Design Institute of San Diego vs. Menlo

Deciding between Design Institute of San Diego and Menlo College? The table below shows tuition, aid, admissions, and outcomes side by side. Data comes from public sources across more than 3,000 U.S. colleges and universities. No account is required.

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  • Overview

  • Location
  • Design Institute of San Diego San Diego, CA
  • Menlo Atherton, CA
  • Setting
  • Design Institute of San Diego Large City
  • Menlo Large Suburban
  • Total enrollment
  • Design Institute of San Diego 94
  • Menlo 810
  • Type
  • Design Institute of San Diego Private 4 Year
  • Menlo Private 4 Year
  • National Ranking
  • Design Institute of San Diego
  • Menlo
  • Religious Affiliation
  • Design Institute of San Diego -
  • Menlo -
  • Status
  • Design Institute of San Diego For-profit
  • Menlo Non-profit
  • Team Colors
  • Design Institute of San Diego
  • Menlo

  • Cost

  • Tuition (In State)
  • Design Institute of San Diego $29,300
  • Menlo $53,630
  • Tuition (Out of State)
  • Design Institute of San Diego $29,300
  • Menlo $53,630
  • Room & Board
  • Design Institute of San Diego $22,086
  • Menlo $18,236
  • Average Net Price
  • Design Institute of San Diego $44,010
  • Menlo $32,563
  • Average Grant Aid
  • Design Institute of San Diego $11,901
  • Menlo $39,174
  • % Receiving Grant Aid
  • Design Institute of San Diego 100%
  • Menlo 100%

  • Admissions

  • Applied
  • Design Institute of San Diego 7
  • Menlo 4,637
  • Admitted
  • Design Institute of San Diego 7
  • Menlo 3,175
  • Acceptance Rate
  • Design Institute of San Diego 100% Open
  • Menlo 68.5%
  • Enrolled
  • Design Institute of San Diego 28.6% Open
  • Menlo 5.3%
  • Typical SAT score
  • Design Institute of San Diego
  • Menlo
  • Typical ACT score
  • Design Institute of San Diego
  • Menlo
  • Average High School GPA
  • Design Institute of San Diego -
  • Menlo 3.3
  • Typical High School Grades
  • Design Institute of San Diego -
  • Menlo B+
  • Admissions Standards
  • Design Institute of San Diego Unavailable
  • Menlo Unavailable
  • Applicant Competition
  • Design Institute of San Diego
  • Menlo Low
  • ACT Range
  • Design Institute of San Diego
  • Menlo
  • SAT Range
  • Design Institute of San Diego
  • Menlo
  • Submit Test Scores
  • Design Institute of San Diego Open admission
  • Menlo Test-free
  • Application Deadline
  • Design Institute of San Diego
  • Menlo Apr 1, 2027

  • Academics

  • Student to Faculty Ratio
  • Design Institute of San Diego 8:1
  • Menlo 14:1
  • Popular Majors
  • Design Institute of San Diego
    • Visual and Performing Arts (100%)
  • Menlo
    • Business (67%)
    • Liberal Arts and Humanities (18%)
    • Communication (15%)
    • Psychology (1%)

  • Outcomes

  • Graduation Rate
  • Design Institute of San Diego 62%
  • Menlo 34%
  • Median Earnings (After 10 years)
  • Design Institute of San Diego $38,900
  • Menlo $53,900
  • Making Student Loan Payments
  • Design Institute of San Diego 68%
  • Menlo 55%
  • Median Student Loan Debt
  • Design Institute of San Diego $40,585
  • Menlo $21,062
  • Median Loan Payment
  • Design Institute of San Diego $419
  • Menlo $217

  • Diversity

  • % Men
  • Design Institute of San Diego 9%
  • Menlo 57%
  • % Women
  • Design Institute of San Diego 91%
  • Menlo 43%
  • Racial Diversity
  • Design Institute of San Diego High
  • Menlo Very High
  • HBCU
  • Design Institute of San Diego No
  • Menlo No
  • % White
  • Design Institute of San Diego 58%
  • Menlo 29%
  • % Asian
  • Design Institute of San Diego 9%
  • Menlo 10%
  • % Black
  • Design Institute of San Diego 7%
  • Menlo 6%
  • % Hispanic
  • Design Institute of San Diego 17%
  • Menlo 22%
  • % Native American
  • Design Institute of San Diego 1%
  • Menlo 1%
  • % Pacific Islander
  • Design Institute of San Diego 1%
  • Menlo 2%
  • % Two or More Races
  • Design Institute of San Diego 0%
  • Menlo 8%
  • % International
  • Design Institute of San Diego 7%
  • Menlo 14%
  • % Unknown Race
  • Design Institute of San Diego 1%
  • Menlo 9%

