California State University-Bakersfield
Bakersfield, California · Also known as CSU Bakersfield · Website
$59,009
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$59,009
median earnings, 10 years after starting
California State University-Bakersfield is a public 4-year college in Bakersfield, California with 8,577 undergraduates and 1,554 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $5,652 a year (tuition and fees $8,090 in-state, $20,690 out-of-state). It admits 94% of applicants and 50% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $59,009 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $16,600 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$5,652
US median $17,138
Tuition in-state
$8,090
Out-of-state $20,690
Admission rate
94%
US median 78%
Completion rate
50%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$16,600
About $176 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$59,009
Rank 849 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $5,652
- Tuition in-state
- $8,090
- Tuition out-of-state
- $20,690
- Cost of attendance
- $19,522
- Students with a need-based grant
- 61%
- Students with federal loans
- 23%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $3,536
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $3,817
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $5,835
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $9,480
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $16,069
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $6,811 in 2015-16 to $8,090 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 94%
- Undergraduates
- 8,577
- Graduate students
- 1,554
- Part-time students
- 17%
- Women
- 65%
- Students per teacher
- 20
- Completion rate
- 50%
- Retention rate
- 79%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 66
- Endowment
- $42.7M
- Other
- Hispanic-serving
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 849 of 5,094 US colleges and 120 of 494 in California (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | CA median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $5,652 | $20,161 | $12,792 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $8,090 | $8,086 | $8,626 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 94% | 76% | 83% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 50% | 64% | 46% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 79% | 80% | 76% | 75% |
| Median debt | $16,600 | $11,537 | $19,500 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $44,282 | $36,048 | $43,105 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $59,009 | $41,472 | $50,314 | $40,813 |
Same kind: US public 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 55% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 69% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
66 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 362 | Withheld | Withheld | $61,705 | $68,257 |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 317 | Withheld | Withheld | $57,529 | $53,072 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 277 | Withheld | Withheld | $49,207 | $50,706 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 168 | Withheld | Withheld | $53,715 | $55,378 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 134 | Withheld | Withheld | $52,618 | $52,657 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 131 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | - |
| Education, GeneralOnlineMaster's | Master's | 111 | Withheld | Withheld | $92,010 | $65,824 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 102 | Withheld | Withheld | $50,989 | $56,359 |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's | Bachelor's | 87 | Withheld | Withheld | $102,298 | $88,910 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 80 | Withheld | Withheld | $53,553 | $54,562 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's | Master's | 70 | Withheld | Withheld | $120,351 | $103,485 |
| Social WorkMaster's | Master's | 69 | Withheld | Withheld | $86,527 | $65,123 |
| Computer ScienceBachelor's | Bachelor's | 65 | Withheld | Withheld | $80,432 | $107,009 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 62 | Withheld | Withheld | $52,420 | $48,590 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 57 | Withheld | Withheld | $56,081 | $50,680 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 55 | Withheld | Withheld | $58,885 | $57,214 |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences, OtherBachelor's | Bachelor's | 41 | Withheld | Withheld | $49,834 | $65,681 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 35 | Withheld | Withheld | $43,534 | $41,367 |
| Student Counseling and Personnel ServicesMaster's | Master's | 33 | Withheld | Withheld | $82,248 | $60,111 |
| Public AdministrationMaster's | Master's | 30 | Withheld | Withheld | $85,123 | $81,408 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 25 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,000 |
| Agricultural Business and ManagementBachelor's | Bachelor's | 23 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $66,647 |
| Political Science and GovernmentBachelor's | Bachelor's | 22 | Withheld | Withheld | $51,882 | $63,293 |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications EngineeringBachelor's | Bachelor's | 21 | Withheld | Withheld | $97,998 | $100,647 |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 21 | Withheld | Withheld | $64,470 | $69,562 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Bakersfield and California on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in California
- Homes: Homes for sale in California
Questions and answers
How much does California State University-Bakersfield cost?
$5,652 a year is the average net price at California State University-Bakersfield after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $8,090 for in-state students and $20,690 for out-of-state students, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $19,522. Families earning under $30,000 pay $3,536 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at California State University-Bakersfield?
94% of applicants are admitted to California State University-Bakersfield. The median admission rate of colleges in California is 76%.
How much do California State University-Bakersfield graduates earn?
$59,009 a year is the median pay of former California State University-Bakersfield students who work, 10 years after they started ($44,282 after 6 years). That ranks 849 of 5,094 US colleges and 120 of 494 in California.
How much student debt do California State University-Bakersfield graduates have?
$16,600 is the median federal student loan debt of California State University-Bakersfield graduates, about $176 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 23% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at California State University-Bakersfield?
50% of first-time, full-time students at California State University-Bakersfield finish within 6 years. 79% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of public 4-year colleges is 46%.
What are the most popular majors at California State University-Bakersfield?
Business Administration, Management and Operations (362 bachelor's graduates), Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (317 bachelor's graduates), Psychology, General (277 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 66 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.