Private Nonprofit Graduate Good 58/100

Menlo College

See admissions data, costs, student outcomes, and academic programs, all verified from official US government sources.

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Atherton, California

About Menlo College

Thinking about Menlo College, a college in California where more students graduate in Business than anything else? The four things worth knowing are what it actually costs after aid, whether you would get in, whether students finish, and what they earn after they do.

Menlo College is a private nonprofit institution offering graduate degrees based in Atherton, California. It enrolls 752 students (a small, tight-knit student body), according to IPEDS 2023-24 data. Every figure on this page is reported by the federal government, not supplied by the college, so it can be compared like for like against anywhere else you are looking.

Acceptance
68.5%
Graduation
54.7%
Net Price
$31,100
Median Earnings (10yr)
$76,419
Enrollment
752
Student : Faculty
12:1

Accreditor Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
Academic Calendar Semester

How It Measures Up

These four scores answer one question: compared with similar colleges, is this one worth the money? Each runs 0 to 100 and is judged only against its peer group (4-Year Selective), so a community college is never marked down for not being Harvard. Everything is computed from federal data. Nobody can pay to move a score, and a pillar with missing data is left unscored rather than guessed.

Good
58/100
UCD Score · 4-Year Selective
Outcomes 34
Value 41
Affordability 29
Selectivity 64

Admissions & Acceptance Rate

Menlo College admits 68.5% of applicants, which makes it moderately selective, and realistic if you meet the academic profile.

Acceptance Rate
68.5%
Moderate
SAT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
ACT Range (25th–75th)
—
Not reported
Test Policy Test Optional Applicants choose whether to submit SAT or ACT scores.

5-Year Admission Trend

Acceptance rate over the last five admission cycles. The trend tells you whether Menlo College is getting harder, easier, or staying about the same.

Becoming less selective ↑ 5.1 pts since 2019
62.7%201964.5%202069.8%202161.7%202267.8%2023

Cost & Financial Aid

Ignore the sticker price. What matters is the net price, which is what a typical family pays here after grants and scholarships come off. At $31,100 a year on average, it sits in line with what private nonprofit colleges charge nationally. Plan for the gap between that and what you can pay without borrowing. Figures are College Scorecard 2023-24.

The average hides a wide spread by household income, so it is worth estimating what a family at your income would actually pay before treating this as the price.

Average Net Price
$31,100
Per year, after typical aid
Receive Pell Grants
31%
Need-based federal aid
Receive Federal Loans
44%
Borrowing to attend

Full Cost Breakdown

Published cost of attendance, the sticker price before grants and scholarships. Most students underestimate room & board and other expenses.

Tuition & Fees
$53,630
Room & Board (on-campus)
$18,236
Room & Board (off-campus)
$22,086
Books & Supplies
$1,062
Other Expenses (on-campus)
$4,526
Other Expenses (off-campus)
$7,010
Total Cost of Attendance
$72,020

Application fee: $40 (one-time, due at submission)


Net Price by Family Income

Aid is need-based, so net price varies by family income. Here's what each bracket typically pays after grants and scholarships.

  • Under $30,000
    $25,546
  • $30,001 – $48,000
    $27,618
  • $48,001 – $75,000
    $28,103
  • $75,001 – $110,000
    $31,596
  • Over $110,000
    $37,298

Debt at Graduation

Cumulative federal-loan debt across the full borrowing distribution. The 10th and 90th percentiles bracket the typical range; the median sits in the middle.

$4,924
10% percentile
$7,237
25% percentile
$21,750
Median percentile
$25,500
75% percentile
$29,000
90% percentile

Median Debt by Student Type

Median federal-loan debt at graduation broken down by demographic. Each slice's size is proportional to the dollar amount that group typically borrows.

GroupDebtvs Median
Pell recipients $18,192 ↓ $3,558
No Pell $11,000 ↓ $10,750
Dependent students $13,000 ↓ $8,750
Independent students $19,284 ↓ $2,466
Female students $13,000 ↓ $8,750
Male students $14,000 ↓ $7,750
Pell recipients: 20.6% (4,472 students)No Pell: 12.4% (2,704 students)Dependent students: 14.7% (3,196 students)Independent students: 21.8% (4,741 students)Female students: 14.7% (3,196 students)Male students: 15.8% (3,442 students)Overall Median$21,750
Worth knowing: Students who don't finish leave with a median debt of $8,250, less than completers ($21,750), but still a meaningful obligation without a degree in hand.

Graduation Rate & Retention

55% of students who start here finish within six years, and 70% come back after first year. Roughly half finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

Completion and earnings carry the most weight in this college's score, and how the UCD Score weighs each measure sets out exactly how they are combined.

6-Year Graduation Rate
55%
Of students who graduate within six years
First-Year Retention
70%
Returning for their second year

After Graduation: Earnings & Outcomes

Ten years after starting here, the median student earns $76,419 a year, above the national median. That is a healthy return for most cost levels. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.

Median Earnings (10 yrs)
$76,419
Earning > $25K
83%
10 yrs after entry

Earnings Growth After Graduation

Median annual earnings 6, 8, and 10 years after students first enrolled.

$60,000$65,000$70,000$75,000$80,0006 yrs8 yrs10 yrs

Earnings by Demographic

Mean annual earnings 10 years after entry, segmented by demographic. Reveals gaps the headline median can't show.

By Gender

Female graduates
$55,100

Median earnings for female grads ten years after first enrolling here.

Male graduates
$63,200

Median earnings for male grads ten years after first enrolling here.


By Family Income at Entry

Family income (lowest third)
$56,300

Earnings of grads from the bottom-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (middle third)
$56,800

Earnings of grads from the middle-third of family incomes at entry.

