-94%
100%-time completion
100%-time completion at California Aeronautical University fell 93% between 2022 and 2024 (66.7% → 4.3%).
California · Private for-profit · Predominantly bachelor's
California Aeronautical University
Bakersfield, California. 383 undergraduate students. 20 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
What the data flags at California Aeronautical University
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
+54%
Median federal debt at exit
Median federal debt at exit at California Aeronautical University rose 54% between 2006 and 2009 ($4.6k → $7.1k).
-31%
150%-time completion
150%-time completion at California Aeronautical University fell 31% between 2021 and 2024 (43.8% → 30.2%).
+24%
Out-of-state tuition
Out-of-state tuition at California Aeronautical University rose 24% between 2021 and 2024 ($30.3k → $37.7k).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
The numbers, vs. California
Each tile compares this institution to the California median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$38,361+3% · 6→10y
California median $42,588$37,182
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry41.9%-57% · '99→'24
California median 61.3%$13,354+68% · '98→'09
At program completion383
latest IPEDS62.1%-31% · '04→'09
first-time, full-time—-44% · '02→'09
latest cohort$35,465
out-of-state $35,465SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
4.6%Median federal debt $13,354 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $38,361 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Ten-plus year arc
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
-57%
California Aeronautical University · completion · 150% fell
70.3% → 30.2%
-82%
California Aeronautical University · completion · 100% fell
23.6% → 4.3%
-31%
California Aeronautical University · retention fell
79.0% → 54.6%
+221%
California Aeronautical University · undergrad enrollment rose
0 → 442
+210%
California Aeronautical University · out-of-state tuition rose
$12,160 → $37,667
+68%
California Aeronautical University · median debt rose
$4,236 → $7,125
-100%
California Aeronautical University · cohort default rate fell
22.6% → 0.0%
+39%
California Aeronautical University · earnings_median_8yr rose
$28,600 → $39,771
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
6 programs with earnings, grouped
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
HOMELAND SECURITY & PROTECTIVE SERVICES · CIP 43
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Same sector and degree mix in California
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“California Aeronautical University graduates earn $X” — not “California Aeronautical University makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending California Aeronautical University caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.