Private nonprofit · University
Bentley University
Waltham, Massachusetts · Small city
- 45.1%
- Admit rate
- $37,930
- Avg net price
- 87%
- Graduation rate
- $120,959
- Median earnings
Bentley University is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Waltham, Massachusetts (small city setting), enrolling 4,474 undergraduates.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Bentley University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 45.1%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1280–1430
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.78
Enter a test score to see where you land against Bentley University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Bentley University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Waltham, Massachusetts
Waltham is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, and was an early center for the labor movement as well as a major contributor to the American Industrial Revolution. At the time of European arrival, Waltham was in a border zone between the territories of the Pawtucket confederation and the Massachusett, with nearby native settlements at Nonantum and Pequosset (Watertown). Waltham's combination of population (especially in central and south Waltham) parks, public transit, stores, and trails gives it 62 (out of 100) walkability ranking on walkscore.com. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 9 miles to Boston, MA
- To the ocean
- 9 miles
- Nearest airport
- 7 miles to Laurence G Hanscom Field (BED)
How Bentley University compares
More selective than 86% · #19 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts
Higher than 85%
Higher than 94% · #15 of 66 in Massachusetts
Higher than 90%
Higher than 99% · #5 of 67 in Massachusetts
Cheaper than 6% · #54 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts
Lower than 30%
Lower than 59%
Larger than 76%
Percentiles compare Bentley University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Massachusetts.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate4,47485%
- Graduate80715%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women1,78740%
- Men2,68760%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White53%
- Black4.5%
- Hispanic14%
- Asian10.0%
- Other or multiracial19%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 4,474
- Graduate enrollment
- 807
- Student–faculty ratio
- 12 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 16%
- First-generation students
- 16%
- Students over 25
- 0%
- Median family income
- $106,566
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $142,623
- Endowment
- $362,644,000
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 1,120 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Massachusetts39%
- Other U.S. states45%
- International16%
A national draw — only 38% of first-years come from Massachusetts; 45% arrive from other states.
16% came from outside the U.S. Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 45.1%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1280–1430
- SAT average
- 1352
- SAT reading
- 630–700
- SAT math
- 650–730
- ACT composite
- 28–31
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.78
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $61,000
- Room & board
- $20,140
- Books & supplies
- $1,200
- Total cost of attendance
- $79,548
- Average net price
- $37,930
Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.
Outcomes
- Graduated (within 6 years)
- 87%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 81%
- First-year retention
- 93%
- Transferred to another college
- 10%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $86,679
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $120,959
- Median debt at graduation
- $25,023
- Students with federal loans
- 43%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 89%
Graduating on time
By student background (4 years)
When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.
Campus life & athletics
- On-campus housing
- Yes
- Dorm capacity
- 3,350
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 75%
- Housing charge (year)
- $11,650
- Meal plan (year)
- $7,550
- Application fee
- $75
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II with football
- Football conference
- Northeast 10 Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 683 (431 men · 252 women)
Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.
Varsity sports (13)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- B
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 1.9 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 27
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 4
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (5,333 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.
Reported offenses in an average year
The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.
By offense type, per year
Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.
What you'll actually pay, by family income
Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.
College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.
Four-year (or more) true cost
Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.
$26,164/year × about 4.1 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.
Does the school pay you to attend?
Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.
Bentley University discounts heavily: 85% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $31,341. For many families the real price lands well below sticker.
Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 1,141 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.
Is it worth it?
A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.
- Median earnings (10 years)
- $120,959
- Typical debt at graduation
- $25,023
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 21%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 91%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.1 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
Graduates here tend to earn well relative to what they borrow — typical debt pays back fast, and most out-earn a high-school graduate.
Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.
The pay gap here
Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.
Men out-earn women by $10,393 (9%) a decade out.
Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.
Campus climate
- Summer high
- 85°F
- Winter low
- 18°F
- Annual rain
- 42.6″
- Annual snow
- 59″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Bedford Hanscom Fld, MA US station (6.7 mi from campus).
What Bentley University graduates study — and earn
Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.
Colleges similar to Bentley University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Bentley University side by side →
Santa Clara University
Santa Clara, California · Midsize city · 3 mi to San Jose
- Students
- 6,552
- Admission
- 48%
- Net price
- $50k
- SAT
- 1426
- GPA
- 3.7
- Earnings
- $109k
Stevens Institute of Technology
Hoboken, New Jersey · Large suburb · 2 mi to New York
- Students
- 4,222
- Admission
- 48%
- Net price
- $41k
- SAT
- 1446
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $109k
Providence College
Providence, Rhode Island · Midsize city · 2 mi to Providence
- Students
- 4,229
- Admission
- 51%
- Net price
- $49k
- SAT
- 1346
- GPA
- 3.8
- Earnings
- $87k
Lehigh University
Bethlehem, Pennsylvania · Small city · 6 mi to Allentown
- Students
- 5,898
- Admission
- 26%
- Net price
- $37k
- SAT
- 1440
- GPA
- 4.0
- Earnings
- $106k
Union College
Schenectady, New York · Small city · 14 mi to Albany
- Students
- 2,046
- Admission
- 44%
- Net price
- $35k
- SAT
- 1395
- GPA
- 3.9
- Earnings
- $89k
Bucknell University
Lewisburg, Pennsylvania · Distant town · 47 mi to Harrisburg
- Students
- 3,876
- Admission
- 29%
- Net price
- $41k
- SAT
- 1410
- GPA
- 3.6
- Earnings
- $94k
Colleges near Bentley University
Brandeis University
Waltham, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,618 students
Lasell University
Newton, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,226 students
Hebrew College
Newton, MA · Private nonprofit · Graduate · 0 students
Saint John's Seminary
Brighton, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 7 students
Boston College
Chestnut Hill, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 10,085 students
Regis College
Weston, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 956 students
Longy School of Music of Bard College
Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 10 students
Harvard University
Cambridge, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 7,601 students
Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.













