California State University, Bakersfield

California State University, Bakersfield logo
#4579 / #1195
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#1366
Most Desirable School
University

California State University, Bakersfield at a Glance

U.S. influence rank
#1195
Acceptance rate (fall 2024)
94%
Tuition and fees (2025–26)
$8,496
Graduation rate
48%
Undergraduates (fall 2024)
8,577

Reviewed by , Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error

About California State University, Bakersfield

According to Wikipedia, California State University, Bakersfield is a public university in Bakersfield, California. It was established in 1965 as Kern State College and officially in 1968 as California State College Bakersfield on a 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 .

California State University, Bakersfield Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceRetention RateGraduation Rate
13,95094%79%48%

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.

How Much Does California State University, Bakersfield Cost To Attend?

Tuition and fees (in-state)
$8,496
Average Net Price by Family Income (2024–25)
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$2,097
30K - 48K$2,371
48K - 75K$3,304
75K - 110K$7,017
110K+$14,673

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.

How Much Do California State University, Bakersfield Graduates Make?

Ten years after starting college, former California State University, Bakersfield students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $62,381 a year, and 91% of those not still in school are working.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.

California State University, Bakersfield's Demographics

Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
11,99310,2311,762

Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.

Where is California State University, Bakersfield?

California State University, Bakersfield is located at 9001 Stockdale Hwy, Bakersfield, CA 93311-1099.

How Safe is California State University, Bakersfield?

Like every college that receives federal student aid, California State University, Bakersfield publishes an annual security report with its campus crime statistics and safety policies. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.

Relative to its enrollment, California State University, Bakersfield has a violent crime rate of less than 0.01% and a property crime rate of 0.03%. Bakersfield has a violent crime rate of 0.56% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 2.49%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.

What Is California State University, Bakersfield Known For?

California State University, Bakersfield is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:

California State University, Bakersfield's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Each rank compares how much California State University, Bakersfield's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence

Criminal Justice
#1012
World Rank
#1017
Historical Rank
#543
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #543 in the U.S. and #1012 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.

criminal-justice Degrees
Engineering
#3630
World Rank
#3644
Historical Rank
#631
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #631 in the U.S. and #3630 worldwide for influence in Engineering.

engineering Degrees
Earth Sciences
#2684
World Rank
#2697
Historical Rank
#689
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #689 in the U.S. and #2684 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.

earth-science Degrees
Political Science
#3105
World Rank
#3115
Historical Rank
#719
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #719 in the U.S. and #3105 worldwide for influence in Political Science.

political-science Degrees
Sociology
#2648
World Rank
#2652
Historical Rank
#772
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #772 in the U.S. and #2648 worldwide for influence in Sociology.

sociology Degrees
Business
#2961
World Rank
#2963
Historical Rank
#777
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #777 in the U.S. and #2961 worldwide for influence in Business.

business Degrees
Physics
#3357
World Rank
#3381
Historical Rank
#797
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #797 in the U.S. and #3357 worldwide for influence in Physics.

physics Degrees
Social Work
#2001
World Rank
#2002
Historical Rank
#820
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #820 in the U.S. and #2001 worldwide for influence in Social Work.

social-work Degrees
Mathematics
#3504
World Rank
#3540
Historical Rank
#891
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #891 in the U.S. and #3504 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.

math Degrees
Psychology
#2490
World Rank
#2505
Historical Rank
#951
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #951 in the U.S. and #2490 worldwide for influence in Psychology.

psychology Degrees
Economics
#5649
World Rank
#5651
Historical Rank
#1045
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #1045 in the U.S. and #5649 worldwide for influence in Economics.

economics Degrees
Philosophy
#3511
World Rank
#3548
Historical Rank
#1051
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #1051 in the U.S. and #3511 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.

philosophy Degrees
Literature
#3378
World Rank
#3418
Historical Rank
#1129
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #1129 in the U.S. and #3378 worldwide for influence in Literature.

literature Degrees
Biology
#4747
World Rank
#4768
Historical Rank
#1150
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #1150 in the U.S. and #4747 worldwide for influence in Biology.

biology Degrees
Anthropology
#3845
World Rank
#3854
Historical Rank
#1276
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #1276 in the U.S. and #3845 worldwide for influence in Anthropology.

anthropology Degrees
Medical
#4453
World Rank
#4454
Historical Rank
#1295
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #1295 in the U.S. and #4453 worldwide for influence in Medical.

medicine Degrees
Chemistry
#5437
World Rank
#5447
Historical Rank
#1363
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #1363 in the U.S. and #5437 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.

chemistry Degrees
Communications
#5438
World Rank
#5453
Historical Rank
#1445
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #1445 in the U.S. and #5438 worldwide for influence in Communications.

communications Degrees
History
#4841
World Rank
#4851
Historical Rank
#1502
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #1502 in the U.S. and #4841 worldwide for influence in History.

history Degrees
Education
#6206
World Rank
#6210
Historical Rank
#1580
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #1580 in the U.S. and #6206 worldwide for influence in Education.

education Degrees
Religious Studies
#7418
World Rank
#7432
Historical Rank
#1645
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #1645 in the U.S. and #7418 worldwide for influence in Religious Studies.

religious-studies-hub Degrees
Nursing
#4955
World Rank
#4955
Historical Rank
#1970
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #1970 in the U.S. and #4955 worldwide for influence in Nursing.

nursing Degrees
Computer Science
#8425
World Rank
#8429
Historical Rank
#2162
USA Rank

California State University, Bakersfield ranks #2162 in the U.S. and #8425 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.

computer-science Degrees

Who Are California State University, Bakersfield's Most Influential Alumni?

California State University, Bakersfield's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Criminal Justice, Social Work, and Psychology. Here are some of California State University, Bakersfield's most famous alumni:

Kevin McCarthy
An American politician, 55th speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
John W. Ayers
A Professor and epidemiologist.
Jeffery Elwell
A .
Tito Ortiz
Tito Ortiz
An American mixed martial artist.

Who Are California State University, Bakersfield's Most Influential Faculty?

Nikki Blue
An American basketball player.