Photo: Catalinaschool · CC BY 4.0Monterey is home to three colleges, with 7,400 students on campus
Monterey Peninsula College (5,588 students on campus) and Naval Postgraduate School (1,478) are inside the city. About 10% of Monterey’s residents are enrolled in college, above California (8%).
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 Monterey. Colleges are described, not graded.
What stands out about college in Monterey
Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.
Colleges within 15 miles of Monterey
Two private colleges within 14.7 miles, two public colleges within 6 miles, and two community colleges.
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 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.
Starts at $75–110k, where Monterey’s median household income ($102,846) falls.
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.
Do students finish, and does it pay?
Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Monterey: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.
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.
What students study in Monterey
Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field across Monterey’s 2 colleges, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.
Biggest programs
College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.
Questions about college in Monterey
Is Monterey a college town?
No. About 10 of every 100 Monterey residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), above California (8). The largest campus in the city, Monterey Peninsula College, has 5,588 students on campus.
What colleges are in Monterey?
Monterey Peninsula College, Naval Postgraduate School and Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey are inside the city.
What is the closest community college to Monterey, and what does it cost?
Monterey Peninsula College in Monterey, 0.7 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.
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 Monterey. 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 →