Family income (highest third)
$65,000

Earnings of grads from the top-third of family incomes at entry.

The gender gap: Male graduates earn $8,100, about 13% more than female graduates ten years out. The gap reflects industry mix, role choice, and structural pay differences that exist across most US colleges.

Loan Repayment Progression

Share of completer-cohort borrowers paying down at least $1 of principal at the 1-, 3-, 5-, and 7-year mark. Climbing rates show graduates settling into careers and managing debt; flat or declining rates are a warning.

Climbing: graduates increasingly paying down debt ↑ 10.4 pts across 6 years
73.3%1yr78.9%3yr75.2%5yr83.7%7yr
What this signals: Strong. 84% of graduates are actively reducing their debt seven years out.

Who Studies Here

Who you would actually be sitting next to: 752 students, a small, close-knit community. Worth knowing: 40% are the first in their family to go to college.

Total Enrolled
752
Part-Time
3%
First-Generation
40%

Race & Ethnicity Breakdown

Undergraduate student body composition reported to the US Department of Education.

GroupShareStudents
Hispanic 32.2% 242
International 21.5% 162
White 16.9% 127
Other 12.4% 93
Asian 6.7% 50
Black 5.1% 38
Hispanic: 32.2% (242 students)International: 21.5% (162 students)White: 16.9% (127 students)Other: 12.4% (93 students)Asian: 6.7% (50 students)Black: 5.1% (38 students)Total752

Student Life & Campus Culture

Where students live, learn, and connect at Menlo College. The campus setting, housing profile, and signals that shape day-to-day life here.

Setting
Large Suburb Atherton, California
Housing
Strongly residential 838 beds for 752 students
Adult Learners
5% of students are 25 or older
Athletics
NCAA athletic-conference member
Academic Calendar
Semester scheduling structure
Designation
Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI)

What You Can Study

After that comes the national picture for Psychology graduates, which shows what the field pays across every college rather than just this one.

Menlo College offers a focused set of programs: 9 distinct programs across 3 majors. Below are its strongest majors, each with flagship programs and typical earnings. Open a major to explore it in depth, or browse the full program catalog.

7 Programs
1 Program

Faculty & Resources

There are 12 students for every instructor here: about average, so expect a mix of small seminars and big lectures.

Student : Faculty
12:1
Students per instructional faculty member
Endowment
$54M
Modest endowment
Avg Faculty Salary
$91,008
9-month equivalent across all ranks

Faculty by Rank

31 instructional faculty across 4 ranks. The rank mix shows how many senior faculty are teaching versus contingent or junior staff, with average salary equated to a 9-month contract.

Rank Faculty Count Share Avg Salary
Full Professors 10 32% $107,861
Associate Professors 8 26% $99,631
Assistant Professors 7 23% $78,704
Lecturers 6 19% $65,775

Pros & Cons of Menlo College

No college is right for everyone. Here is where Menlo College is likely to suit you and where it may not, based on the same figures shown above.

Read against a single profile these cut both ways, which is why it helps to put two colleges side by side on the same measures rather than judging one in isolation.

PROS
  • Small classes (low student-faculty ratio)
  • Tight-knit, close community feel
  • Above-average post-graduation earnings
  • First-gen-friendly student body
CONS
  • Above-average net price
  • Fewer clubs, activities, and social options
  • Below-average completion rate
  • First-year retention is below typical
  • High published cost of attendance before aid
Best for: Based on the data, Menlo College is a fit for students prioritizing post-graduation earnings; students who thrive in small, close-knit environments.

Frequently Asked Questions about Menlo College

The questions families ask most about Menlo College, answered straight from the federal data rather than from the college's own marketing.

Is Menlo College hard to get into?
Admissions at Menlo College are moderately competitive. The acceptance rate is 68.5%, so most applicants who meet the academic minimums are admitted.
What is the acceptance rate at Menlo College?
68.5% of applicants are admitted. Most applicants who meet the basic requirements are admitted. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
How much does Menlo College cost?
Budget around $31,100 a year. That is the net price, what families typically pay once grants and scholarships come off, not the sticker price. Your own figure depends on household income, so treat this as a midpoint rather than a quote. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Menlo College worth it?
On the numbers, yes: moderate return on investment. Ten years in, the median graduate earns $76,419 a year against a net price of $31,100, about 2.5 dollars of earnings for every dollar of annual cost. That ratio ignores whether you finish and what you study, which matter just as much. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
What is Menlo College known for?
Mostly Marketing, Psychology, Finance. Those are the fields where it awards the most degrees, which is a better guide to where the teaching strength sits than any reputation ranking. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What do Menlo College graduates earn?
About $76,419 a year, measured ten years after students first enrolled. Half earn more and half earn less, and what you study moves that figure far more than where you study. Source: College Scorecard 2023-24.
Is Menlo College accredited?
Yes. Menlo College is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission.
How many students attend Menlo College?
752 students. Small enough that you will recognize faces across campus, and small enough that course choice can be limited. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
What is the graduation rate at Menlo College?
55% finish within six years. That leaves a meaningful share who do not finish on that timeline, so budget for the possibility of a longer run. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.
Is Menlo College a public or private college?
It is Private Nonprofit. Private nonprofit, so the sticker price is higher but institutional aid is often larger too.
Where is Menlo College located?
Menlo College is located in Atherton, California.
What programs does Menlo College offer?
9 different programs, most commonly Marketing, Psychology, Finance. If the subject you want is not among them, check the full list before applying rather than assuming it is offered.
What is the student-to-faculty ratio at Menlo College?
12 students per instructor. Low enough that staff are likely to know who you are. Source: IPEDS 2023-24.

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