Best Liberal Arts Schools Near Menlo Park, CA (2026)

Updated September 6, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Menlo Park, California has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs. Menlo Park has a population of about 32,775. Median household income is $206,588 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 72.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area, the top-earning liberal arts-related role is Technical Writer at a median $135,470 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Liberal Arts Schools to Menlo Park

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer liberal arts programs near Menlo Park, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Menlo Park city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Menlo Park. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

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#1

Menlo College

Atherton, CA 1.7 miles from Menlo Park
  • 4 year
45.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 60%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $76,419
Avg net price $31,100/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 70%
  • Programs offered: 11

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Stanford University

Stanford, CA 2.7 miles from Menlo Park
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
95.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 97%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $124,080
Avg net price $13,807/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 98%
  • Programs offered: 100

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Foothill College

Los Altos Hills, CA 7.7 miles from Menlo Park
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
61.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 25%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,072
Avg net price $7,653/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 69

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

University of Silicon Andhra

Milpitas, CA 13.5 miles from Menlo Park
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 5

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

California State University-East Bay

Hayward, CA 14.4 miles from Menlo Park
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
  • Accredited
79.2 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 97%
Graduation rate 47%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $71,401
Avg net price $9,320/yr
Tuition
In‑state$7,583
Out‑of‑state$20,183
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 77%
  • Programs offered: 59

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Santa Clara University

Santa Clara, CA 15.0 miles from Menlo Park
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
77.5 BOC Score
Graduation rate 90%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $109,183
Avg net price $50,062/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 94%
  • Programs offered: 65

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

San Jose State University

San Jose, CA 18.1 miles from Menlo Park
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
86.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $78,988
Avg net price $13,760/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 87%
  • Programs offered: 118

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

Skyline College

San Bruno, CA 19.9 miles from Menlo Park
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
70.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 27%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,702
Avg net price $1,738/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California liberal arts page.

Liberal Arts Wages Near Menlo Park

Menlo Park is part of the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metro area (BLS area code 41860). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Public Relations Specialist $102,520 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $88,685
Management Analyst $126,730 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $109,628
Technical Writer $135,470 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $117,189
News Analyst, Reporter, or Journalist N/A CA statewide –
Editor $102,940 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $89,048
Training and Development Specialist $95,050 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $82,223
Human Resources Specialist $103,140 San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA $89,221

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Menlo Park at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 32,775 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $206,588 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 72.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 115.6 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024
Liberal Arts-related employment in San Mateo County 729 workers, 124 establishments BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Menlo Park-Area Cities With Liberal Arts Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited liberal arts schools are near Menlo Park, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering liberal arts programs near Menlo Park. The closest is Menlo College in Atherton, CA (1.7 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is College of San Mateo (10.3 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying liberal arts roles near Menlo Park?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying liberal arts-related roles near Menlo Park are: Technical Writer ($135,470), Management Analyst ($126,730), Human Resources Specialist ($103,140). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in East Palo Alto instead of Menlo Park?

East Palo Alto, CA is 1.7 miles from Menlo Park and has its own set of local liberal arts programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Menlo Park an affordable place to study liberal arts?

Menlo Park’s median household income of $206,588 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Menlo Park while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Liberal Arts Programs

Other Programs Available in Menlo Park

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Menlo Park:

Data verified: September 6, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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