120,196

**Computer Science**
$97,827

**Economics**
$83,339

**Biotechnology**
$76,622

**Communication Disorders Sciences and Services**
$71,068

**Business Administration, Management and Operations**
$70,900

**Biology, General**
$70,789

**Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology**
$65,479

[Explore CSUSM program cohorts and field ranks](/school/california-state-university-san-marcos/majors/#largest-cohorts) for more context.

## Further analysis

Earnings scenarios grounded in the university's program mix show a downside of $52,430, a typical outcome of $67,891, and an upside of $94,972. Among the largest programs, Nursing reaches $120,196 at the high end, while Sociology sits at $53,287 at the lower end, reflecting the variation that field of study can create.

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.

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).