10-yr median earnings
$38,361
Federal aid recipients only
Private For-Profit · Bakersfield, California
California Aeronautical University
California Aeronautical University is a private for-profit institution in Bakersfield, California. as a private for-profit, published Scorecard outcomes are Title-IV-recipient medians — program mix and repayment risk deserve a closer look than a single headline number.
- 34.5%
- 150%-time completion
- $36,126
- Avg net price / yr
- $38,361
- 10-yr median earnings
The verdict
California Aeronautical University posts modest former-student earnings.
According to the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
- 42nd pct.
- former-student earnings, US
- 34.5%
- 150%-time completion
- +3%
- earnings, 6→10 yrs
Suburb: Large
Carnegie: Special Focus (4yr)
Institution data retrieved July 2026; field-of-study data retrieved March 2026.
How to read this California Aeronautical University profile
Figures above come from IPEDS institution records published through the College Scorecard (retrieved July 2026 for institution fields; March 2026 for field-of-study). Peer groups and cost cohorts follow IPEDS ownership sector, Carnegie class ("Special Focus Four-Year: Engineering and Other Technology-Related Schools"), and locale, not an editorial shortlist.
Average net price subtracts grant and scholarship aid from cost of attendance for full-time, first-time undergraduate Title IV recipients. It is a defined cohort average, not a personalized price; income-band fields add context but do not replace the school's current net-price calculator.
Earnings use Treasury-linked records for federally aided former students who were working and not enrolled in the measurement year (completers and noncompleters). IPEDS completion and retention use separate first-time, full-time cohorts, so those denominators are not the earnings cohort. Read cost, completion, and earnings as distinct historical measures, not a causal verdict or individual forecast.
College Value Score
F
College Value Score
19/100
California Aeronautical University
A 6-metric composite of earnings, cost, and completion outcomes benchmarked against every reporting US college, not a ranking of teaching quality, campus life, or fit for any individual student. See the full methodology.
Earnings D
$38,361
10-year median former-student earnings
Net Price F
$36,126
Average annual cost after grants and aid
Completion Rate F
34.5%
Completion within 150% of normal time
Debt F
$30,705
Median federal debt at graduation
Loan Repayment F
38.6%
Borrowers repaying loans within 3 years
Retention F
69.2%
First-year students returning for year two
Each axis is the percentile score shown in the breakdown at left; the shape shows this school's overall profile at a glance.
Avg net price
$36,126
After grants and scholarships
150%-time completion
34.5%
Full-time, first-time cohort
150%-time completion vs portal median (57.1%) 34.5%
Four-year-institution cohort
College ROI Quadrant - California Aeronautical University vs peers
Each dot is a college plotted by 10-year median earnings (x-axis) vs average net price (y-axis), colored by completion within 150% of normal time. Bottom-right = high earnings/lower price; top-left = lower earnings/higher price.
How California Aeronautical University ranks nationally
Where this school's former-student earnings fall within the full national distribution of every US college that reports to the College Scorecard, not just its peer set.
California Aeronautical University: former-student earnings vs. every US college
10-year median earnings, College Scorecard
$38,361 42nd percentile higher than 42% of 5,103 US colleges
Each bar is a $20K-wide band; taller bars hold more US colleges. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard · Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals
| Metric | California Aeronautical University | National rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $38,361 | #2980 of 5103 | 42nd |
| Average net price | $36,126 | #4780 of 5020 | 5th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 34.5% | #3996 of 4858 | 18th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 347 | #3163 of 5462 | 42nd |
National ranks count every operating US college reporting each metric to the College Scorecard, separate from the earnings histogram above.
