California State University-Bakersfield
Public College in Bakersfield, CA. Six-year graduation rate 50%. Median 10-year earnings $59,009.
Students who entered California State University-Bakersfield land at a median of $59,009 a decade later, close to what most four-year schools deliver. Six-year completion sits at 50%, near the national average for undergraduate institutions. Graduates carry a median of $16,600 in debt — in line with the national norm. On economic mobility, 4.6% of students travel from the bottom income quintile to the top.
Earnings: College Scorecard, median ten years after entry across students who received federal aid — completers and non-completers alike.
- ✓ Debt-to-income ratio 0.28 — healthy (below the 0.40 threshold)
- ✓ 3-year loan default 0.0% — below national benchmark
Admissions
With an acceptance rate of 94%, California State University-Bakersfield takes nearly everyone who applies. 13,229 students applied, a pool deep enough to make the acceptance rate meaningful. Yield is low at 10%, so most admitted students do not end up enrolling.
Test score bands (middle 50% of submitters)
These bands describe the enrolled first-years who submitted a score, not the entering class. Where most students apply test-optional the submitters are a self-selected, higher-scoring group.
| Test | 25th–75th percentile | Submitted |
|---|---|---|
| SAT Evidence-Based Reading | — | — |
| SAT Math | — | |
| ACT Composite | — | — |
IPEDS Admissions · 2024
Apply at California State University-Bakersfield →Academics
50% graduate within six years — average, but that average still hides a large group who do not. 79% of full-time first-years come back for year two, so about one in five are gone before sophomore year. Retention runs well ahead of completion, which means students are not leaving immediately; they are leaving somewhere between the second year and the finish line. Part-time students fare worse, returning at 62% — relevant if you plan to work while enrolled. The student-faculty ratio is 20:1 — typical, which in practice means large lectures early and smaller classes in the major.
Financial Aid
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24 · grant and loan rates against 8,183 degree- or certificate-seeking undergraduates
Average net price is $6,489 a year after grant aid — low for a four-year institution, though your own figure depends on aid eligibility. The income table below is the number that matters — $3,536 at $0–30k versus $16,069 at $110k+. Grant aid reaches 82% of students at an average of $12,092. Only 24% take federal loans. Private borrowing is not captured in this figure.
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 · 1,167 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 | $3,536 |
| $30–48k | $3,817 |
| $48–75k | $5,835 |
| $75–110k | $9,480 |
| $110k+ | $16,069 |
IPEDS Student Financial Aid · 2023-24
Federal student loans went to 1,939 of these 8,183 students, totalling $13,131,906 — an average of $6,773 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)