California State University-San Marcos Nursing: earnings, debt & careers

Nursing graduates of California State University-San Marcos earn a median $120,196 four years after graduating ($103,799 after one year), with median federal loan debt of $25,047. That is $34,984 above the U.S. median for Nursing graduates ($85,212 across 858 colleges), and ranks 12th of 35 California colleges.

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Earnings, 4 years after graduating
$120,196

U.S. median for this major: $85,212.

College Scorecard field of study

Earnings, 1 year after
$103,799

Median for graduates who received federal aid.

College Scorecard field of study

Median debt at graduation
$25,047

About 21% of median earnings 4 years out. U.S. median $27,000.

College Scorecard field of study (federal loans)

What your family pays
$10,229 /yr

Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.

Sticker price $21,649. College Scorecard.

Nursing at California colleges

Every California college we cover that reports Nursing graduate earnings, highest first. Net price is the school-wide average after grants.

RankCollegeEarnings, 4 yrsMedian debtAvg. net priceGraduation
1California State University-East Bay$150,921$18,875$9,32048%
2San Francisco State University$150,102$16,875$12,27850%
3Dominican University of California$149,622$27,000$35,33378%
4Samuel Merritt University$148,193$25,000——
5Sonoma State University$143,886$19,750$12,88558%
6University of San Francisco$143,356$27,000$41,43170%
7Pacific Union College$140,542$31,000$41,00858%
8California State University-Monterey Bay$134,489$9,489$13,66359%
9California State University-Sacramento$129,960$19,000$9,33856%
10California State University-Stanislaus$126,959$23,450$6,06753%
11San Diego State University$120,799$18,875$15,36476%
12California State University-San Marcos$120,196$25,047$10,22955%
13University of California-Irvine$119,502$13,400$14,25187%
14California State University-Fullerton$119,353$17,375$6,55570%
15Mount Saint Mary's University$119,050$27,000$21,41353%
16California State University-Dominguez Hills$118,588$18,750$8,61543%
17University of California-Los Angeles$118,566$20,800$12,54893%
18Azusa Pacific University$118,549$26,898$22,21262%
19California State University-Chico$117,543$20,125$14,48063%
20California State University-Northridge$116,613$20,000$7,02157%
21California State University-Los Angeles$116,182$18,964$3,96753%
22Point Loma Nazarene University$114,919$27,000$38,72977%
23National University$114,413$37,375$22,87843%
24Simpson University$113,623$28,635$27,81749%
25California State University-Channel Islands$112,691$19,750$9,84951%
26Fresno Pacific University$112,178—$13,63050%
27California State University-Long Beach$111,681$18,661$10,44069%
28California State University-Fresno$111,278$17,938$7,00057%
29Biola University$111,200$29,375$31,49568%
30Loma Linda University$110,805$31,645——
31California State University-San Bernardino$109,499$18,116$4,56455%
32California Baptist University$108,157$35,718$26,28562%
33Concordia University-Irvine$105,657$30,500$28,11558%
34California State University-Bakersfield$102,298—$5,65250%
35Vanguard University of Southern California$102,239$20,832$21,24157%

11 more California colleges offer Nursing but have too few graduates to report earnings.

Careers for Nursing graduates

Registered nurse

San Diego area$139,520
California$140,270
U.S.$97,550

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +5.6% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

Medical and Health Services Managers

San Diego area$138,080
California$141,480
U.S.$123,860

Median annual wage, all workers. U.S. jobs +24.2% by 2035. Typical entry: bachelor's degree.

BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35. Careers from the federal major-to-occupation crosswalk.

What families pay at California State University-San Marcos, by income

School-wide average after grants for students receiving federal aid. Tap your band.

College Scorecard

About California State University-San Marcos

California State University-San Marcos Nursing questions

How much do California State University-San Marcos Nursing graduates earn?

Nursing graduates of California State University-San Marcos earn a median $120,196 four years after graduating and $103,799 one year after. The U.S. median for Nursing graduates across 858 colleges is $85,212.

How much debt do California State University-San Marcos Nursing graduates have?

The median federal loan debt for Nursing graduates of California State University-San Marcos is $25,047, about 21% of their median earnings four years out. Nationally the median is $27,000.

Where does California State University-San Marcos rank for Nursing in California?

Of 35 California colleges reporting Nursing graduate earnings, California State University-San Marcos ranks 12th. The highest is California State University-East Bay at $150,921.

What jobs do Nursing graduates get?

A common career is registered nurse, with a median wage of $139,520 in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA area and $97,550 nationally. Others include medical and health services managers.

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Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (field of study: median earnings and federal loan debt of graduates who received federal aid); BLS. How we score
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Cite this: “California State University-San Marcos Nursing: earnings, debt and careers,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/california-state-university-san-marcos/majors/nursing (College Scorecard and BLS data).