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Colleges in and near Alto

College of Marin is 3.6 miles from Alto

No college sits inside Alto’s boundary, but College of Marin’s campus in Kentfield, with 4,093 students on campus, is 3.6 miles from the center of town. About 9% of Alto’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as California (8%).

College of Marin

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Alto. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
23
113,841 students on campus
Nearest college
3.6 mi
College of Marin
Residents in college
9%
About the same as CA (8%)
Nearest community college
3.6 mi
College of Marin · $1,558 tuition
Nearest public university
10.3 mi
University of California-San Francisco
Median household income
$129K
prices below start here

What stands out about college from Alto

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A community college 3.6 miles awayCollege of Marin has 4,093 students on campus in Kentfield, 39% of whom graduate within three years.Students are 9% of residentsAbout the same as California (8%). The Census counts anyone enrolled, including part-time and online students.
Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Alto

15 private colleges within 15 miles, four public colleges within 14.3 miles, and four community colleges.

5 mi10 mi15 miSan Francisco StateCity College of San FranciscoAlto
University or collegeCommunity college
College of MarinCommunity college · Public · 4,093 on campus · 3.6 mi · Kentfield$12knet price39%graduate$43kearningsTuition and fees: $1,558 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Presidio Graduate SchoolUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 103 on campus · 5.1 mi · San AnselmoGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Dominican University of CaliforniaUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,699 on campus · 5.2 mi · San Rafael84%admitted$35knet price78%graduate$85kearningsUniversity of San FranciscoUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 8,633 on campus · 9.7 mi · San Francisco62%admitted$41knet price70%graduate$90kearningsSan Francisco Film SchoolUniversity or college · For-profit · 141 on campus · 10.2 mi · San Francisco$32knet price67%graduateUniversity of California-San FranciscoUniversity or college · Public · 3,113 on campus · 10.3 mi · San FranciscoGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.University of California College of the Law-San FranciscoUniversity or college · Public · 1,159 on campus · 10.3 mi · San FranciscoGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Academy of Art UniversityUniversity or college · For-profit · 2,900 on campus · 10.4 mi · San Francisco · mostly online$41knet price34%graduate$39kearnings54% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Minerva UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 603 on campus · 10.4 mi · San Francisco3%admittedGolden Gate UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 502 on campus · 10.4 mi · San Francisco · mostly online$87kearnings78% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.San Francisco Conservatory of MusicUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 403 on campus · 10.5 mi · San Francisco55%admitted$43knet price74%graduateCalifornia Institute of Integral StudiesUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 980 on campus · 10.6 mi · San Francisco · mostly online$49kearnings52% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Contra Costa CollegeCommunity college · Public · 3,192 on campus · 10.8 mi · San Pablo$9knet price28%graduate$41kearningsTuition and fees: $1,312 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.California College of the ArtsUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,332 on campus · 11.5 mi · San Francisco91%admitted$54knet price61%graduate$49kearningsSan Francisco State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · 21,943 on campus · 12.9 mi · San Francisco96%admitted$12knet price50%graduate$68kearningsCity College of San FranciscoCommunity college · Public · 13,762 on campus · 12.9 mi · San Francisco$7knet price40%graduate$46kearningsTuition and fees: $1,696 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Berkeley City CollegeCommunity college · Public · 2,915 on campus · 13.8 mi · Berkeley · mostly online$9knet price36%graduate$41kearnings55% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Tuition and fees: $1,258 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Acupuncture and Integrative Medicine College-BerkeleyUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 119 on campus · 14 mi · BerkeleyGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Pacific School of ReligionUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 128 on campus · 14.1 mi · BerkeleyGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Graduate Theological UnionUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 140 on campus · 14.2 mi · BerkeleyGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.University of California-BerkeleyUniversity or college · Public · 43,954 on campus · 14.3 mi · Berkeley11%admitted$13knet price93%graduate$92kearningsThe Wright InstituteUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 511 on campus · 14.7 mi · BerkeleyGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Samuel Merritt UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,516 on campus · 15 mi · Oakland$143kearnings

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at Over $110k, where Alto’s median household income ($129,191) falls.

Contra Costa College10.8 mi · San Pablo · sticker $18,422 · tuition $1,312$9,567a year
City College of San Francisco12.9 mi · San Francisco · sticker $16,870 · tuition $1,696$13,974a year
College of Marin3.6 mi · Kentfield · sticker $21,015 · tuition $1,558$17,686a year
San Francisco State University12.9 mi · San Francisco · sticker $26,488$22,523a year
University of California-Berkeley14.3 mi · Berkeley · sticker $45,619$34,529a year
Dominican University of California5.2 mi · San Rafael · sticker $71,751$43,317a year
Academy of Art University10.4 mi · San Francisco · mostly online · sticker $48,036$44,082a year
San Francisco Conservatory of Music10.5 mi · San Francisco · sticker $78,781$45,245a year
University of San Francisco9.7 mi · San Francisco · sticker $80,141$52,497a year
California College of the Arts11.5 mi · San Francisco · sticker $79,776$56,394a year
San Francisco Film School10.2 mi · San Francisco · sticker $37,597—a year
Berkeley City College13.8 mi · Berkeley · mostly online · sticker $18,845 · tuition $1,258—a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Alto: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k$100k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →College of MarinUniversity of San FranciscoContra Costa CollegeSan Francisco StateCity College of San FranciscoUniversity of California-Berkeley
University of California-Berkeley93% graduate$92k earnings$13k typical debt
San Francisco State University50% graduate$68k earnings$15k typical debt
City College of San Francisco40% graduate$46k earnings$8k typical debt
University of San Francisco70% graduate$90k earnings$23k typical debt
College of Marin39% graduate$43k earnings$10k typical debt
Contra Costa College28% graduate$41k earnings
Berkeley City College36% graduate$41k earnings
Academy of Art University34% graduate$39k earnings$31k typical debt
Dominican University of California78% graduate$85k earnings$27k typical debt
California College of the Arts61% graduate$49k earnings$27k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.

Questions about college near Alto

Is Alto a college town?

No. About 9 of every 100 Alto residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as California (8). The nearest campus, College of Marin, is 3.6 miles away in Kentfield.

What colleges are near Alto?

23 colleges are within 15 miles. The largest: the University of California-Berkeley (14.3 miles, 43,954 students on campus), San Francisco State University (12.9 miles, 21,943) and City College of San Francisco (12.9 miles, 13,762).

What is the closest community college to Alto, and what does it cost?

College of Marin in Kentfield, 3.6 miles away. Tuition and fees are $1,558 a year for California residents; the federal net price, $12,351, counts housing and food at full cost.

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Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Alto. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →