Two years in
Bakersfield before your bachelor's
You're deciding whether to spend your first two years at Bakersfield College before finishing a bachelor's degree elsewhere in California. That choice comes down to real numbers: what transfer looks like from here, what it costs, and what earnings tend to follow.
~31,000 undergrads, 23% transfer out by year 8, median $37k 10-yr earnings, $8,312 median debt.
A 30,000-student Bakersfield CC with solid transfer momentum and rock-bottom debt
Bakersfield College enrolls nearly 31,000 undergraduates in California's San Joaquin Valley — one of the larger community colleges in the state. Twenty-three percent of students transfer to a four-year institution within eight years, a meaningful result given that 73% attend part-time. The top program by completions is Liberal Arts and Sciences at 4,030 — an unusually high volume that reflects BC's scale and its role as a transfer prep engine. Median earnings land at $37k ten years out. Median debt is $8,312 and the three-year loan default rate is 0%. In-state tuition is $1,380 annually, though net price runs higher at $14,621.
Bakersfield College sits in Bakersfield, California — the largest city in Kern County and the center of the southern San Joaquin Valley. It enrolls nearly 31,000 undergraduates, making it one of California's larger community colleges, though 73% of students attend part-time. That part-time majority reflects the region's workforce demographics and means completion timelines here are stretched. The single most-produced credential is Liberal Arts and Sciences, with 4,030 completions — a volume that signals BC functions primarily as a transfer-prep institution. Biology (270 completions), Business Administration (216), and Registered Nursing (192) also run at real scale. The eight-year transfer-out rate is 23%, above the typical community college range. Median earnings ten years out are $37k. Median debt is $8,312, the three-year loan default rate is 0%, and in-state tuition is $1,380 annually. For a cost-conscious student in the Central Valley with a four-year degree in sight, the fundamentals here are workable.
What this CC teaches at scale
| Program | Completions |
|---|---|
| Liberal Arts and Sciences/Liberal Studies. | 4,030 |
| Psychology, General. | 356 |
| Biology/Biological Sciences, General. | 270 |
| Business Administration and Management, General. | 216 |
| Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse. | 192 |
| Child Care Provider/Assistant. | 143 |
| Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations. | 142 |
| Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration. | 141 |
| Speech Communication and Rhetoric. | 122 |
| Sociology, General. | 121 |
Source · IPEDS completions (all undergraduate credentials).
Where California transfers tend to go
Reflects state-aggregated IPEDS transfer-in volume — CC-specific destinations are not publicly available from IPEDS or the College Scorecard.
Frequently asked
- Is Bakersfield College a good place to start a bachelor's degree?
- The data gives a cautiously positive answer. BC's eight-year transfer-out rate is 23%, which sits above the national community college average — a real signal of transfer activity, not just enrollment. Median debt for borrowers is $8,312 and the three-year loan default rate is 0%, so students who do borrow are keeping their head above water. Median earnings ten years out are $37k, which is modest but consistent with a population that includes a large share of part-time students on slower timelines. In-state tuition is $1,380 annually, though net price is $14,621 — higher than some California CCs, meaning grants and aid vary significantly by student. The Liberal Arts program produces over 4,000 completions, which means advising infrastructure for transfer-bound students is genuinely built out.
- How does Bakersfield College's transfer-out rate compare to typical community colleges?
- BC's eight-year transfer-out rate is 23%. National research places the average community college transfer rate in the 15–25% range, so BC lands near the upper end of that band. The 23% figure is particularly notable given that 73% of BC's students attend part-time — part-time enrollment generally drags transfer rates down because students take longer and are more likely to stop out before completing transfer requirements. An additional 27% completed a credential at BC itself within eight years. Taken together, roughly half of enrolled students either transferred or finished a credential at BC, which is a functional outcome profile for a large regional CC serving a working-class population.
- What programs does Bakersfield College offer at meaningful scale?
- BC's largest program by far is Liberal Arts and Sciences, with 4,030 completions — a volume that reflects the college's role as a broad transfer-prep institution. Psychology produced 356 completions, Biology/Biological Sciences 270, Business Administration and Management 216, and Registered Nursing 192. Child Care Provider (143), Agribusiness/Agricultural Business Operations (142), Criminal Justice (141), Speech Communication (122), and Sociology (121) round out the top ten. The agriculture and agribusiness offerings stand out as regionally specific — Kern County is a major agricultural producer, and BC's programs reflect that. For students pursuing STEM, health, or business transfer paths, the program depth is sufficient; advising and course infrastructure in those areas is developed at meaningful scale.
Methodology — Transfer signals reflect IPEDS Outcome Measures 8-year cohorts; earnings and debt come from the College Scorecard. Destinations are state-aggregated; we do not claim CC-specific transfer destinations without authoritative per-student tracking data.