Private nonprofit · University
Palo Alto University
Palo Alto, California · Fringe rural
- —
- Admit rate
- —
- Avg net price
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- Graduation rate
- $83,187
- Median earnings
Palo Alto University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Palo Alto, California (fringe rural setting), enrolling 14 undergraduates.
About Palo Alto, California
Palo Alto is a charter city in northwestern Santa Clara County, California, United States. Before the arrival of Europeans, the Ohlone lived on the San Francisco peninsula; in particular, the Puichon Ohlone lived in the Palo Alto area. Palo Alto serves as a central economic focal point of the Silicon Valley and is home to more than 7,000 businesses employing more than 98,000 people. In the mid-1950s Palo Alto had a railroad village feel and the streets were lined with bungalows and prim storefronts. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Fringe rural
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 17 miles to San Jose, CA
- To the ocean
- 7 miles
- Nearest airport
- 10 miles to San Carlos (SQL)
How Palo Alto University compares
Higher than 93% · #26 of 130 in California
Lower than 72%
Lower than 35%
Larger than 1%
Percentiles compare Palo Alto University 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
- Undergraduate141%
- Graduate1,05199%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women964%
- Men536%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White36%
- Black14%
- Hispanic7.1%
- Asian21%
- Other or multiracial21%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 14
- Graduate enrollment
- 1,051
- Student–faculty ratio
- 15 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 50%
- First-generation students
- 47%
- Students over 25
- 84%
- Median family income
- $18,766
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $145,665
- Endowment
- $1,147,970
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Outcomes
- Graduated
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- First-year retention
- —
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $63,310
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $83,187
- Median debt at graduation
- $20,500
- Students with federal loans
- 41%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 64%
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- No
- Application fee
- Free
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%.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,065 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.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $83,187
- Typical debt at graduation
- $20,500
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 25%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- —
Typical debt would take roughly 2.5 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 $12,338 (15%) 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
- 81°F
- Winter low
- 40°F
- Annual rain
- 42.2″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Skyline Ridge Preserve, CA US station (4.8 mi from campus).
What Palo Alto University 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 Palo Alto University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Palo Alto University side by side →
Notre Dame de Namur University
Belmont, California · Large suburb · 19 mi to San Francisco
- Students
- 33
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- —
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $75k
Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey
Monterey, California · Midsize suburb · 51 mi to San Jose
- Students
- 4
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- —
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $76k
Touro University Nevada
Henderson, Nevada · Large city · 11 mi to Las Vegas
- Students
- 22
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- —
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $105k
Touro University California
Vallejo, California · Midsize city · 23 mi to San Francisco
- Students
- 23
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- —
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $105k
Lakeview College of Nursing
Danville, Illinois · Distant town · 83 mi to Indianapolis
- Students
- 66
- Admission
- —
- Net price
- —
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $85k
Yeshivas Be'er Yitzchok
Elizabeth, New Jersey · Large suburb · 11 mi to New York
- Students
- 90
- Admission
- 86%
- Net price
- $29k
- SAT
- —
- GPA
- —
- Earnings
- $83k
Colleges near Palo Alto University
Stanford University
Stanford, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 7,554 students
Foothill College
Los Altos Hills, CA · Public · Certificate · 11,137 students
Menlo College
Atherton, CA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 752 students
Sofia University
Palo Alto, CA · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 5 students
Canada College
Redwood City, CA · Public · Associate · 5,175 students
Alder Graduate School of Education
Redwood City, CA · Private nonprofit · Graduate
De Anza College
Cupertino, CA · Public · Associate · 15,264 students
University of East-West Medicine
Sunnyvale, CA · Private for-profit · Graduate
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.