Quick Facts
347
Undergraduate enrollment
-
Acceptance rate
-
SAT average
34.5%
150%-time completion
$38,361
10-yr median earnings
69.2%
First-year retention
How California Aeronautical University ranks in California
State rank among 493 reporting California colleges with College Scorecard data, a separate lens from the national distribution above.
| Metric | California Aeronautical University | State rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10-yr median earnings | $38,361 | #322 of 493 | 35th |
| Average net price | $36,126 | #446 of 495 | 10th (lower is better) |
| 150%-time completion | 34.5% | #420 of 483 | 13th |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 347 | #309 of 553 | 44th |
Highest former-student earnings in California
| # | School | 10-yr earnings | Net price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Samuel Merritt University | $143,238 | - |
| 2 | Harvey Mudd College | $138,687 | $35,924 |
| 3 | California Institute of Technology | $128,566 | $16,075 |
| 4 | Stanford University | $124,080 | $13,807 |
| 5 | Los Angeles County College of Nursing and Allied Health | $115,318 | - |
| 6 | Gnomon | $114,785 | $51,949 |
| 7 | Santa Clara University | $109,183 | $50,062 |
| 8 | Jesuit School of Theology of Santa Clara University | $109,183 | - |
| 9 | Touro University California | $104,805 | - |
| 10 | Claremont McKenna College | $104,736 | $28,849 |
| 11 | West Coast University-Anaheim-Orange County | $102,672 | $32,879 |
| 12 | West Coast University-Ontario | $102,672 | $49,590 |
| 322 | California Aeronautical UniversityThis school | $38,361 | $36,126 |
Costs & Financial Aid
Net price by family income at California Aeronautical University
Average annual net price after grants; Title IV recipient cohort by income bracket
- $0 – $30k
$0 – $30k
$35,535 net price / yr
- $30k – $48k
$30k – $48k
$28,863 net price / yr
- $48k – $75k
$48k – $75k
$35,669 net price / yr
- $110k+
$110k+
$43,076 net price / yr
What this shows Need-based aid pulls net price down at lower brackets at California Aeronautical University - compare the bar for your income band, not the overall average alone.
Tuition & Net Price
| In-State Tuition | $37,667 |
| Out-of-State Tuition | $37,667 |
| Average Net Price | $36,126 |
46.3%
Pell Grant Rate
60.8%
Federal Loan Rate
$30,705
Median Debt
$326/mo
Monthly Payment
What students pay at California Aeronautical University rose +77.4% since 2013
Average net price for the reported Title IV-recipient cohort went from $21,538 in 2013 to $38,205 in 2023, a rise of $16,667 in nominal dollars. Across the 4,315 colleges measured over the same 2013–2023 span, the median change was +14.6%.
11 reported years. Nominal dollars, not adjusted for inflation.
2013 · $21,5382023 · $38,205
Over the same years, enrollment went +13.0% (339 → 383 students).
Source: U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard, per-year fields (2013–2023). Net price is the average cost after grant and scholarship aid for federally-aided undergraduates.
Student Demographics
Race & ethnicity
Student body at a glance
60.2%
Female
50.0%
First Generation
Outcomes
69.2%
Retention Rate
$37,182
Median Earnings (6yr)
44.8%
Earning Over $25K
38.6%
Loan Repayment, Completers (3yr)
Outcomes & debt snapshot
| Measure | Cohort / horizon | Value |
|---|---|---|
| Completion within 150% of normal time | First-time, full-time | 34.5% |
| First-year retention | First-time, full-time freshmen | 69.2% |
| Median earnings | 6 years after entry | $37,182 |
| Median earnings | 10 years after entry | $38,361 |
| Share earning over $25,000 | Working, not enrolled | 44.8% |
| Loan repayment rate | Completers, 3 years after leaving | 38.6% |
| Median federal student debt | At completion | $30,705 |
| Estimated monthly payment | Standard 10-year plan | $326/mo |
Programs & Earnings
Field-of-study summary by credential
| Credential | Programs | Award count | Avg earnings | Top earnings | Avg debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's | 4 | 33 | $62,905 | $62,905 | $28,931 |
| Associate's | 4 | 0 | $50,856 | $56,657 | - |
| Certificate | 1 | 0 | - | - | - |
| Program | Credential | Completers | Median Earnings | Median Debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's | 0 | $62,905 | - |
| Accounting and Related Services | Associate's | - | $56,657 | - |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | Associate's | - | $45,055 | - |
| Legal Support Services | Associate's | - | - | - |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Bachelor's | - | - | - |
| Heating, Air Conditioning, Ventilation and Refrigeration Maintenance Technology/Technician (HAC, HACR, HVAC, HVACR) | Certificate | - | - | - |
| Air Transportation | Bachelor's | 33 | - | $28,931 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | Bachelor's | - | - | - |
| Allied Health and Medical Assisting Services | Associate's | - | - | - |
Explore Data-Matched Colleges
Scorecard-derived matches among reporting colleges — not school marketing or paid placement lists.
