Bakersfield, California · ★ — / 5 Overall
Public domain. File page
Public · 4-year · Doctoral
California State University, Bakersfield (CSUB, Cal State Bakersfield, or CSU Bakersfield) is a public university in Bakersfield, California, United States. It was established in 1965 as Kern State College and officially in 1968 as California State College Bakersfield on a 375-acre (152 ha) 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 (Ed.D.). As of fall 2021, there were more than 11,000 undergraduate and graduate students at either the main campus in Bakersfield or the satellite campus, Antelope Valley Center in Lancaster, California. CSU Bakersfield has more than 59,000 alumni from its four schools: Arts and Humanities; Business and Public Administration; Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Engineering; and Social Sciences and Education. The university is primarily a commuter campus serving the city of Bakersfield. CSU Bakersfield's petroleum geology program is the only one offered by a public university west of the Rockies. The university is a Hispanic-serving institution. Alumni include local, state, and federal politicians, including one former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives.
Master's Universities
Ranked #8 in Master's Universities (2025). Source: Washington Monthly ↗
Value rank
Ranked #44 on Washington Monthly Best Bang for the Buck (2025). Source: WM Best Value ↗
National rank
Ranked #388 in Forbes Top Colleges (2026). Source: Forbes ↗
Unfiltered student reviews about the real
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9001 Stockdale Hwy, Bakersfield, California, 93311-1099
Visit University SiteTotal: 9,787
Undergrad: 8,336
Undergrad full-time: 6,796
Graduate: 1,451
Part-time: 1,951
In-state
Tuition: $7,696
Total cost on campus: $26,976
Out-of-state
Tuition: $19,576
Total cost on campus: $38,856
Room & board: $14,430
Books & supplies: $1,068
Receive aid: 91%
Avg grant aid: $12,437
Pell grant recipients: 65%
Rent: $929 / mo
Average city asking rent, as a roommate share. Zillow Observed Rent Index.
Coffee: $6.50
State average cafe price. Numbeo, 2024.
Gas: $6.37 / gal
State average price. AAA.
Average meal: $7.62
Published board plan, per meal. IPEDS.