BaccalaureatePublicHSI

Bakersfield College

Bakersfield, California·Public, 4-year or above·Far West·bakersfieldcollege.edu
6-yr Graduation
21%
+10.5pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
30,746
peer median 18,258
Avg net price
$4,751
+$491 vs Baccalaureate
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AboutOutcomesProgram outcomesAccreditationCostFederal aidLoan defaultsAcademic programsEnrollment trendsAthleticsCampus safetyFacultyPeersIR OfficeDocumentsGrantsAlumni

About

Bakersfield College (BC) is a public community college in Bakersfield, California, United States. BC serves about 31,000 students each semester or 46,500 annually, and offers associate degrees, certificate programs, and is one of fifteen California Community Colleges offering a baccalaureate degree. It is part of the Kern Community College District (KCCD), which is itself part of the California Community Colleges system.

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

IPEDS
Overall completion
21%+10.5pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
50%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
50%

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

FVT/GE

Of 146 Title IV programs, 7 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 1 fails. 138 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
146
Passing
7
4.8% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
1
0.7% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.7%
+0.1pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

146programs
  • Passing7 · 4.8%
  • No Data138 · 94.5%
  • Failing1 · 0.7%

Severity spectrum

Critical
1
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
1
Safe
5
No data
138

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

8
Human Development Family Studies and Related Services
Associate Degree · Family And Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences
-21.1%
$28,483 vs $36,082
Psychology General
Associate Degree · Psychology
+7.3%
$38,723 vs $36,082
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Associate Degree · Security And Protective Services
+12.8%
$40,694 vs $36,082
Liberal Arts and Sciences General Studies and Humanities
Associate Degree · Liberal Arts And Sciences, General Studies And Humanities
+26.3%
$45,584 vs $36,082
Sociology
Associate Degree · Social Sciences
+27.0%
$45,822 vs $36,082
Business/Commerce General
Associate Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+41.6%
$51,090 vs $36,082
Education General
Associate Degree · Education
+57.0%
$56,662 vs $36,082
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+186.8%
$103,477 vs $36,082

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

1
Registered Nursing Nursing Administration Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing
Associate Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
10%
$10,500 debt · $103,477 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

DAPIP
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

Accredited since 1952Next review Oct 2025

Programmatic accreditations · 5

Action history · 11

  1. May 2025Renewal of Accreditation
    Joint Review Committee on Education in Radiologic Technology · Radiologic Technology (RAD) - Programs for radiographers
  2. Oct 2024Initial Accreditation
    Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, Inc. — May 6, 2013 Formerly: National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission · Nursing (ADNUR) - Associate degree programs
  3. Oct 2023Initial Accreditation
    American Physical Therapy Association, Commission on Accreditation in Physical Therapy Education · Physical Therapy (PTA) - Programs for the physical therapist assistant
  4. Jan 2023Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
  5. Sep 2022Grant Substantive Change: Degree
    Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

College Scorecard

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$4,126
$30–48k$4,254
$48–75k$7,190
$75–110k$10,237
$110k+$12,508

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$4,751
+$491vs Baccalaureate median $4,260
Federal loans
0.9%
In-state tuition
$1,430
Out-of-state
$10,310

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

Federal Student Aid

In AY 2024–25, 12,748 students received $60.8M in Pell grants, alongside $2.3M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
12,748
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$60.8M
$60,818,368 total
Direct Loans
$2.3M
575 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

9k
’20
8k
’21
10k
’22
12k
’23
13k
’24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$903K
291 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.3M
278 loan awards
Parent PLUS$93K
6 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Cohort Default Rate

Of 237 borrowers who entered repayment, 6 (2.5%) defaulted within three years — above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
2.5%
+0.2pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
237
Defaulted
6
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
15.1%
2017
16.3%
2018
10.4%
2019
2.5%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Bakersfield College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

IPEDS
Distinct CIP programs103
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

