Menlo College

Menlo College is a small private undergraduate college that focuses on the practical arts of business in the entrepreneurial economy. A residential college in the heart of Silicon Valley, just outside San Francisco, Menlo College offers degrees in business and psychology. Our students come from all over the world to learn the practical arts of business including leadership, critical thinking, creativity, team building, communication and the science of behavior. We take advantage of the strong entrepreneurial community around us and require an internship which may be taken at one of the many companies and incubators with which we have partnerships. We are very proud of our intimate and engaged student community fueled by our spirited and competitive athletics program.

Menlo College’s vision is to redefine undergraduate business education to be dynamically adaptive, innovative, and relevant so that students can recognize opportunities and apply 21st century skills to make a positive impact on the world. At Menlo College, we ignite potential and educate students to make meaningful contributions in the innovation economy.

Our students thrive in an environment that values: small class sizes, experiential learning, engaged and student-centered faculty, holistic advising, exceptional student success resources, robust athletics programs and student leadership activities, and opportunities to engage in the Silicon Valley environment. Our graduates are able to learn throughout their lives and to think analytically, creatively, and responsibly in order to drive positive change in organizations and communities. Our faculty members mentor students by identifying potential, cultivating students’ individual talents, and helping them build a roadmap to support their success. We support our faculty in producing research that informs teaching, theory development, and professional practice.

The cutting-edge curriculum at Menlo College kicks off with a freshman Innovation Challenge, and culminates with a senior Capstone Project. You will build your professional network through interactions with guest speakers in the classroom who represent today’s business rock stars. Taking advantage of our proximity to San Francisco and San Jose and all points in between, you will visit top Silicon Valley companies, such as Google and Facebook. And you will garner job experience—and possibly a job offer—with our internship program. It’s the Menlo experience.

Menlo College welcomes international students from more than 30 countries. We have a diverse student body, and international students comprise over 17% of our community. At Menlo College, you will be embraced by fellow students, faculty and staff in a safe, secure environment, and our location, in the heart of California’s Silicon Valley, provides the perfect opportunity for impactful internships with some of the world’s most highly regarded companies.

At Menlo College, we pride ourselves on having a diverse student body, and making sure every student, whether living on-campus or off, has a positive and gratifying educational experience. The mission of the Student Affairs Office is to provide opportunities for our students to develop their full potential for leadership and academic success, and to complement their overall educational experience.

Menlo’s student life reflects the diversity and creativity of the students in our community. With two-thirds of our students living on campus, the Menlo advantage is about much more than what happens in the classroom; it’s about developing your leadership skills through clubs and organizations, developing meaningful relationships with faculty, staff and fellow students and recognizing your social responsibility through community service programs.

At Menlo, students are encouraged to get involved, to expand their horizons and to define their place in the community. It’s a place where you are encouraged to create the community you want to live in, to be responsible for your actions and to care about others.

In the heart of Silicon Valley just outside San Francisco, Menlo College offers degrees in business and psychology. We teach the practical arts of business, including leadership, critical thinking, creativity, team building, communication and the science of behavior. We take advantage of the strong entrepreneurial community around us for faculty and internships. At Menlo College, you’ll experience an intimate and engaged student community with a spirited and competitive athletics program.

The Menlo College Internship program is designed to help you apply the knowledge and skills you have gained in your courses to professional settings throughout the San Francisco Bay Area. An internship is a form of experiential learning that integrates knowledge and theory learned in the classroom with practical application and skills development in a professional setting. Internships give students the opportunity to gain valuable applied experience and make connections in professional fields they are considering for career paths; and give employers the opportunity to guide and evaluate talent.

In 1927, Menlo College was founded as a two-year program for young men to complete their lower division coursework before transferring to an upper division college or university. When Stanford University considered dropping its freshman and sophomore classes, it was imagined that Menlo College might become the junior college division of Stanford University.

Menlo’s fate rested with the Stanford Board of Trustees, until 1932, when Stanford decided to remain a four-year undergraduate university with graduate schools.