Public · Community college
College of San Mateo
San Mateo, California · Midsize city
- 9%
- Transfer rate
- $536
- Avg net price
- 61%
- Grad / completion
- $54,172
- Median earnings
College of San Mateo is a public associate-granting institution in San Mateo, California (midsize city setting), enrolling 7,977 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.
About San Mateo, California
San Mateo is the most populous city in San Mateo County, California, United States, on the San Francisco Peninsula. The earliest known settlers of the Bay Area were the Ramaytush people, since at least 10000 BC. San Mateo maintains more than 15 parks throughout the city. Central Park is considered to be the main one and hosts many community park functions that serve downtown residents. It has a Japanese tea garden to commemorate sister city Toyonaka, Japan. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Midsize city
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 17 miles to San Francisco, CA
- To the ocean
- 3 miles
- Nearest airport
- 5 miles to San Carlos (SQL)
How College of San Mateo compares
Higher than 50% · #219 of 382 in California
Higher than 49%
Higher than 93% · #26 of 326 in California
Cheaper than 99% · #6 cheapest of 377 in California
Lower than 15%
Lower than 16%
Larger than 95%
Percentiles compare College of San Mateo with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in California.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women4,11152%
- Men3,86648%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White23%
- Black2.8%
- Hispanic35%
- Asian23%
- Other or multiracial16%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 7,977
- Student–faculty ratio
- 24 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 11%
- First-generation students
- 51%
- Students over 25
- 32%
- Median family income
- $20,282
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $121,050
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 1,552 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From California90%
- International9.8%
Most first-years stay in state — College of San Mateo draws overwhelmingly from California.
10% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $1,332
- Out-of-state tuition
- $11,384
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $1,971
- Total cost of attendance
- $10,837
- Average net price
- $536
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated
- 61%
- First-year retention
- 73%
- Transferred to another college
- 9%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $43,803
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $54,172
- Median debt at graduation
- $14,695
- Students with federal loans
- 1%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 49%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- CCCAA
- Varsity athletes
- 287 (192 men · 95 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (10)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.2 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 1
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 6
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (9,901 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Modest institutional aid: 87% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,570. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 663 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $54,172
- Typical debt at graduation
- $14,695
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 27%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 52%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.7 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $7,155 (14%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 75°F
- Winter low
- 44°F
- Annual rain
- 19.6″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, San Francisco Intl AP, CA US station (6 mi from campus).
What College of San Mateo graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to College of San Mateo
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare College of San Mateo side by side →
Moorpark College
Moorpark, California · Midsize suburb · 38 mi to Los Angeles
- Students
- 12,082
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 14%
- Earnings
- $49k
College of the Sequoias
Visalia, California · Midsize city · 39 mi to Fresno
- Students
- 11,562
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 5%
- Earnings
- $39k
Skyline College
San Bruno, California · Large suburb · 10 mi to San Francisco
- Students
- 7,620
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 8%
- Earnings
- $56k
Ventura College
Ventura, California · Midsize city · 28 mi to Santa Barbara
- Students
- 10,150
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 7%
- Earnings
- $43k
Irvine Valley College
Irvine, California · Large city · 31 mi to Riverside
- Students
- 10,286
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 8%
- Earnings
- $49k
Hartnell College
Salinas, California · Midsize city · 47 mi to San Jose
- Students
- 9,453
- Tuition
- $1k
- Transfer
- 6%
- Earnings
- $44k
Colleges near College of San Mateo
Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 33 students
Alder Graduate School of Education
Redwood City, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Canada College
Redwood City, CA · Public · Associate · 5,175 students
Menlo College
Atherton, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 752 students
Skyline College
San Bruno, CA · Public · Associate · 7,620 students
Unitek College
South San Francisco, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 191 students
Stanford University
Stanford, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 7,554 students
Palo Alto University
Palo Alto, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 14 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.