Best Entrepreneurship Schools Near Bakersfield, CA (2026)

Updated August 25, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Bakersfield, California has 5 accredited schools offering entrepreneurship programs, with tuition ranging from $1,438 to $20,730 per year for indexed programs. Bakersfield has a population of about 408,366. Median household income is $77,397 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 23.3% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Bakersfield-Delano, CA metro area, the top-earning entrepreneurship-related role is Marketing Manager at a median $149,960 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Entrepreneurship Schools to Bakersfield

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer entrepreneurship programs near Bakersfield, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Bakersfield city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

  • Graduation rate 30%
  • Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
  • Average net price (lower is better) 20%
  • Retention rate 15%
  • Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Bakersfield. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.

Sort:
#1

Antelope Valley Community College District

Lancaster, CA 67.1 miles from Bakersfield
  • 4 year
40.9 BOC Score
Graduation rate 29%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $36,526
Avg net price $3,860/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 49

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

The Master's University and Seminary

Santa Clarita, CA 73.2 miles from Bakersfield
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
57.8 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $57,106
Avg net price $32,647/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 85%
  • Programs offered: 3

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#3

California Lutheran University

Thousand Oaks, CA 78.4 miles from Bakersfield
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
68.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $68,712
Avg net price $30,109/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 80%
  • Programs offered: 8

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Los Angeles Valley College

Valley Glen, CA 88.4 miles from Bakersfield
  • 4 year
42.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 22%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,678
Avg net price $12,152/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 29

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#5

Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA 93.2 miles from Bakersfield
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
63.1 BOC Score
Graduation rate 62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $72,379
Avg net price $21,413/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 72%
  • Programs offered: 8

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Santa Monica College

Santa Monica, CA 97.7 miles from Bakersfield
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
63.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 28%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $42,193
Avg net price $2,779/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 36

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#7

West Los Angeles College

Culver City, CA 100.2 miles from Bakersfield
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
59.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 18%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,537
Avg net price $9,634/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 100%
  • Programs offered: 38

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA 101.1 miles from Bakersfield
  • 4 year
  • Campus + Online
80.2 BOC Score
Graduation rate 93%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $92,498
Avg net price $32,740/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 96%
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California entrepreneurship page.

Entrepreneurship Wages Near Bakersfield

Bakersfield is part of the Bakersfield-Delano, CA metro area (BLS area code 12540). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.

OccupationMedian WageSourceCOL-Adjusted (US=100)
General and Operations Manager$104,460Bakersfield-Delano, CA$103,528
Management Analyst$96,580Bakersfield-Delano, CA$95,719
Marketing Manager$149,960Bakersfield-Delano, CA$148,622
Market Research Analyst$69,910Bakersfield-Delano, CA$69,286

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Bakersfield at a Glance

MetricValueSource
Population408,366Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income$77,397Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+23.3%Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)100.9 (above U.S. average)BEA RPP 2024

Other Bakersfield-Area Cities With Entrepreneurship Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited entrepreneurship schools are near Bakersfield, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering entrepreneurship programs near Bakersfield. The closest is Porterville College in Porterville, CA (48.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Santa Barbara City College (75.7 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying entrepreneurship roles near Bakersfield?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying entrepreneurship-related roles near Bakersfield are: Marketing Manager ($149,960), General and Operations Manager ($104,460), Management Analyst ($96,580). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Shafter instead of Bakersfield?

Shafter, CA is 12.6 miles from Bakersfield and has its own set of local entrepreneurship programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Bakersfield an affordable place to study entrepreneurship?

Bakersfield’s median household income of $77,397 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Bakersfield while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Entrepreneurship Programs

Other Programs Available in Bakersfield

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Bakersfield:

Data verified: August 25, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

Back to Best Entrepreneurship Schools in California (2026)