Best Online Psychology Programs in Shafter, CA (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Shafter, California has 5 accredited schools offering psychology 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 psychology-related role is School Psychologist at a median $126,430 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Psychology Schools to Shafter

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer psychology programs near Shafter. Distances are calculated from Shafter city center.

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.

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

Psychology 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)
Clinical and Counseling Psychologist	$116,550	Bakersfield-Delano, CA	$115,510
Industrial-Organizational Psychologist	N/A	CA statewide	–
School Psychologist	$126,430	Bakersfield-Delano, CA	$125,302
Educational and Career Counselor	$97,700	Bakersfield-Delano, CA	$96,829
Marriage and Family Therapist	$71,010	Bakersfield-Delano, CA	$70,377
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Counselor	$59,620	Bakersfield-Delano, CA	$59,088
Healthcare Social Worker	$77,450	Bakersfield-Delano, CA	$76,759
Mental Health and Substance Abuse Social Worker	$77,500	Bakersfield-Delano, CA	$76,809

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
Psychology-related employment in Kern County	20,015 workers, 12,145 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Shafter-Area Cities With Psychology Programs

Wasco, CA – 12.4 mi away (26,337 pop)
Bakersfield, CA – 12.6 mi away (567,585 pop)
Delano, CA – 20.3 mi away (54,030 pop)
Arvin, CA – 28.6 mi away (21,380 pop)
Porterville, CA – 41.5 mi away (76,512 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited psychology schools are near Shafter, CA?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering psychology programs near Shafter. The closest is California State University-Bakersfield in Bakersfield, CA (10.1 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Lemoore College (66.3 miles). 2 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying psychology roles near Shafter?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying psychology-related roles near Shafter are: School Psychologist ($126,430), Clinical and Counseling Psychologist ($116,550), Educational and Career Counselor ($97,700). 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 psychology 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 psychology?

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 Psychology Programs

Other Programs Available in Shafter

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

Data verified: June 11, 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 Online Psychology Programs in California (2026)

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