California State University-Bakersfield — College Profile

About

California State University, Bakersfield is a vital educational hub in California's Central Valley, best known for driving social mobility through top-tier programs in business administration, nursing, computer engineering, and teacher education. Leveraging its unique position in a major energy and agricultural region, CSUB stands out for its specialized academic offerings and research in geology, petroleum engineering, and environmental sciences. As a diverse Hispanic-Serving Institution, the university fosters an inclusive, close-knit campus culture characterized by small class sizes, NCAA Division I athletics, and direct pipelines to regional industry careers.

Wikipedia:California State University, Bakersfield is a public university in Bakersfield, California, United States. It was established in 1965 as Kern State College and officially in 1968 as California State College Bakersfield on a 375-acre (152 ha) campus, becoming the 20th school in the California State University system. The university offers 39 different bachelor's degree programs, 17 master's degree programs, and a doctoral program in Educational Leadership (Ed.D.).

Location

Bakersfield, CA, 93311-1099 · City campus

✈

Nearest airport from college

LAX · Los Angeles

105 mi away

Open in Google Maps

Cost & aid

Cost of attendance

In-stateOut-of-state

Tuition & fees$8,090$20,690

Housing & food (on campus)$15,076$15,076

Books & supplies$954$954

Cost of attendance$19,522$43,243

Average net price$5,652Not published

Out-of-state prices

Tuition & fees$20,690

In-state: $8,090

Housing & food (on campus)$15,076

Books & supplies$954

Cost of attendance$43,243

In-state: $19,522

Average net priceNot published

In-state: $5,652

Source: U.S. College Scorecard · published total: www.csub.edu

How it’s made up · out-of-state, 2026-27

California State University-Bakersfield’s own figures for 2026-2027, newer than the 2024-25 federal figures above, so the amounts differ.

Fees$2,105

Housing$11,212

Food$6,220

Books & supplies$1,192

Personal expenses$2,856

Transportation$1,386

Total published by the school$43,243

Source: www.csub.edu · checked Sep 13, 2026

Net price by family income · in-state students, 2023-24

$0–30k

$3,536

$30–48k

$3,817

$48–75k

$5,835

$75–110k

$9,480

$110k+

$16,069

Your family's actual price → California State University-Bakersfield net price calculator

Source: U.S. College Scorecard

Merit aid · 2024-25

Awarded without financial need. Students with financial need can get merit awards too; they're counted as need-based aid.

Average award$6,579

First-years who got one19

Source: California State University-Bakersfield's Common Data Set — the school's own yearly report of its admissions and aid figures.

Outcomes

Completion

Within 6 yrs

50%

Entered 2017–18

Within 4 yrs

29%

Back for yr 2

79%

Transferred

8 yrs after starting · first-time, full-time students

52% graduated · 25% transferred · 2% still enrolled · 21% left or unknown

Earnings · measured 2020 & 2021

6 yrs after entry$44,282

10 yrs after entry$59,009

Debt

Median at graduation$16,600

Monthly payment$176

Middle 50% owe$4.5k–$20.8k

90th percentile$31,000

Green marks a figure above the typical Master's (larger programs): $55,177 earned 10 yrs after entry.

Admissions

Getting in · applied for fall 2024

Admit rate

94%

Test policy

Not required

Per College Scorecard

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Essay prompts

How much essays count at California State University-Bakersfield: Not considered (one of four levels: very important · important · considered · not considered)

Source: California State University-Bakersfield's Common Data Set for 2025-26 — the school's own yearly report of its admissions and aid figures.

If California State University-Bakersfield asks for supplemental essays, the prompts are in the school's application.

Student Body

Gender

Men 35%Women 65%

Who enrolls

Faculty ratio

20 : 1

Pell grant

61%

First-gen

58%

Family income

$27,270

Independent

31%

Veterans

Age at entry

23.0

Part-time

17%

Race & ethnicity

White

12%

Hispanic

70%

Black

Asian

Two or more

Non-resident

Unknown

Varsity sports

NCAA Division I without football · EADA 2024-25

Baseball
Men's
Basketball
Men's · Women's
Beach Volleyball
Women's
Golf
Women's
Soccer
Men's · Women's
Softball
Women's
Swimming and Diving (combined)
Men's · Women's
Track and Field (Outdoor)
Men's
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)
Women's
Volleyball
Women's
Wrestling
Men's

Programs & Earnings

Bachelor's degrees by annual completions · 4yr national median earnings

Median earnings, all programs · measured 2020 & 2021

After 6 yrs

$44,282

After 10 yrs

$59,009

Business Administration, Management and Operations362

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities317

Psychology, General277

Criminal Justice and Corrections168

Sociology134

Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods131

Communication and Media Studies102

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing87

Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness80

Computer Science65

English Language and Literature, General62

History57

Biology, General55

Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other41

Fine and Studio Arts35

Romance Languages, Literatures, and Linguistics25

Type your major above to highlight and detail relevant programs.

Institutional

Resources

Endowment

$43M

Full-time faculty

52%

Faculty salary

$11,613/mo

Teaching spend

$8,900

per student

Federal loans

23%

Classification

Carnegie type

Master's (larger programs)

Research activity

Research college or university

$8M research spending · 7 research doctorates a year

Undergraduate profile