3 Best Universities in Bakersfield, CA [2026 Rankings]

Top 3 universities in Bakersfield ranked by EduRank based on research outputs, non-academic prominence, and alumni influence. The rankings are determined by analyzing 79.2K citations received by 3.28K academic publications made by 3 universities from Bakersfield, the popularity of 27 recognized alumni, and the largest reference database available.

1. California State University - Bakersfield

#52 in California

#568 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 94%
Receiving Aid: 93%
Average Aid: $12,966
Enrollment: 10,419

2. Bakersfield College

#98 in California

#1101 in the United States

Acceptance Rate: 100%
Receiving Aid: 85%
Average Aid: $5,940
Enrollment: 30,746

3. Santa Barbara Business College - Bakersfield

#241 in California

#2381 in the United States

Net Price: $14,548
Receiving Aid: 100%
Average Aid: $6,109

Universities near Bakersfield

Distance, km 📏 km	University	Country rank 🏆	City
108	San Joaquin Valley College - Visalia	1732	Visalia, California
109	Thomas Aquinas College	1673	Santa Paula, California
111	Antelope Valley College	1486	Lancaster, California
114	University of Antelope Valley	2346	Lancaster, California
120	California Institute of the Arts	871	Santa Clarita, California
121	Westmont College	785	Santa Barbara, California
121	Pacifica Graduate Institute	1116	Carpinteria, California
123	Master's University and Seminary	894	Santa Clarita, California
126	University of California - Santa Barbara	55	Santa Barbara, California
126	Fielding Graduate University	844	Santa Barbara, California