10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$36,638at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF
California State University, Bakersfield
Bakersfield, CA · 29 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 29 · Federal debt reported for 0
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$36,638 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
12.2 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−18%Estimated return after 10 years
$61,597Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your question
What do you want to understand?
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
PUBLISHED STUDENT BUDGET · 2024–25
What makes up the annual price?
Sticker-price components reported to IPEDS. Grants and scholarships are not subtracted here.
Living off campus: $17,674 housing and food allowance plus $6,714 in other expenses.
Do not confuse this with net price. Net price subtracts average grants and scholarships. DegreeVerdict continues to use the separately labeled average net price in its standard college ROI scenario.
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price−$14,030
$6,000Current college-wide context−$38,030
$8,000Annual price−$46,030
$16,000Annual price−$78,030
$24,000Annual price−$110,030
$32,000Annual price−$142,030
$40,000Annual price−$174,030
HOW STUDENTS ATTEND · 2023-24
Most students take at least some classes online.
IPEDS enrollment counts show course delivery across the whole institution. They do not indicate whether a specific degree can be completed online.
Institution-level attendance context from IPEDS. Program delivery is reported separately on degree pages and in the program directory. These figures do not enter ROI.
College identity and local contextAccreditation, institution type, dual enrollment and state prices
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission
- Main award level
- Bachelor’s degrees
- Campus setting
- City
- Admissions
- Selective admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- No special designation reported
DUAL-ENROLLMENT CONTEXT · 2024
806 high-school students took college courses.
IPEDS counts students enrolled in college credit while still in high school. A large dual-enrollment population can shape headline enrollment figures, especially at community colleges.
This is participation, not a college completion rate. It does not indicate how many students later enrolled after high school, earned a credential or entered the workforce.
STATE PRICE CONTEXT · 2024
Prices in California run 11% above the U.S. level.
BEA Regional Price Parities compare price levels across states. A value of 100 equals the national average.
What it costs and what graduates earn
$5,652Average net price / year
$19,522Cost of attendance
$16,600Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$176/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$61,597Median earnings · year 5 after completion
49.8%Completion rate
93.8%Admission rate
8,577Student size
Debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. It does not include Parent PLUS or private loans. We show admissions scores only when a valid federal value is available.
What the numbers say about California State University, Bakersfield
What does California State University, Bakersfield cost?
California State University, Bakersfield reports an average annual net price of $5,652 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do California State University, Bakersfield graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $61,597 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do California State University, Bakersfield graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $16,600. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at California State University, Bakersfield worth the same?
No. The current release contains 29 field-and-degree records for California State University, Bakersfield; 29 report year-4 earnings and 0 report federal debt. Outcomes can differ substantially by field and degree level.
DEBT AFTER COLLEGE
Are borrowers making progress?
Repayment progress, default and debt at exit describe different federal borrower cohorts. They are shown separately and do not change the ROI estimate.
Source: College Scorecard. Repayment progress is the share of borrowers who reduced principal by at least $1 at the stated measurement point. Debt covers federal student loans; Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded. Cohorts and reporting periods differ across measures.
Who studied here during the year
12,817Students enrolled at any point
10,973Undergraduate students
1,844Graduate students
Unduplicated students enrolled at any point from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. This full-year measure is different from a fall headcount and does not enter ROI.
More student and earnings detailPrice by family income, retention, equity and common industries
WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS
Outcomes are not the same for every family.
These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.
Complete within 150% of the expected time
64% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
119 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
55% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$54,452Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$61,610Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$68,417Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income49%
Middle income61%
Higher income64%
Undergraduate student composition
White12%
Black4%
Hispanic70%
Asian6%
Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
WHAT STANDS OUT
A faster read on this college
These summaries use every reportable field-and-credential record at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS OVER TIME
What graduates earned in later years
$38,105Year 1
$59,109Year 4
$61,597Year 5
Each year can represent a different federal cohort, so the points do not track the same people over time.
Your choice of degree can change the payoff.
Graduate earnings differ by field and credential, even within the same college.
1Business Administration, Management and Operations · Master's Degree$120,3512Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's Degree$102,2983Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering · Bachelor's Degree$97,9984Computer Engineering · Bachelor's Degree$93,7975Education, General · Master's Degree$92,0106Engineering Science · Bachelor's Degree$88,9487Social Work · Master's Degree$86,5278Public Administration · Master's Degree$85,123Observed year-4 earnings · compare the same field and credential across colleges
Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark
This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential, not simply majors that pay more everywhere.
1Environmental/Natural Resources Management and PolicyBachelor's Degree · $82,315 reported+47%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt2Education, GeneralMaster's Degree · $92,010 reported+40%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Student Counseling and Personnel ServicesMaster's Degree · $82,248 reported+37%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Social WorkMaster's Degree · $86,527 reported+33%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt5Business Administration, Management and OperationsMaster's Degree · $120,351 reported+16%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt6Geological and Earth Sciences/GeosciencesBachelor's Degree · $69,989 reported+16%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt
Comparable colleges in CA
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Turlock, CA
California State University, Stanislaus
- Annual net price
- $6,067
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $60,851
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -22%
California State University, Fullerton
- Annual net price
- $6,555
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $62,730
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -14%
California State University, Fresno
- Annual net price
- $7,000
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $60,400
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -26%
California State University, Northridge
- Annual net price
- $7,021
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $60,117
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -27%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing all 29 field-and-degree records in the current release.
| Major or field | Degree level | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2024–25 graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Master's Degree | $120,351 | Not available | Not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Bachelor's Degree | $102,298 | Not available | Not reported |
| Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $97,998 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer Engineering | Bachelor's Degree | $93,797 | Not available | Not reported |
| Education, General | Master's Degree | $92,010 | Not available | Not reported |
| Engineering Science | Bachelor's Degree | $88,948 | Not available | Not reported |
| Social Work | Master's Degree | $86,527 | Not available | Not reported |
| Public Administration | Master's Degree | $85,123 | Not available | Not reported |
| Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy | Bachelor's Degree | $82,315 | Not available | Not reported |
| Student Counseling and Personnel Services | Master's Degree | $82,248 | Not available | Not reported |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's Degree | $80,432 | Not available | Not reported |
| Economics | Bachelor's Degree | $78,029 | Not available | Not reported |
| Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences | Bachelor's Degree | $69,989 | Not available | Not reported |
| Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology | Master's Degree | $68,014 | Not available | Not reported |
| Mathematics | Bachelor's Degree | $64,470 | Not available | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $61,705 | Not available | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $58,885 | Not available | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Bachelor's Degree | $57,529 | Not available | Not reported |
| History | Bachelor's Degree | $56,081 | Not available | Not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Bachelor's Degree | $53,715 | Not available | Not reported |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Bachelor's Degree | $53,553 | Not available | Not reported |
| Sociology | Bachelor's Degree | $52,618 | Not available | Not reported |
| English Language and Literature, General | Bachelor's Degree | $52,420 | Not available | Not reported |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's Degree | $51,882 | Not available | Not reported |
| Communication and Media Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $50,989 | Not available | Not reported |
| Human Development, Family Studies, and Related Services | Bachelor's Degree | $50,850 | Not available | Not reported |
| Biological and Biomedical Sciences, Other | Bachelor's Degree | $49,834 | Not available | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $49,207 | Not available | Not reported |
| Fine and Studio Arts | Bachelor's Degree | $43,534 | Not available | Not reported |
Graduate counts come from IPEDS and group related majors into the same federal field. Missing earnings or debt values remain labeled as unavailable.
Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.