Bakersfield College
Public Community College in Bakersfield, CA. Six-year graduation rate 21%. Median 10-year earnings $37,291.
Ten-year median earnings of $37,291 are on the low side, which raises the bar for what this degree needs to cost. Only 21% finish within six years, so roughly four in five students leave without the credential they enrolled for. Graduates leave owing a median of $8,312 — modest by four-year standards.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.22 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
- ! Graduation rate 21% — below national average
Academics
A six-year graduation rate of 21% means finishing is closer to the exception than the rule. At 31:1, instructor access is thin — worth probing on a campus visit. As a public four-year university, the relevant comparison is other four-year schools rather than the national average across all institutions. The undergraduate body runs to 30,410, large enough that student experience varies widely by program.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 16,451 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Students pay an average of $16,637 annually once grants are applied. Net price varies modestly by income — $14,493 at $0–30k against $12,508 at $110k+ — so the average is a fair guide for most families. About 71% get grants averaging $4,691, so plan on the possibility of paying closer to full price. Federal borrowing is uncommon here at 2% of students.
Entering first-year students
A different, smaller group than the rates above: full-time students in their first year of college anywhere. The grant series here also excludes the "other sources" counted in the all-undergraduate figure, so the two are not comparable.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · 593 students
Net price by family income
The same students as the headline above, limited to those who received Title IV federal aid — a narrower group, with a lower overall average. IPEDS publishes no combined figure across these bands, so they should not be averaged into one.
| Family income band | Average net price |
|---|---|
| $0–30k | $14,493 |
| $30–48k | $14,538 |
| $48–75k | $15,011 |
| $75–110k | $17,746 |
| $110k+ | $12,508 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 247 of these 16,451 students, totalling $1,793,008 — an average of $7,259 each.
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Local housing costs
Typical rents near campus (Kern County) — budget these against any cost-of-attendance housing estimate.
HUD Fair Market Rents (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities) · FY2026
Veterans & GI Bill
VA GI Bill Comparison Tool (Veterans Affairs GIDS)