Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Carmel-by-the-Sea

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
Carmel Mission ChurchPhoto: McGhiever · CC BY-SA 4.0
Colleges in and near Carmel-by-the-Sea

Monterey Peninsula College is 3.3 miles from Carmel-by-the-Sea

No college sits inside Carmel-by-the-Sea’s boundary, but Monterey Peninsula College’s campus in Monterey, with 5,588 students on campus, is 3.3 miles from the center of town. About 1% of Carmel-by-the-Sea’s residents are enrolled in college, below California (8%).

Monterey Peninsula CollegeNaval Postgraduate School

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 Carmel-by-the-Sea. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
4
13,604 students on campus
Nearest college
3.3 mi
Monterey Peninsula College
Residents in college
1%
Below CA (8%)
Nearest community college
3.3 mi
Monterey Peninsula College · $1,188 tuition
Nearest public university
4 mi
Naval Postgraduate School
Median household income
$129K
prices below start here

What stands out about college from Carmel-by-the-Sea

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

Two colleges within 4 milesTogether they have 7,066 students on campus.A community college 3.3 miles awayMonterey Peninsula College in Monterey: tuition and fees $1,188 a year for California residents.Students are 1% of residentsBelow California (8%). The Census counts anyone enrolled, including part-time and online students.
Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Carmel-by-the-Sea

One private college within 3.5 miles, two public colleges within 9.8 miles, and Monterey Peninsula College 3.3 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miMonterey Peninsula CollegeNaval Postgraduate SchoolCarmel-by-the-Sea
University or collegeCommunity college
Monterey Peninsula CollegeCommunity college · Public · 5,588 on campus · 3.3 mi · Monterey$11knet price40%graduate$42kearningsTuition and fees: $1,188 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Middlebury Institute of International Studies at MontereyUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 334 on campus · 3.5 mi · Monterey$76kearningsEarnings are reported for all 2 campuses that file with it.Naval Postgraduate SchoolUniversity or college · Public · 1,478 on campus · 4 mi · MontereyGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.California State University-Monterey BayUniversity or college · Public · 6,204 on campus · 9.8 mi · Seaside97%admitted$14knet price59%graduate$59kearnings

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 Carmel-by-the-Sea’s median household income ($129,250) falls.

Monterey Peninsula College3.3 mi · Monterey · sticker $19,605 · tuition $1,188$18,340a year
California State University-Monterey Bay9.8 mi · Seaside · sticker $26,987$22,818a 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 Carmel-by-the-Sea: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Monterey Peninsula CollegeCalifornia State University-Monterey Bay
California State University-Monterey Bay59% graduate$59k earnings$13k typical debt
Monterey Peninsula College40% graduate$42k earnings

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 Carmel-by-the-Sea

Is Carmel-by-the-Sea a college town?

No. About 1 of every 100 Carmel-by-the-Sea residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below California (8). The nearest campus, Monterey Peninsula College, is 3.3 miles away in Monterey.

What colleges are near Carmel-by-the-Sea?

Within 15 miles: Monterey Peninsula College (3.3 miles, 5,588 students on campus), Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (3.5 miles, 334), Naval Postgraduate School (4 miles, 1,478) and California State University-Monterey Bay (9.8 miles, 6,204).

What is the closest community college to Carmel-by-the-Sea, and what does it cost?

Monterey Peninsula College in Monterey, 3.3 miles away. Tuition and fees are $1,188 a year for California residents; the federal net price, $11,373, counts housing and food at full cost.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

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 Carmel-by-the-Sea. 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 →