Private (for-profit)

California Aeronautical University

Bakersfield, California·Private for-profit, 4-year or above·Far West·calaero.edu
6-yr Graduation
30%
-37.5pp vs peer
Total enrollment
350
peer median 378
Avg net price
$38,205
+$8.1k vs peer
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About

California Aeronautical University is a private institution located in Bakersfield, California, founded in 2016. The university focuses primarily on aviation-related programs, including pilot training and aircraft maintenance, and covers approximately 22 acres with facilities tailored for educational and student activities.

Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
30%-37.5pp vs peer
4-year graduation
4%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
30%
Full-time retention
69%

Pell equity

14.0pp gap
Pell recipients
32%
Non-Pell
18%

Pell recipients graduate at a higher rate than non-Pell students here — unusual and worth investigating.

Program outcomes

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

Of 5 Title IV programs, 0 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 5 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
5
Passing
0
0.0% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

5programs
  • Passing0 · 0.0%
  • No Data5 · 100.0%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

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

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.

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges

Accredited since 2023Next review Mar 2028
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools

Accredited since 1976Next review Dec 2022

Action history · 1

  1. Apr 2018Grant Substantive Change: Other
    Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$34,367
$30–48k$34,853
$48–75k$37,028
$75–110k$41,966
$110k+$43,331

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

Avg net price (private)
$38,205
+$8,062vs peer median $30,143
Federal loans
66.1%
In-state tuition
$35,465
Out-of-state
$35,465

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 265 students received $1.8M in Pell grants, alongside $7.8M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
265
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$1.8M
$1,753,012 total
Direct Loans
$7.8M
633 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$1.3M
255 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$1.2M
261 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$27K
5 loan awards
Parent PLUS$5.3M
112 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.

Of 185 borrowers who entered repayment, 1 (0.5%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
0.5%
-1.8pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
185
Defaulted
1
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
6.4%
2017
8.4%
2018
21.1%
2019
0.5%
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 California Aeronautical

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs3
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

50 total completions
01Transportation
4896.0%
02Mechanic
24.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
350
12-mo unduplicated
530
Undergraduate
520
Graduate
10

Gender split

Men
86%458
Women
14%72

Race / ethnicity composition

White
40.2%
Hispanic
37.9%
Asian
9.1%
Black
6.8%
Two or more
3.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
1.3%
Unknown
0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.3%

Campus safety & crime statistics

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

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
6.01
2 offenses · 333 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago13.421 yr ago6.01Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
6
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
1
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Robbery
1
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

2total
  • On campus2

VAWA offenses

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

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons03
Drugs00
Liquor03

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.

Student-to-faculty
8.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
20

California Aeronautical vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions California Aeronautical selected for federal comparison reporting.

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
SubjectCalifornia Aeronautical University
30%350$38,205
36%56$31,307
96%25.2%405$20,575
57%86.8%476$28,979
Rensselaer at Hartford
78%76.9%2,334$40,665
88%14.0%106$19,077
Peer group median68%51.0%378$30,143

Institutions like California Aeronautical

Explore the federal data for institutions in California Aeronautical's comparison group.

Reports & documents (1)

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

Frequently asked questions about California Aeronautical University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about California Aeronautical.

What is the graduation rate at California Aeronautical University?

California Aeronautical University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 30% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend California Aeronautical University?

California Aeronautical University reports a total enrollment of 350 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at California Aeronautical University?

The average net price at California Aeronautical University is $38,205 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

Where is California Aeronautical University located?

California Aeronautical University is located in Bakersfield, California 93308.

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