Bakersfield and Kern County program guide
Compare six vocational nursing programs located in Bakersfield and one regional Kern County option. See how public, adult-school and private-college routes differ in schedule, cost, prerequisites, CNA requirements and type of award.
Published Bakersfield-area program costs range from less than $10,000 at public schools to more than $45,000 at one private college.
This is the page's complete local program comparison. Each card keeps the essential facts visible and places admissions details inside the expandable panel. Cerro Coso is labeled separately because it serves the wider Kern County region rather than operating as a Bakersfield-city campus. For an explanation of California training and licensure requirements, see the main guide to LVN programs.
Applicants need anatomy and physiology, psychology, math and English coursework, an active California Nurse Assistant certificate and proof of high-school completion or an accepted equivalent. Qualified applicants enter through the program's waitlist process.
This is the local community-college route: lower published cost, substantial preparation before entry and fewer scheduling choices than the private programs. The program has been revising its curriculum, so applicants should verify the next confirmed application and cohort dates.
Applicants must be at least 18, hold an active CNA license and complete medical math, medical terminology, psychology and anatomy and physiology. CPR, background and clinical-health requirements also apply.
This is a 12-month public adult-school route rather than a college certificate. It combines a published program fee with prerequisites and CNA experience, but it does not offer the day-versus-evening choice published by some private colleges.
HDMC publishes day and evening scheduling and a 1,530-hour curriculum consisting of 850 classroom hours and 680 externship hours. Applicants should request the current admissions checklist directly from the Bakersfield campus.
The program page does not display a complete current price. Request a written total and confirm whether the published evening format applies to theory classes, clinical rotations or both.
Applicants provide proof of high-school completion, complete Unitek's prerequisite course and meet background and clinical-placement requirements. The school publishes both a full-time day route and a part-time evening route.
Unitek publishes the clearest day-versus-evening choice in Bakersfield and reported the largest 2025 first-time tester group among the programs on this page. A complete Bakersfield tuition and fee total is not displayed on the public program page.
Carrington lists no prerequisite college courses, but applicants take the ATI TEAS assessment and need a current American Heart Association BLS card. General-education coursework is incorporated into the associate-degree curriculum.
This is an associate degree in Vocational Nursing. It prepares graduates for LVN licensure and the NCLEX-PN; it is not an Associate Degree in Nursing and does not lead directly to RN licensure.
The state approved a 60-week, 1,652-hour curriculum and a full-time Bakersfield cohort. Because this is a newer local option, its public outcome history is much shorter than those of the established programs.
Current tuition was not located in the publicly accessible program materials. Ask for the complete cost, the current cohort schedule and the clinical-placement area before comparing it with established Bakersfield programs.
The 43-unit certificate requires medical terminology, psychology, electronic health records and anatomy and physiology. The published California-resident estimate includes tuition, books and supplies.
School materials reference Lake Isabella while campus listings associate vocational nursing with Ridgecrest/IWV. Confirm the actual locations for lectures, laboratories and clinical instruction before treating this as a Kern River Valley option.
About the outcome figures: Each card shows one latest reported first-time result for context, not as a school ranking. Percentages should be read with the number tested. Detailed year-by-year histories belong on the individual school pages. The common source is the California BVNPT pass-rate report.
*Bakersfield College displays a total estimate of $8,158.37, although its published semester figures add to a different amount. School estimates do not necessarily include the same combination of tuition, fees, books, supplies and licensing expenses.
These are the local differences most likely to change a shortlist. Open the relevant program card above for the complete admissions picture.
Bakersfield College and Bakersfield Adult School both require active CNA status. You would still need their specified academic prerequisites, but the required nursing-assistant step would already be complete.
Unitek publishes a part-time evening route lasting as few as 20 months. HDMC also advertises evening scheduling and an 84-week part-time curriculum. Clinical hours still need to be confirmed separately.
Bakersfield College and Bakersfield Adult School are the two public choices in the city. Cerro Coso is a lower-cost regional public option, but its actual instructional locations require verification.
The public programs require both prerequisite coursework and CNA status. Carrington lists no prerequisite college courses but requires TEAS and BLS; Unitek uses its own prerequisite course.
