Best General Studies Schools Near Shafter, CA (2026)

Updated September 5, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Shafter, California has 5 accredited schools offering general studies programs, with tuition ranging from $1,438 to $20,730 per year for indexed programs. Shafter has a population of about 20,618. Median household income is $67,989 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 10.7% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Bakersfield-Delano, CA metro area, the top-earning general studies-related role is General and Operations Managers at a median $104,460 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest General Studies Schools to Shafter

The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer general studies programs near Shafter, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Shafter 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 Shafter. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

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

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#1

California State University-Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA 10.3 miles from Shafter
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
74.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 64%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $59,009
Avg net price $5,652/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 79%
  • Programs offered: 45

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#2

Bakersfield College

Bakersfield, CA 13.6 miles from Shafter
  • 4 year
24.0 BOC Score
Graduation rate 26%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $37,291
Avg net price $14,621/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 82

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#3

Taft College

Taft, CA 27.0 miles from Shafter
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
46.3 BOC Score
Graduation rate 11%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $38,861
Avg net price $2,823/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 31

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#4

Thomas Aquinas College

Santa Paula, CA 72.8 miles from Shafter
  • 4 year
60.6 BOC Score
Graduation rate 86%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $55,619
Avg net price $26,196/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 92%
  • Programs offered: 1

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#5

Westmont College

Santa Barbara, CA 75.7 miles from Shafter
  • 4 year
  • Offers a fully online program
68.4 BOC Score
Graduation rate 72%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $64,778
Avg net price $29,053/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 86%
  • Programs offered: 27

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#6

Antioch University-Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, CA 78.4 miles from Shafter
  • 4 year
58.7 BOC Score
Graduation rate 85%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $51,541
TuitionContact school for pricing
Contact
Key stats
  • Programs offered: 6

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

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#7

Antelope Valley Community College District

Lancaster, CA 79.7 miles from Shafter
  • 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: 71

Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard

#8

University of California-Santa Barbara

Santa Barbara, CA 82.0 miles from Shafter
  • 4 year
  • Accredited
77.3 BOC Score
Acceptance rate 33%
Graduation rate 84%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry $74,915
Avg net price $16,109/yr
Tuition
In‑state$16,414
Out‑of‑state$50,614
Contact
Key stats
  • Retention rate: 92%
  • Programs offered: 81

Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard

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

General Studies Wages Near Shafter

Shafter 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.

Occupation Median Wage Source COL-Adjusted (US=100)
General and Operations Managers $104,460 Bakersfield-Delano, CA $103,528
Management Analysts $96,580 Bakersfield-Delano, CA $95,719
Human Resources Specialists $76,700 Bakersfield-Delano, CA $76,016
Market Research Analysts and Marketing Specialists $69,910 Bakersfield-Delano, CA $69,286
Writers and Authors $73,600 Bakersfield-Delano, CA $72,944
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education $99,150 Bakersfield-Delano, CA $98,266
First-Line Supervisors of Office and Administrative Support Workers $71,830 Bakersfield-Delano, CA $71,189
Social and Community Service Managers $75,600 Bakersfield-Delano, CA $74,926

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.

Shafter at a Glance

Metric Value Source
Population 20,618 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income $67,989 Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ 10.7% Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100) 100.9 (above U.S. average) BEA RPP 2024

Other Shafter-Area Cities With General Studies Programs

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited general studies schools are near Shafter, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering general studies programs near Shafter. The closest is California State University-Bakersfield in Bakersfield, CA (10.3 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is College of the Sequoias (58.8 miles). 3 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying general studies roles near Shafter?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying general studies-related roles near Shafter are: General and Operations Managers ($104,460), Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education ($99,150), Management Analysts ($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 Wasco instead of Shafter?

Wasco, CA is 12.4 miles from Shafter and has its own set of local general studies programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Shafter an affordable place to study general studies?

Shafter’s median household income of $67,989 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Shafter 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 General Studies Programs

Other Programs Available in Shafter

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

Data verified: September 5, 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 General Studies Schools in California (2026)