Similar Enrollment and Sector
Other Private For-Profit institutions closest in reported enrollment, preferring the same Carnegie classification.
American National University-Louisville
Louisville, KY
347 students · 0 apart
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346 students · 1 apart
Advance Beauty College
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346 students · 1 apart
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Similar Reported Net Price
Other Private For-Profit institutions with the nearest reported average net price.
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$36,241 net price · $115 apart
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$36,273 net price · $147 apart
Paul Mitchell the School-San Diego
San Diego, CA
$35,975 net price · $151 apart
Lincoln Technical Institute-Allentown
Allentown, PA
$36,348 net price · $222 apart
Similar 2013–2023 Net-Price Trend
Same-sector institutions with the same direction and nearest fitted annual change; only series with R² of at least 0.40 qualify.
Hawaii Medical College
Honolulu, HI
+$2,595/year · $9/year apart
Hatfield's Mississippi College of Beauty Culture
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+$2,661/year · $76/year apart
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+$2,497/year · $89/year apart
Carrington College-Sacramento
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+$2,482/year · $104/year apart
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the admissions statistics for California Aeronautical University? ▼
California Aeronautical University is a private for-profit institution in Bakersfield, California. Undergraduate enrollment is 347 students.
How much do California Aeronautical University former students earn? ▼
Federally aided former students at California Aeronautical University who were working and not enrolled had median earnings of $38,361 ten years after entry; the cohort is not limited to graduates. Six years after entry, the corresponding median is $37,182.
How much does California Aeronautical University cost? ▼
The average net price at California Aeronautical University is $36,126. In-state tuition is $37,667 and out-of-state tuition is $37,667. Median student debt at graduation is $30,705.
What is the graduation rate at California Aeronautical University? ▼
California Aeronautical University has a 34.5% completion rate within 150% of normal time at a four-year institution (typically six years for a bachelor’s program). The first-year retention rate is 69.2%.
Is California Aeronautical University worth the student debt? ▼
The median student debt at California Aeronautical University is $30,705, while former students earn a median of $38,361 ten years after enrollment. That debt represents about 80% of those annual earnings. Among borrowers who completed their program, 38.6% are repaying their loans within 3 years. Estimated monthly loan payment is $326.
Sources & methodology
Private for-profit profiles foreground Scorecard debt, repayment, and program-level earnings where reported. Marketing claims from the school are not inputs to this page.
Every figure is the Mar–Jul 2026 federal retrieval. For-profit program mixes can shift year to year — treat institution medians as a starting map, then check Field-of-Study rows below. Read the full methodology for how the data is sourced, computed, and verified.
- College Scorecard, U.S. Department of Education - former-student earnings, cost & completion (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- IPEDS, National Center for Education Statistics - enrollment, admissions, Carnegie class & demographics (nces.ed.gov/ipeds).
- U.S. Treasury / IRS earnings linkage - median earnings 6 & 10 years after enrollment for federal-aid recipients (irs.gov).
- College Scorecard, Field of Study - program-level (credential) earnings & debt (collegescorecard.ed.gov).
- Federal Student Aid (Title IV / NSLDS) - U.S. Department of Education - net price, student debt & aid-recipient repayment outcomes (studentaid.gov).
Where to go next from California Aeronautical University
- Compare California Aeronautical University against schools with similar outcomes at a lower average net price.Find similar schools that cost less
- Browse every reporting college in California side by side.Browse California
- See how fields of study differ on former-student earnings and debt.Explore programs
For-profit Scorecard figures are Title-IV cohort history — verify current program costs, accreditation, and repayment outcomes with the school and official aid tools.
Every figure on PlainCollege is rendered directly from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard data, no number is typed in by an editor. Private for-profit profiles compile Scorecard debt/earnings and IPEDS operating fields from federal files — no editor-typed figures. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error on this page. Review the public data changelog. Data current as of Mar–Jul 2026 retrievals.