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CSUSM Graduation Rate & Retention Rates

14% 4-Year Graduation Rate
61% 6-Year Graduation Rate
84% Retention Rate

California State University - San Marcos 2023 Graduation & Retention Report

How many CSUSM first-year students return for their second year? How many graduate and how long does it take them? On this page we'll explore CSUSM retention rates, graduation rates, drop out rates and more.

CSUSM Retention Rate

84% Freshmen Retention Rate
Good Retention Rate

Freshmen retention rate refers to the percentage of first-time / full-time students who return for their second year.

With 84% students making it past their freshmen year, CSUSM has freshmen retention rates above the national average.

Nationwide, the average first to second year retention rate is 70.57%.

When looking at just colleges and universities in California, the average is 73.07%.

CSUSM Retention  84 out of 100
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100%
California Retention  73 out of 100
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100%
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Retention Rate
CSUSM84%
Nationwide70.57%
California73.07%

CSUSM Graduation Rates

61% 6-Year Graduation Rate
23.85% Transfer Rate
11.33% Dropout Rate

Of the 1,575 students in the class of 2015, how many completed their degree on time?

14% of the cohort completed their degree in four years, 61% in six years, and 64% in eight years.

Any student who completes their bachelor's degree within six years is considered to have graduated on time, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. This makes the offical CSUSM graduation rate 61%.

The average length of time it takes an CSUSM undergraduate student to complete their bachelor's degree is 4.91 years.

Four Year Graduation Rate  36%
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100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  61%
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  64%
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100%

CSUSM Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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Completion WithinUndergraduatesPercentage
Four Years94236%
Six Years1,57561%
Eight Years793%
Did Not Complete94136%
The non-completers rate is anyone who is not still enrolled at the institution after eight years. Both transfer students and drop-outs could be included in this group.
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CSUSM Drop Out Rate

Approximately 941 students or 36% of the cohort did not complete their degree within eight years.

What happened to the 941 students who did not complete their degree?

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Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled151.6%
Transferred61965.8%
Dropped Out29431.2%

CSUSM Graduation Rates by Race/Ethnicity

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Race/EthnicityGraduation Rate
American Indian or Alaskan Native57%
Asian58%
Black / African-American57%
Hawaiian17%
Hispanic58%
International31%
Multi-Ethnic53%
Unknown54%
White58%

Some Students Take More Time To Graduate

Some schools have mainly first-time, full-time students, while others cater to part-time students, transfer students, or adult learners. For a variety of reasons first-time, full-time students under the age of 25 are usually more likely to graduate in four years.

Traditional Students:

First-time, full-time students under the age of 25.

Non-Traditional Students:

Any student that is not first-time, full-time, and under the age of 25.

The majority of students at CSUSM are considered 'traditional students' who are first-time attending full-time.

Comparing the graduation rates of specific cohorts shown below will be more revealing than the overall statistics shared above.

First-Time / Full-Time CSUSM Graduation Rates

52% First-Time, Full-Time
53% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / full-time students at California State University - San Marcos represent 52% of the students in the class of 2015, and 45.84% of CSUSM bachelor's degree graduations.

With a four-year graduation rate of 14%, first-time students in the CSUSM class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were less likely than average to graduate on time.

After six years, the CSUSM graduation rate was 53%, and by the eight year mark, 58% of the cohort had completed their degree.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is 37.92% after four years, 46.43% after six years, and 47.82% after eight years.

Four Year Graduation Rate  14 out of 100
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100%
Six Year Graduation Rate  53 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  58 out of 100
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100%

CSUSM First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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First-Time / Full-Time CompletionsCSUSMNationwide
Four Years14%37.92%
Six Years53%46.43%
Eight Years58%47.82%

First-Time / Full-Time CSUSM Drop Out Rates

576 first-time / full-time students or 42% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Full-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled152.60%
Transferred41471.88%
Dropped Out14625.35%

First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

4% First-Time, Part-Time
44% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

First-time / part-time students at California State University - San Marcos represent 3.51% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six-year graduation rate of 44%, first-time, part-time students in the CSUSM class of 2015 who attended classes full-time were more likely than average to graduate on time.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 51%.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 14.37% after four years, 21.59% after six years, 23.72% after eight years.

Six Year Graduation Rate  44 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  51 out of 100
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First-Time / Part-Time CSUSM Graduation Rates vs. National Average

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First-Time / Part-Time CompletionsCSUSMNationwide
Four Years8%14.37%
Six Years44%21.59%
Eight Years51%23.72%

First-Time / Part-Time CSUSM Drop Out Rates

45 first-time / part-time students or 49% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled36.67%
Transferred2964.44%
Dropped Out1328.89%

Non First-Time / Full-Time Students

30% Returning, Full-Time
76% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

775 CSUSM students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 29.87% of the students in the class of 2015.

Non first-time students could include transfer students or adults who have returned to school after an absense.

With a six year graduation rate of 76%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average for students in this category.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 76%.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes full-time is: 49.57% after four years, 53.83% after six years, and 55.07% after eight years.

Six Year Graduation Rate  76 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  76 out of 100
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100%

CSUSM Non First-Time / Full-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Full-Time CompletionsCSUSMNationwide
Four Years0%49.57%
Six Years76%53.83%
Eight Years76%55.07%

Non First-Time / Full-Time CSUSM Drop Out Rates

185 non first-time / part-time students or 24% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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First-Time / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled52.70%
Transferred9651.89%
Dropped Out8445.41%

Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rates

14% Returning, Part-Time
62% 6-Year Grad Rate
Good Grad Rate

367 CSUSM students were classified as full-time / not first-time. This represents 14.14% of the students in the class of 2015.

With a six year graduation rate of 62%, returning students in the class of 2015 and attended classes full-time had a graduation rate higher than the national average.

After eight years, the graduation rate was 63%.

Nationwide, the average graduation rate for non first-time undergraduates attending classes part-time is: 36.03% after six years, 36.03% after eight years.

Six Year Graduation Rate  62 out of 100
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100%
Eight Year Graduation Rate  63 out of 100
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CSUSM Non First-Time / Part-Time Graduation Rate vs. National Average

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Returning / Part-Time CompletionsCSUSMNationwide
Four Years0%30.46%
Six Years62%36.03%
Eight Years63%37.80%

Non First-Time / Part-Time CSUSM Drop Out Rates

135 non first-time / part-time students or 37% did not complete their degree within eight years.

Of those who did not finish:

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Returning / Part-Time Non-CompletionsUndergraduatesPercentage
Still Enrolled42.96%
Transferred8059.26%
Dropped Out5137.78%

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