Private for-profit · COLLEGE PAYOFF

California Aeronautical University

Bakersfield, CA · 4 reportable field-and-credential outcomes

10-year estimate · Negative payoff

−$323,834 over 10 years

Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.

With these assumptions, the added earnings do not recover the cost within ten years.

4843.3 yrsModeled economic break-even
−100%Modeled 10-year ROI
$45,067Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedMaximum annual price for positive 10-year payoff
Includes direct price and earnings forgone while studying. Assumes $45,000 in alternative annual earnings and no wage growth. How we calculate it
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK

Estimated payoff over ten years.

The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.

10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$323,834at year 10
Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
−$324,5040
2
4
6
8
−$323,83410
Years after graduationBreak-even: 4843.3 years
FEDERAL COST DATA

Four ways to read college price.

Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.

Published in-state tuition$37,667
Sticker price
Published out-of-state tuition$37,667
Sticker price
Average net price$36,126
Title IV student average
Cost of attendance$46,233
Tuition + living budget
PRICE SOURCECollege reported · annual amount · federal dataset
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE

Institution details

Current federal characteristics describing the college—not the outcomes of a specific program.

Accreditor
Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges
Main award level
Bachelor’s degrees
Campus setting
Suburban
Admissions
Open admission
Delivery
Campus or mixed delivery
Federal designation
No special designation reported
Sources: College Scorecard June 2026 release and IPEDS 2024 institutional characteristics.
OBSERVED FEDERAL MEASURES

Cost, debt, completion and earnings context

$36,126Average net price / year
$46,233Cost of attendance
$30,705Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$326/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$45,067Median earnings · year 5 after completion
30.2%Completion rate
Not availableAdmission rate
347Student size

Institution debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded; missing and privacy-suppressed values remain unavailable.

PRICE BY FAMILY INCOME

Average net price is not one price

Federal averages for aided students in each family-income band. Your aid offer can differ.

$0–30k$35,535
$30–48k$28,863
$48–75k$35,669
$75–110k$39,250
$110k+$43,076
LONGER-TERM CONTEXT

What happens beyond the first earnings measure

Year 5$45,067
Year 6$37,182
Year 10$38,361
Full-time retention
69.2%
Part-time retention
Not available
Completion within 200% of normal time
66.7%

Earnings timepoints may use different historical cohorts and should not be read as one group’s guaranteed salary growth.

NATIONAL CONTEXT

How this college compares

Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.

49thEarnings percentile
12thCompletion percentile
WHAT STANDS OUT

A faster read on this college

These summaries use only reportable field-and-credential records at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.

$56,657Median year-4 earnings across reportable program categories
$30,024Median federal debt across categories that report debt
67%Of earnings-reporting categories above their same-field national benchmark
EARNINGS PATH

Reported earnings over time

$37,652Year 1
$47,702Year 4
$45,067Year 5

Separate federal cohorts may underlie different measurement years.

PROGRAM PAYOFF SPREAD

The college average is not the whole story.

Observed earnings vary substantially by field and credential at the same institution.

1Business Administration, Management and Operations · Bachelor's Degree$62,9052Accounting and Related Services · Associate's Degree$56,6573Health and Medical Administrative Services · Associate's Degree$45,055

Observed year-4 earnings · compare like fields and credentials before deciding

Strongest relative outcomes

Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark

This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential—not simply majors that pay more everywhere.

1Health and Medical Administrative ServicesAssociate's Degree · $45,055 reported+22%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt2Accounting and Related ServicesAssociate's Degree · $56,657 reported+19%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt3Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's Degree · $62,905 reported-8%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt
BUILD A REAL SHORTLIST

Comparable colleges in CA

Currently operating private for-profit institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive—not a quality ranking.

Sacramento, CA

Asher College

Annual net price
$35,499
Observed earnings · year 5
$42,660
Modeled 10-year ROI
-107%
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San Jose, CA

Carrington College-San Jose

Annual net price
$36,466
Observed earnings · year 5
$42,345
Modeled 10-year ROI
-108%
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Temecula, CA

Professional Golfers Career College

Annual net price
$37,351
Observed earnings · year 5
$43,020
Modeled 10-year ROI
-106%
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Stockton, CA

Carrington College-Stockton

Annual net price
$37,481
Observed earnings · year 5
$42,345
Modeled 10-year ROI
-108%
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ALL REPORTABLE PROGRAM CATEGORIES

Explore exact field-and-credential outcomes

Federal fieldCredentialEarnings, year 4Federal debt2023–24 awards
Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's Degree$62,905Not availableNot reported
Accounting and Related ServicesAssociate's Degree$56,657Not availableNot reported
Health and Medical Administrative ServicesAssociate's Degree$45,055Not availableNot reported
Air TransportationBachelor's DegreeNot available$30,024Not reported

Awards use first-major IPEDS completions aggregated to the same four-digit field and credential.

Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.