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Shell Ridge Open Space - Walnut Creek, CaliforniaPhoto: Utilizer · CC BY-SA 3.0
Colleges in and near Walnut Creek

Diablo Valley College is 4.9 miles from Walnut Creek

No college sits inside Walnut Creek’s boundary, but Diablo Valley College’s campus in Pleasant Hill, with 10,850 students on campus, is 4.9 miles from the center of town. About 6% of Walnut Creek’s residents are enrolled in college, below California (8%).

Diablo Valley College

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 Walnut Creek. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
18
79,378 students on campus
Nearest college
4.5 mi
Carrington College-Pleasant Hill Campus
Residents in college
6%
Below CA (8%)
Nearest community college
4.9 mi
Diablo Valley College · $1,312 tuition
Nearest public university
12.2 mi
University of California-Berkeley · $16,347 in-state
Median household income
$130K
prices below start here

What stands out about college from Walnut Creek

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

A community college 4.9 miles awayDiablo Valley College has 10,850 students on campus in Pleasant Hill, 49% of whom graduate within three years.In-state price at University of California-BerkeleyLiving in California, the University of California-Berkeley charges $16,347 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $50,547. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.Students are 6% of residentsBelow California (8%). The Census counts anyone enrolled, including part-time and online students.
Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Walnut Creek

12 private colleges within 14.8 miles, one public college within 12.2 miles, and five community colleges.

5 mi10 mi15 miDiablo Valley CollegeLaney CollegeWalnut Creek
University or collegeCommunity college
Carrington College-Pleasant Hill CampusUniversity or college · For-profit · 432 on campus · 4.5 mi · Pleasant Hill$39knet price59%graduate$40kearningsEarnings are reported for all 5 campuses that file with it.Diablo Valley CollegeCommunity college · Public · 10,850 on campus · 4.9 mi · Pleasant Hill$8knet price49%graduate$51kearningsTuition and fees: $1,312 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Saint Mary's College of CaliforniaUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 2,642 on campus · 5.7 mi · Moraga87%admitted$30knet price70%graduate$79kearningsMerritt CollegeCommunity college · Public · 2,888 on campus · 10.5 mi · Oakland · mostly online$14knet price26%graduate$44kearnings57% 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.Northeastern University OaklandUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 657 on campus · 11.4 mi · Oakland17%admitted$25knet price$93kearningsEarnings are reported for all 3 campuses that file with it.The Wright InstituteUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 511 on campus · 11.8 mi · BerkeleyGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Los Medanos CollegeCommunity college · Public · 5,265 on campus · 12.1 mi · Pittsburg$7knet price41%graduate$42kearningsTuition and fees: $1,312 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.University of California-BerkeleyUniversity or college · Public · 43,954 on campus · 12.2 mi · Berkeley11%admitted$13knet price93%graduate$92kearningsGraduate Theological UnionUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 140 on campus · 12.2 mi · BerkeleyGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Pacific School of ReligionUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 128 on campus · 12.3 mi · BerkeleyGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Berkeley City CollegeCommunity college · Public · 2,915 on campus · 12.7 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 · 12.7 mi · BerkeleyGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Samuel Merritt UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,516 on campus · 13.6 mi · Oakland$143kearningsContra Costa Medical Career CollegeUniversity or college · For-profit · 337 on campus · 14 mi · Antioch100%graduateLaney CollegeCommunity college · Public · 6,027 on campus · 14.1 mi · Oakland$17knet price31%graduate$37kearningsTuition and fees: $1,258 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Lincoln UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 474 on campus · 14.2 mi · Oakland100%graduate$54kearningsAcademy of Chinese Culture and Health SciencesUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 122 on campus · 14.2 mi · OaklandGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Carrington College-San Leandro CampusUniversity or college · For-profit · 401 on campus · 14.8 mi · San Leandro$40knet price59%graduate$40kearningsEarnings are reported for all 5 campuses that file with it.

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 Walnut Creek’s median household income ($130,432) falls.

Diablo Valley College4.9 mi · Pleasant Hill · sticker $16,774 · tuition $1,312$6,953a year
Los Medanos College12.1 mi · Pittsburg · sticker $16,056 · tuition $1,312$7,051a year
Merritt College10.5 mi · Oakland · mostly online · sticker $21,424 · tuition $1,258$20,036a year
University of California-Berkeley12.2 mi · Berkeley · sticker $45,619$34,529a year
Northeastern University Oakland11.4 mi · Oakland · sticker $85,418$38,398a year
Saint Mary's College of California5.7 mi · Moraga · sticker $77,659$40,581a year
Carrington College-Pleasant Hill Campus4.5 mi · Pleasant Hill · sticker $44,064$44,064a year
Carrington College-San Leandro Campus14.8 mi · San Leandro · sticker $44,224$44,224a year
Berkeley City College12.7 mi · Berkeley · mostly online · sticker $18,845 · tuition $1,258—a year
Laney College14.1 mi · Oakland · sticker $25,335 · 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 Walnut Creek: 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 →Diablo Valley CollegeMerritt CollegeLos Medanos CollegeUniversity of California-BerkeleyBerkeley City CollegeLaney College
University of California-Berkeley93% graduate$92k earnings$13k typical debt
Diablo Valley College49% graduate$51k earnings$10k typical debt
Laney College31% graduate$37k earnings
Los Medanos College41% graduate$42k earnings
Berkeley City College36% graduate$41k earnings
Merritt College26% graduate$44k earnings
Saint Mary's College of California70% graduate$79k earnings$24k typical debt
Lincoln University100% graduate$54k earnings
Carrington College-Pleasant Hill Campus59% graduate$40k earnings*$12k typical debt
Carrington College-San Leandro Campus59% graduate$40k earnings*$12k 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. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Carrington College-Pleasant Hill Campus (5); Carrington College-San Leandro Campus (5).

Questions about college near Walnut Creek

Is Walnut Creek a college town?

No. About 6 of every 100 Walnut Creek residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), below California (8). The nearest campus, Carrington College-Pleasant Hill Campus, is 4.5 miles away in Pleasant Hill.

What colleges are near Walnut Creek?

18 colleges are within 15 miles. The largest: the University of California-Berkeley (12.2 miles, 43,954 students on campus), Diablo Valley College (4.9 miles, 10,850) and Laney College (14.1 miles, 6,027).

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

Diablo Valley College in Pleasant Hill, 4.9 miles away. Tuition and fees are $1,312 a year for California residents; the federal net price, $8,312, counts housing and food at full cost.

How much does the University of California-Berkeley cost if we live in California?

Tuition and fees are $16,347 a year in-state and $50,547 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $5,311 (under $30,000 income) to $34,529 (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 Walnut Creek. 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 →