Private nonprofit · College
Menlo College
Atherton, California · Large suburb
- 68.5%
- Admit rate
- $31,100
- Avg net price
- 54%
- Graduation rate
- $76,419
- Median earnings
Menlo College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Atherton, California (large suburb setting), enrolling 752 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI).
About Atherton, California
Atherton is an incorporated town in San Mateo County, California, United States. The entire area was originally part of the Rancho de las Pulgas. During the 1860s, Atherton was known as Fair Oaks. In 1923, Menlo Park wanted to incorporate its lands to include Fair Oaks, but the Fair Oaks property owners chose to incorporate separately. There are also home owners' associations in various neighborhoods. The Menlo Circus Club is a private club with tennis, swimming, stables and a riding ring located within the town. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 19 miles to San Jose, CA
- To the ocean
- 4 miles
- Nearest airport
- 5 miles to San Carlos (SQL)
How Menlo College compares
More selective than 66% · #46 most selective of 107 in California
Higher than 47% · #83 of 122 in California
Higher than 30%
Higher than 89% · #39 of 130 in California
Cheaper than 13% · #79 cheapest of 118 in California
Lower than 61%
Lower than 42%
Larger than 29%
Percentiles compare Menlo College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in California.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate75294%
- Graduate466%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women38351%
- Men36949%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White17%
- Black5.1%
- Hispanic32%
- Asian6.7%
- Other or multiracial39%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 752
- Graduate enrollment
- 46
- Student–faculty ratio
- 14 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 31%
- First-generation students
- 40%
- Students over 25
- 5%
- Median family income
- $49,601
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $93,096
- Endowment
- $21,196,355
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 68.5%
- Test scores
- Not considered
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- —
- SAT average
- —
- SAT reading
- —
- SAT math
- —
- ACT composite
- —
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $53,630
- Room & board
- $18,236
- Books & supplies
- $1,062
- Total cost of attendance
- $72,020
- Average net price
- $31,100
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 (within 6 years)
- 54%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 37%
- First-year retention
- 70%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $60,608
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $76,419
- Median debt at graduation
- $21,750
- Students with federal loans
- 44%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 60%
About 17% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
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
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 838
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 100%+
- Application fee
- $40
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II with football
- Varsity athletes
- 330 (186 men · 144 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 (8)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- C
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 2.5 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 6
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (810 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.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$28,103/year × about 4.5 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
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.
Menlo College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $38,261. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
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 202 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)
- $76,419
- Typical debt at graduation
- $21,750
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 28%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 61%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.8 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
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 $9,765 (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
- 80°F
- Winter low
- 39°F
- Annual rain
- 15.1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Palo Alto, CA US station (2.9 mi from campus).
What Menlo College 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 Menlo College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Menlo College side by side →
Bryan College of Health Sciences
Lincoln, Nebraska · Large city · 3 mi to Lincoln
- Students
- 553
- Admission
- 67%
- Net price
- $27k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $71k
Wabash College
Crawfordsville, Indiana · Distant town · 44 mi to Indianapolis
- Students
- 866
- Admission
- 63%
- Net price
- $24k
- SAT
- 1180
- GPA
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- Earnings
- $70k
Westminster University
Salt Lake City, Utah · Midsize city · 3 mi to Salt Lake City
- Students
- 823
- Admission
- 67%
- Net price
- $27k
- SAT
- 1220
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $66k
Muhlenberg College
Allentown, Pennsylvania · Midsize city · 1 mi to Allentown
- Students
- 1,727
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- 1343
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $69k
University of Puget Sound
Tacoma, Washington · Midsize city · 25 mi to Seattle
- Students
- 1,594
- Admission
- 72%
- Net price
- $38k
- SAT
- 1296
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $70k
Hobart William Smith Colleges
Geneva, New York · Distant town · 38 mi to Rochester
- Students
- 1,786
- Admission
- 64%
- Net price
- $32k
- SAT
- 1319
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $69k
Colleges near Menlo College
Stanford University
Stanford, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 7,554 students
Alder Graduate School of Education
Redwood City, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Canada College
Redwood City, CA · Public · Associate · 5,175 students
Sofia University
Palo Alto, CA · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 5 students
Palo Alto University
Palo Alto, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 14 students
Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 33 students
Foothill College
Los Altos Hills, CA · Public · Certificate · 11,137 students
College of San Mateo
San Mateo, CA · Public · Associate · 7,977 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.













