Public · Community college

Taft College

Taft, California · Distant town

7%
Transfer rate: $2,823
Avg net price: 28%
Grad / completion: $38,861
Median earnings

Taft College is a public associate-granting institution in Taft, California (distant town setting), enrolling 3,556 undergraduates. It is a Hispanic-Serving Institution (HSI). Admission is open to all applicants.

PublicMidsize · 3,556 undergradsDistant townCCCAA

About Taft, California

Taft is a city in the foothills at the extreme southwestern edge of the San Joaquin Valley, in Kern County, California. According to a display at the West Kern Oil Museum, local residents asked the Southern Pacific Railroad if the station could be named Moro when the rails arrived in about 1900, but a railroad official declined because the name would be too easily confused with the coastal town of Morro Bay. Every five years during October, Taft holds a birthday celebration. This event began as a parade and civic luncheon, commemorating Taft's 20th birthday in November 1930. These celebrations were held every five years until World War II, during which time none were held. (Wikipedia)

Setting: Distant town
Highest degree offered: Associate
Nearest big city: 29 miles to Bakersfield, CA
To the ocean: 51 miles
Nearest airport: 30 miles to Meadows Field (BFL)

How Taft College compares

#4 · Cheapest Community Colleges

Graduation rate28%

Higher than 10% · #364 of 382 in California

Earnings, 10 years after entry$38,861

Higher than 65% · #160 of 326 in California

Average net price$2,823

Cheaper than 97% · #18 cheapest of 377 in California

Student–faculty ratio28 : 1

Lower than 7%

Undergraduate enrollment3,556

Larger than 88%

Percentiles compare Taft College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in California.

Student body

Undergraduates by gender

Women2,37867%
Men1,17833%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

White17%
Black3.8%
Hispanic68%
Asian1.7%
Other or multiracial9.5%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment: 3,556
Student–faculty ratio: 28 : 1
Pell Grant recipients: 24%
First-generation students: 63%
Students over 25: 46%
Median family income: $21,203
Avg faculty salary (academic year): $118,485
Endowment: $2,265,565

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Where students come from

Home state of the 953 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

From California97%
Other U.S. states2.6%

Most first-years stay in state — Taft College draws overwhelmingly from California.

Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.

Cost

In-state tuition: $1,108
Out-of-state tuition: $10,852
Room & board: $8,095
Books & supplies: $1,062
Total cost of attendance: $14,074
Average net price: $2,823

Outcomes

Graduated: 28%
First-year retention: —
Transferred to another college: 7%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry: $33,687
Median earnings, 10 years after entry: $38,861
Median debt at graduation: —
Students with federal loans: 0%

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing: Yes
Dorm capacity: 118
Dorm capacity vs undergrads: 3%
Application fee: Free
Athletics: CCCAA
Varsity athletes: 137 (70 men · 67 women)

Varsity sports (6)

Soccer55

Baseball29

Softball15

Volleyball14

Basketball12

Golf12

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade: B
Reported offenses per 1,000 students: 0.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024): 2
Property offenses (2022–2024): 9

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

3.7reported offenses a year

0.7 violent a year3.0 property a year

By offense type, per year

Arson

2.3

Fondling

0.3

Aggravated assault

0.3

Burglary

0.3

Motor vehicle theft

0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k

$1,934

$30–48k

$2,536

$48–75k

$3,985

$75–110k

$7,756

$110k+

—

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

39%

of first-years get a grant from the school

$1,763

average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 39% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $1,763. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 231 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years): $38,861
Typical debt at graduation: —
Debt vs. one year's pay: —
Out-earn a HS grad: 41%

Weigh it value

The payoff is less clear-cut here — weigh the debt against the earnings and your intended field before borrowing heavily.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women

$34,148

Men

$46,791

Men out-earn women by $12,643 (37%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high: 99°F
Winter low: 40°F
Annual rain: 6″
Annual snow: 0.2″

Average temperature

HighLow

Average precipitation (inches)

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Taft, CA US station (1.7 mi from campus).

What Taft College graduates study — and earn

Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesCert.

121 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

121———Biological and Physical SciencesAssoc.

86 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

86———Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and HumanitiesAssoc.

78 grads— 1 yr$38k 5 yr— debt

78—$38,314—Health Services/Allied Health/Health Sciences, GeneralAssoc.

64 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

64———Biology, GeneralAssoc.

47 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

47———Criminal Justice and CorrectionsAssoc.

41 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

41———Psychology, GeneralAssoc.

33 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

33———Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesAssoc.

32 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

32———Business Administration, Management and OperationsAssoc.

32 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

32———Human Development, Family Studies, and Related ServicesCert.

28 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

28———SociologyAssoc.

17 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

17———Dental Support Services and Allied ProfessionsAssoc.

16 grads— 1 yr— 5 yr— debt

16———

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Taft College

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Taft College side by side →

Yuba College

Public

Marysville, California · Midsize suburb · 38 mi to Sacramento

Students: 4,779
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 9%
Earnings: $40k

Shasta College

Public

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Students: 6,128
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 15%
Earnings: $39k

Victor Valley College

Public

Victorville, California · Large suburb · 35 mi to Riverside

Students: 4,210
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 10%
Earnings: $36k

Citrus College

Public

Glendora, California · Large suburb · 21 mi to Los Angeles

Students: 8,286
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 9%
Earnings: $42k

Hartnell College

Public

Salinas, California · Midsize city · 47 mi to San Jose

Students: 9,453
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 6%
Earnings: $44k

Antelope Valley Community College District

Public

Lancaster, California · Large suburb · 43 mi to Los Angeles

Students: 11,534
Tuition: $1k
Transfer: 6%
Earnings: $37k

Colleges near Taft College

California State University-Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA · Public · Bachelor's · 8,577 students

24 mi

San Joaquin Valley College-Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 798 students

26 mi

Glendale Career College-North-West College-Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA · Private for-profit · Associate · 493 students

27 mi

UEI College-Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 1,415 students

28 mi

Milan Institute-Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 582 students

30 mi

Lyle's College of Beauty

Bakersfield, CA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 70 students

30 mi

California Aeronautical University

Bakersfield, CA · Private for-profit · Bachelor's · 347 students

30 mi

Bakersfield College

Bakersfield, CA · Public · Associate · 17,280 students

33 mi

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.