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Train Station 1 DBW 0204Photo: CityofSanCarlos · CC BY-SA 4.0
Colleges in and near San Carlos

College of San Mateo is 4.5 miles from San Carlos

No college sits inside San Carlos’ boundary, but College of San Mateo’s campus in San Mateo, with 6,728 students on campus, is 4.5 miles from the center of town, and Canada College is 3.5 miles away in Redwood City. About 5% of San Carlos’ residents are enrolled in college, below California (8%).

Canada CollegeCollege of San Mateo

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 San Carlos. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
12
55,198 students on campus
Nearest college
1.6 mi
Notre Dame de Namur University
Residents in college
5%
Below CA (8%)
Nearest community college
3.5 mi
Canada College · $1,332 tuition
Nearest public university
12.2 mi
Foothill College · $1,565 in-state
Median household income
$237K
prices below start here

What stands out about college from San Carlos

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

Two colleges within 4.5 milesTogether they have 12,364 students on campus.A community college 3.5 miles awayCanada College in Redwood City: tuition and fees $1,332 a year for California residents.In-state price at Foothill CollegeLiving in California, Foothill College charges $1,565 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $12,590. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.Students are 5% of residentsBelow California (8%). The Census counts anyone enrolled, including part-time and online students.
Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of San Carlos

Seven private colleges within 12.6 miles, and five community colleges.

5 mi10 mi15 miStanford UniversityChabot CollegeFoothill CollegeSan Carlos
University or collegeCommunity college
Notre Dame de Namur UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 205 on campus · 1.6 mi · Belmont7%graduate$75kearningsAlder Graduate School of EducationUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 453 on campus · 1.8 mi · Redwood CityGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Canada CollegeCommunity college · Public · 5,636 on campus · 3.5 mi · Redwood City$0knet price47%graduate$50kearningsTuition and fees: $1,332 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.College of San MateoCommunity college · Public · 6,728 on campus · 4.5 mi · San Mateo$1knet price61%graduate$54kearningsTuition and fees: $1,332 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Menlo CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 840 on campus · 5.3 mi · Atherton68%admitted$31knet price54%graduate$76kearningsStanford UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 18,233 on campus · 7.3 mi · Stanford4%admitted$14knet price92%graduate$124kearningsPalo Alto UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 664 on campus · 9.2 mi · Palo Alto$83kearningsSofia UniversityUniversity or college · For-profit · 995 on campus · 9.9 mi · Palo AltoFoothill CollegeCommunity college · Public · 7,500 on campus · 12.2 mi · Los Altos Hills$8knet price56%graduate$57kearningsTuition and fees: $1,565 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Life Chiropractic College WestUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 613 on campus · 12.6 mi · HaywardGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Chabot CollegeCommunity college · Public · 7,625 on campus · 13.3 mi · Hayward$9knet price47%graduate$48kearningsTuition and fees: $1,150 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Skyline CollegeCommunity college · Public · 5,706 on campus · 14.2 mi · San Bruno$2knet price44%graduate$56kearningsTuition and fees: $1,272 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.

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 San Carlos’ median household income ($237,470) falls.

Skyline College14.2 mi · San Bruno · sticker $11,880 · tuition $1,272$5,974a year
Chabot College13.3 mi · Hayward · sticker $17,456 · tuition $1,150$6,370a year
Foothill College12.2 mi · Los Altos Hills · sticker $16,361 · tuition $1,565$14,237a year
Menlo College5.3 mi · Atherton · sticker $72,020$37,298a year
Stanford University7.3 mi · Stanford · sticker $87,833$53,882a year
Canada College3.5 mi · Redwood City · sticker $9,087 · tuition $1,332—a year
College of San Mateo4.5 mi · San Mateo · sticker $10,837 · tuition $1,332—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 San Carlos: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k$100k$120k$140k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Canada CollegeCollege of San MateoStanford UniversityFoothill CollegeChabot College
Stanford University92% graduate$124k earnings$12k typical debt
Chabot College47% graduate$48k earnings$10k typical debt
Foothill College56% graduate$57k earnings$10k typical debt
College of San Mateo61% graduate$54k earnings$15k typical debt
Skyline College44% graduate$56k earnings
Canada College47% graduate$50k earnings
Menlo College54% graduate$76k earnings$22k typical debt
Notre Dame de Namur University7% graduate$75k earnings$25k 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 San Carlos

Is San Carlos a college town?

No. About 5 of every 100 San Carlos residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below California (8). The nearest campus, Notre Dame de Namur University, is 1.6 miles away in Belmont.

What colleges are near San Carlos?

12 colleges are within 15 miles. The largest: Stanford University (7.3 miles, 18,233 students on campus), Chabot College (13.3 miles, 7,625) and Foothill College (12.2 miles, 7,500).

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

Canada College in Redwood City, 3.5 miles away. Tuition and fees are $1,332 a year for California residents; the federal net price, $32, counts housing and food at full cost.

How much does Foothill College cost if we live in California?

Tuition and fees are $1,565 a year in-state and $12,590 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $6,571 (under $30,000 income) to $14,237 (over $110,000), housing and food included.

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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 San Carlos. 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 →