4,124 total completions
01Liberal Arts
2,20853.5%
02Psychology
3568.6%
03Biological Sciences
2706.5%
04Health Professions
2676.5%
05Business
2606.3%
06Agriculture
1894.6%
07Social Sciences
1874.5%
08Security/Protective
1613.9%
09Family/Consumer Sci
1223.0%
10Visual/Performing Arts
1042.5%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

IPEDS
Fall total
30,746
12-mo unduplicated
45,178
Undergraduate
45,178
Graduate
0

Gender split

Men
46%20,631
Women
54%24,547

Race / ethnicity composition

Hispanic
65.1%
White
20.9%
Black
5.5%
Asian
3.8%
Two or more
3.4%
Unknown
0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.3%
Non-resident
0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.1%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

EADA
Athletes
409
280 M · 129 W
Women athletes
31.5%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$4.5M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$0
$0
Head-coach salaries
$67K
$60K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 13

Football
93 M · —
$487K
Soccer
36 M · 21 W
$300K
Track and Field (Outdoor)
38 M · 15 W
$231K
Baseball
35 M · —
$261K
Wrestling
22 M · 8 W
$175K
Cross Country
20 M · 9 W
$185K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Clery Act
Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.41
38 offenses · 26,873 students

3-year trend

0.762 yrs ago0.571 yr ago1.41Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
71
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
6
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
2
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Motor vehicle theft
26
Burglary
7
Fondling
4
Aggravated assault
1

By location

38total
  • On campus37
  • Non-campus1

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
0
Stalking
0 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Sexual orientation1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs00
Liquor00

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

IPEDS
Student-to-faculty
31.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
372

Bakersfield College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Bakersfield College selected for federal comparison reporting.

IPEDS
GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectBakersfield College
21%—30,746$4,751Baccalaureate
Antelope Valley Community College District
——13,532$8,263Baccalaureate
Cerritos College
——21,859$693Community College
College of the Sequoias
——14,494$29Community College
Fresno City College
——28,071$1,699Community College
Grossmont College
——14,440$2,755Community College
Merced College
——12,472$4,260Community College
Modesto Junior College
0%—18,258$10,176Baccalaureate
San Joaquin Delta College
——20,969$8,508Community College
Peer group median11%—18,258$4,260

Institutions like Bakersfield College

Explore the federal data for institutions in Bakersfield College's comparison group.

IPEDS

Bakersfield College Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Office
Office of Institutional Effectiveness
Email
research [at] bakersfieldcollege.edu
Phone
661-395-4662
Address
Panorama Campus (Main), 1801 Panorama Drive, Bakersfield, CA 93305

Institutional Effectiveness (IE) supports Bakersfield College's Mission, Vision, and Values through its commitment to providing quality, accessible, and relevant data and information to our students, staff, the communities we serve, and the public.

Visit IR office page
Team
5 members
  • Craig Hayward
  • Grace Commiso
  • Robert Dean
  • Patsy Garcia
  • Sooyeon Kim
    Dean

Reports & documents (3)

Dashboards, factbooks, data dictionaries, and other reference material published by the IR office.

Grants & funding (1)

Federal grant awards and open funding opportunities awarded to this institution.

USA Spending

Notable alumni of Bakersfield College (10)

A curated list of alumni recognized for notable achievements across industries.

  • Louie Cruz Beltran
    Music
  • Robert Beltran
    Entertainment
  • Sharon Chatman
    Judiciary
  • Ric Drasin
    Entertainment and Sports
  • Jean Fuller
    Politics
  • Harvey Hall
    Politics
  • Kevin Harvick
    Sports
  • Guy Madison
    Entertainment
  • Michael Rubio
    Politics
  • Delbert E. Wong
    Judiciary

Frequently asked questions about Bakersfield College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Bakersfield College.

What is the graduation rate at Bakersfield College?

Bakersfield College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 21% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Bakersfield College?

Bakersfield College reports a total enrollment of 30,746 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Bakersfield College?

The average net price at Bakersfield College is $4,751 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

Where is Bakersfield College located?

Bakersfield College is located in Bakersfield, California 93305-1299.

Who runs Institutional Research at Bakersfield College?

Bakersfield College's IR work is done by the Office of Institutional Effectiveness.

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