  • Students

  • % In-State
  • Design Institute of San Diego 100%
  • Menlo 68%
  • % Out-of-State
  • Design Institute of San Diego 0%
  • Menlo 16%

  • Campus

  • Campus Housing
  • Design Institute of San Diego No
  • Menlo Yes
  • Freshman Dorm Required
  • Design Institute of San Diego No
  • Menlo No
  • Meal Plan
  • Design Institute of San Diego No
  • Menlo Yes
  • Weekend/Evening Classes
  • Design Institute of San Diego Yes
  • Menlo Yes
  • Daycare Facility
  • Design Institute of San Diego No
  • Menlo No

Comparable Facts

Compare Design Institute of San Diego in San Diego, CA with Menlo College in Atherton, CA on tuition, admissions, graduation, earnings, and student body data using the table above.

Menlo College is larger than Design Institute of San Diego based on total student enrollment (810 students vs. 94 students).

Location, institution type, and student-faculty ratio

  • Design Institute of San Diego is located in San Diego, CA (Large City setting); Menlo College is in Atherton, CA (Large Suburban setting).
  • Design Institute of San Diego is a private, for-profit 4-year institution. Menlo College is a private, non-profit 4-year institution.
  • Student-to-faculty ratio: Design Institute of San Diego 8:1; Menlo College 14:1.

Design Institute of San Diego vs. Menlo Cost Comparison

Which college is more expensive, Design Institute of San Diego or Menlo? Published tuition is the sticker price; many students pay less after aid (see average net price below).

  • The typical actual cost that students pay to attend (average net price) is less at Menlo College than Design Institute of San Diego ($32,563 vs. $44,010).
  • Living costs (room and board or off-campus housing budget) at Menlo College are 17.4% lower than at Design Institute of San Diego ($18,236 vs. $22,086).
  • Menlo College is 83% more expensive for in-state tuition than Design Institute of San Diego (about $24,330 more per year; $53,630.00 vs. $29,300.00).
  • Out-of-state tuition is 83% higher at Menlo than at Design Institute of San Diego (about $24,330 more per year; $53,630.00 vs. $29,300.00).
  • The same share of students receive grant aid at Design Institute of San Diego as at Menlo College (100% vs. 100%).
  • The average total grant financial aid received by Menlo College students is 229.2% larger than aid received by Design Institute of San Diego students ($39,174 vs. $11,901).

Design Institute of San Diego vs. Menlo Admissions comparison

Which college is harder to get into, Design Institute of San Diego or Menlo? Typical SAT and ACT scores (midpoint estimates from the mid-50% ranges in the table above), enrolled-tester score ranges where reported, test score submission policy, deadlines, and acceptance rates summarize admission difficulty between Menlo and Design Institute of San Diego.

  • Design Institute of San Diego reports an open admissions policy.
  • Submitting SAT or ACT scores: Design Institute of San Diego - Open admission; Menlo - Test-free.
  • Typical fall application deadline: Menlo Apr 1, 2027.
  • Design Institute of San Diego has a higher acceptance rate (100%) than Menlo (68.5%).
  • The share of admitted students who enrolled (yield) is 28.6% at Design Institute of San Diego vs. 5.3% at Menlo.

Design Institute of San Diego vs. Menlo Graduation Outcomes Comparison

How do outcomes compare for Design Institute of San Diego and Menlo? Where federal data is available for both schools, the bullets below compare graduation rate, earnings, and student loan debt using the same College Scorecard / IPEDS fields as the comparison table. If a metric is missing for one school, that school is noted separately.

  • Design Institute of San Diego's six-year graduation rate (62%) is higher than Menlo College's (34%).
  • Graduates from Menlo College earn a median of about $15,000 more per year than Design Institute of San Diego graduates about ten years after starting college ($53,900 vs. $38,900), per the same Scorecard earnings definition.
  • Among federal student loan borrowers, Menlo College graduates have a $19,523 lower median loan debt than Design Institute of San Diego graduates ($21,062 vs. $40,585).
  • Among borrowers, Menlo graduates have an estimated $202 lower median monthly federal student loan payment than Design Institute of San Diego graduates ($217 vs. $419).
  • More Design Institute of San Diego graduates are actively paying back their federal student loan debt than former Menlo students, three years after graduation. (68% vs. 55%)

Sources: U.S. Department of Education https://nces.ed.gov IPEDS and College Scorecard https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/. Values reflect the most recent year available in our dataset.