Carrington is the only option here awarding an associate degree in Vocational Nursing. That award remains an LVN pathway and should not be confused with an RN associate degree.
Cerro Coso may be relevant to students in eastern or mountain-area Kern County. Confirm where each part of the program occurs and calculate the clinical commute before relying on the regional label.
The school category affects more than tuition. It changes how much preparation is required before entry, how the calendar is structured and how much information is published before an applicant contacts admissions.
Bakersfield College combines a lower published estimate with college prerequisites, active CNA certification and a waitlist. It fits students willing to complete more preparation before the nursing sequence begins.
Examine the BC routeBakersfield Adult School offers a concentrated 12-month public program. It also requires prerequisite subjects and active CNA status, but it is organized through adult education rather than a college certificate sequence.
Examine the BAS routeHDMC, Unitek, Carrington and North-West use their own admissions processes. Some offer evening formats or incorporate prerequisites, but several do not display a complete current price publicly.
Compare the four private optionsCNA certification can be an entrance requirement for local public LVN programs, while an LVN license can later support advanced placement into registered nursing. Each transition has its own application and academic requirements.
Bakersfield College offers the MEDS B69 Nurse Assistant Training Program. Completion prepares eligible students for the California Nurse Assistant competency examination; certification is not awarded merely for completing the class.
BC Nurse Assistant Training ProgramActive CNA certification is required by Bakersfield College and Bakersfield Adult School, but not every private program uses the same entrance route. LVN graduates apply for vocational nursing licensure and take the NCLEX-PN.
How LVN education and licensure workBakersfield College's separately named LVN-to-RN program is on hold for new applicants. Eligible LVNs are directed to the RN Advanced Placement/Transfer option, which requires a current California LVN license, IV certification, work-experience documentation and RN-program eligibility.
BC RN Advanced Placement/TransferThese are specific gaps in the currently published Bakersfield-area information—not a generic enrollment checklist.
Bakersfield College has been revising its VN curriculum. Confirm the next approved start, the application period and what existing waitlisted applicants must resubmit.
The public program page describes day and evening formats but does not display a complete current price. Confirm whether clinical assignments follow the same schedule as classroom instruction.
The Bakersfield program page describes its day and evening formats without displaying a complete campus-specific total. Request tuition, mandatory fees, books, supplies and testing costs in one written figure.
North-West is a newer Bakersfield option with a very small first reported tester group. Confirm the current cost, schedule, cohort size and the most recent completion information.
Cerro Coso's regional materials require clarification. Confirm the locations of theory, laboratory and clinical instruction rather than assuming every component is available in Kern River Valley.
Six programs in this comparison have Bakersfield locations: Bakersfield College, Bakersfield Adult School, High Desert Medical College, Unitek College, Carrington College and North-West College. Cerro Coso is included as a regional Kern County option, not as a seventh city campus.
Bakersfield College and Bakersfield Adult School publish an active CNA certificate as an entrance requirement. Their academic prerequisites must also be completed; CNA status alone does not make an applicant eligible.
Yes. Bakersfield College offers the MEDS B69 Nurse Assistant Training Program. Students who complete the program still must pass the California competency examination to become certified.
Unitek publishes a part-time evening pathway lasting as few as 20 months. HDMC also publishes evening scheduling with an 84-week part-time curriculum. Applicants should verify clinical days and times separately.
Bakersfield College is a public community college and Bakersfield Adult School is a public adult-education provider. Cerro Coso Community College is public but is treated here as a regional Kern County option.
No. Carrington awards an associate degree in Vocational Nursing. Graduates prepare for LVN licensure and the NCLEX-PN. Becoming an RN requires a separate RN education or LVN-to-RN/advanced-placement route.
Potentially. BC says its separately named LVN-to-RN program is on hold for new applicants and directs eligible LVNs to the RN Advanced Placement/Transfer option. Applicants must meet the RN program's eligibility and documentation requirements.
The public materials are not clear enough to assume that all nursing instruction is based in Kern River Valley. Students should confirm the locations of lectures, skills laboratories and clinical rotations directly with the college.
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