ProgramsPrivate school · Bakersfield, California
High Desert Medical College, Bakersfield
Five years of first-time exam results
| Year | Candidates | First-time pass rate |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 13 | 77% |
| 2022 | 38 | 63% |
| 2023 | 25 | 68% |
| 2024 | 35 | 74% |
| 2025 | 26 | 54% |
| All five | 137 | 66.4% |
In 2025 this program put 26 candidates through the NCLEX-PN for the first time and 54% passed, against 82.8% across California’s private schools that year.
Getting in
The school told the board: “0” It approves 60 places a year across 3 intakes of 20 students.
What the licence pays here
In Bakersfield-Delano, CA, vocational nurses earn a median of $76,130. The bottom tenth earn $62,070 and the top tenth $91,460. 1,480 work in the area.
High Desert Medical College, Bakersfield: common questions
- What is the NCLEX-PN pass rate at High Desert Medical College, Bakersfield?
- High Desert Medical College, Bakersfield had a first-time NCLEX-PN pass rate of 54.0% in 2025, from 26 candidates tested. Cohort size matters: a high rate from a handful of candidates is not evidence of quality. Over five years the program tested 137 candidates at 66.4%. Source: BVNPT vocational nursing program pass rates.
- How much does High Desert Medical College, Bakersfield cost?
- Board-reported tuition at High Desert Medical College, Bakersfield is approximately $32,175. That figure comes from BVNPT tuition costs for approved schools and does not include books, uniform, the NCLEX-PN exam fee or licensing costs, which add materially to the total.
- Is High Desert Medical College, Bakersfield an approved vocational nursing program?
- Yes. High Desert Medical College, Bakersfield appears on the California Board of Vocational Nursing and Psychiatric Technicians list of approved programs. Approval means graduates are eligible to sit the NCLEX-PN; it is not a ranking or an endorsement of quality.
- Is an LVN the same as an LPN?
- Yes. California and Texas call the licence Licensed Vocational Nurse; the other 48 states call it Licensed Practical Nurse. Both sit the same national exam, the NCLEX-PN. There is no separate LVN exam and the qualification is the same.