California State University-Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA · Public

Official website

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Admission rate

California State University-Bakersfield admitted 85.1% of applicants university-wide (12,416 of 14,593).

CohortAdmit rateAdmittedApplicants
University-wide85.1%12,41614,593
In-state88.7%11,39812,850
Out-of-state75.4%8021,064
International applicants31.8%216679
Men82.4%5,1066,199
Women87.1%7,3108,394

Also offers Early Action — the Common Data Set doesn't publish EA admit counts.

Of 12,416 admitted students, 1,294 enrolled (10.4% yield).

California State University-Bakersfield Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C1–C2 · 2024Published cohort admit rates — context, not an applicant-specific probability.

Test scores and GPA of admitted students

SAT (mid-50%)
940–1160
ACT (mid-50%)
19–27
GPA (mid-50%, 4.0 scale)
3.003.99

Testing policy: Test-blind (scores not considered)

California State University-Bakersfield Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections C9–C12 · 2024Published admit stats reflect the entire incoming class unless explicitly labeled international-only.

Cost and financial aid

Published cost of attendance: $42,186/yr.

Out-of-state tuition$19,770
Fees, housing, food, books & other$22,416
Sticker cost of attendance$42,186/yr

Average net price by family income (US, federal aid data)

Under $30k$3,536
$30k–48k$3,817
$48k–75k$5,835
$75k–110k$9,480
Over $110k$16,069

U.S. Dept. of Education · College Scorecard — average net price by family income (Title IV, from IPEDS) · 2023

US applicants

Need- and merit-based aid available.

International applicants

No need-based aid reported for internationals.

California State University-Bakersfield Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections G–H · 2024

Application requirements

US applicants

  • Initial Official High School Transcript (with 7th semester grades)
  • Final Official High School Transcript (with graduation date)
  • Official AP, IB, or CLEP Test Scores (optional)
  • EOP Recommendation Forms
  • Application fee

International applicants

  • Initial Official High School Transcript (with 7th semester grades)
  • Final Official High School Transcript (with graduation date)
  • Official AP, IB, or CLEP Test Scores (optional)
  • EOP Recommendation Forms
  • Application fee
  • English proficiency (IELTS/TOEFL)
  • GPA credential conversion
  • Predicted Class XII marksheet
  • Financial documentation (I-20)

California State University-Bakersfield · Application requirements (official admissions pages) · 2025

Essay prompts

California State University-Bakersfield requires no supplemental essays.

Prompts from the Cal State Apply member feed · verified Jul 4, 2026

Graduate outcomes

Median earnings
$59,009
Median earnings · 10 years after entry
Graduation rate
49.8%
Within 150% of normal time
First-year retention
78.8%
Return for year two · CDS Section B
Median debt
$16,600
At graduation

California State University-Bakersfield · U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (2023 release) · 2023Earnings and debt figures are federal data for aid-receiving graduates — cohort outcomes, not a guarantee for any individual student.

Published rankings

  • Forbes: #388
  • Niche: #556

Deadlines

Academics and campus

Largest degree fields: Psychology (14%), Business & marketing (13%), Social sciences (9%).

Student–faculty ratio: 19:1 · 33% of class sections have under 20 students.

California State University-Bakersfield Common Data Set 2024-2025 · Sections E, F, I · 2024Published institutional figures for the reporting year — descriptive of the current student body, not a prediction about your experience.

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