California State University-Bakersfield: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Thousand Oaks, California · Private nonprofit · Open access
California State University-Bakersfield is a private nonprofit university in Thousand Oaks, California that admits about 89% of applicants, making it a open access school. The average family pays about $26,433 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Psychology, General, Business Administration, Management and Operations and Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 2.2 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
California State University-Bakersfield is a private institution located in Thousand Oaks, California. For the most recent reporting cycle, California State University-Bakersfield admits the majority of qualified applicants, with an overall admission rate of 89%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1224 and an ACT composite around 26. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $26,433 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether California State University-Bakersfield is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for California State University-Bakersfield?
California State University-Bakersfield has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
SAT and ACT scores California State University-Bakersfield typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 557–660, with an EBRW midpoint near 595. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 23–29. Many applicants here submit scores; even slightly below the average can be competitive when combined with a strong GPA and curriculum.
How much does California State University-Bakersfield actually cost?
Published tuition is $50,670 for in-state students and $50,670 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $17,734 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $26,433 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 30% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
Most popular majors at California State University-Bakersfield
The most popular undergraduate programs at California State University-Bakersfield, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Psychology, General, Business Administration, Management and Operations and Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. Across all programs, California State University-Bakersfield confers roughly 507 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Psychology, General program report a median income of about $62,074 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Psychology, General | 116 | $62,074 |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 112 | $77,556 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | 60 | $56,496 |
| Biology, General | 59 | $77,378 |
| Communication and Media Studies | 52 | $53,593 |
| Criminology | 38 | — |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | 37 | $59,025 |
| Public Relations, Advertising, and Applied Communication | 33 | — |
Is California State University-Bakersfield safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), California State University-Bakersfield disclosed 5 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 2.2 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 0 violent offenses and 2 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
Other colleges in California parents ask about
- Stanford University4% acceptance
- University of California-Berkeley12% acceptance
- University of California-Los Angeles9% acceptance
- University of Southern California10% acceptance
- University of California-Davis42% acceptance
- University of California-Irvine26% acceptance
- University of California-San Diego25% acceptance
- University of California-Santa Barbara63% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like California State University-Bakersfield
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like California State University-Bakersfield recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about California State University-Bakersfield
What GPA do I need for California State University-Bakersfield?
California State University-Bakersfield has a broadly accessible admissions profile, and most students who complete a standard college-prep curriculum with a 3.0 GPA or higher are competitive for admission.
What SAT or ACT score does California State University-Bakersfield typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 557–660, with an EBRW midpoint near 595. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 23–29.
How much does California State University-Bakersfield actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at California State University-Bakersfield after grants and scholarships is $26,433 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is California State University-Bakersfield realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, California State University-Bakersfield is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at California State University-Bakersfield?
California State University-Bakersfield accepts about 89% of applicants. It admits the majority of qualified applicants.
Is California State University-Bakersfield a public or private school, and where is it located?
California State University-Bakersfield is a private nonprofit institution located in Thousand Oaks, California.
What are the most popular majors at California State University-Bakersfield?
The largest undergraduate majors at California State University-Bakersfield by annual graduates are Psychology, General, Business Administration, Management and Operations and Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness. The school awards about 507 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is California State University-Bakersfield safe? What is its campus crime rate?
California State University-Bakersfield reported 5 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 2.2 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
Data sourced from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.