2 accredited schools across the Bakersfield metro area trained 127 dental assistants in 2023–24. Here’s how they compare on cost, length and size, plus what the job pays locally.
Updated October 2026 · Data: IPEDS 2023–24, BLS May 2025
Sorted by number of 2023–24 graduates (IPEDS), a proxy for program size and stability.
Private for-profit career school in Bakersfield that reported 97 Dental Assistant graduates in 2023–24. Published tuition and fees plus books and supplies come to $19,900 for a program of about 9 months.
Private for-profit two-year college in Bakersfield that reported 30 Dental Assistant graduates in 2023–24.
2 accredited schools in the Bakersfield-Delano, CA metro area graduated 127 Dental Assistant students in 2023–24. The largest was UEI College-Bakersfield with 97.
Among schools that published a program price, UEI College-Bakersfield in Bakersfield listed the lowest total: $19,900 for tuition, books and supplies.
Dental Assistants in the Bakersfield-Delano, CA metro earn a median $48,100 a year ($23.12/hour), per BLS May 2025 data. That compares with $50,110 statewide and $48,070 nationally.
CODA-accredited certificate programs commonly take about 9 to 11 months; associate degrees take about 2 years.