Private nonprofit · College
Bridgewater College
Bridgewater, Virginia · Small suburb
- 91.7%
- Admit rate
- $17,800
- Avg net price
- 53%
- Graduation rate
- $53,453
- Median earnings
Bridgewater College is a private nonprofit bachelor's-granting institution in Bridgewater, Virginia (small suburb setting), enrolling 1,400 undergraduates. It has a Church of Brethren religious affiliation.
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Bridgewater College's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 91.7%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 1020–1360
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 3.36
Enter a test score to see where you land against Bridgewater College's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Bridgewater College's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Bridgewater, Virginia
Bridgewater is an incorporated town in Rockingham County, Virginia, United States. William Magill first settled along the North River in 1746, and the area became known as Magill's Ford. The Town of Bridgewater is home to 13 parks, totaling almost 100 acres. The parks provide everything from picnic shelters, BBQ grills, riverwalks and fishing, bird watching, a fitness trail, playgrounds, tennis courts, and athletic fields. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Small suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 93 miles to Roanoke, VA
- To the ocean
- 87 miles
- Nearest airport
- 9 miles to Shenandoah Valley (SHD)
How Bridgewater College compares
More selective than 20% · #34 most selective of 43 in Virginia
Higher than 52%
Higher than 46% · #28 of 49 in Virginia
Higher than 46%
Higher than 48% · #26 of 51 in Virginia
Cheaper than 60% · #11 cheapest of 47 in Virginia
Lower than 24%
Lower than 50%
Larger than 47%
Percentiles compare Bridgewater College with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Virginia.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate1,40097%
- Graduate413%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women73352%
- Men66748%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White66%
- Black11%
- Hispanic7.5%
- Asian1.6%
- Other or multiracial14%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 1,400
- Graduate enrollment
- 41
- Student–faculty ratio
- 13 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 30%
- First-generation students
- 32%
- Students over 25
- 0%
- Median family income
- $71,046
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $65,934
- Endowment
- $102,625,570
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 429 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Virginia69%
- Other U.S. states25%
- International6.1%
A regional draw: about 69% of first-years come from Virginia, the rest from elsewhere.
6% 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
- 91.7%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 1020–1360
- SAT average
- 1180
- SAT reading
- 550–680
- SAT math
- 470–680
- ACT composite
- —
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 3.36
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $16,090
- Room & board
- $14,850
- Books & supplies
- $1,005
- Total cost of attendance
- $58,702
- Average net price
- $17,800
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)
- 53%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 45%
- First-year retention
- 75%
- Transferred to another college
- 0%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $45,620
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $53,453
- Median debt at graduation
- $26,000
- Students with federal loans
- 60%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 74%
About 8% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.
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
- 1,538
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 100%+
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NCAA Division III with football
- Football conference
- Old Dominion Athletic Conference
- Varsity athletes
- 619 (404 men · 215 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 (12)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- D
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 6.7 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 18
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 11
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (1,448 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.
$15,046/year × about 4.2 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.
Bridgewater College discounts heavily: 100% of freshmen are awarded a grant straight from the school, averaging $31,390. 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 422 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)
- $53,453
- Typical debt at graduation
- $26,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 49%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 62%
Typical debt would take roughly 4.9 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.
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 $10,072 (20%) 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
- 86°F
- Winter low
- 23°F
- Annual rain
- 39″
- Annual snow
- 19.4″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Dale Enterprise, VA US station (5.6 mi from campus).
What Bridgewater College 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 Bridgewater College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Bridgewater College side by side →
Oglethorpe University
Atlanta, Georgia · Large suburb · 9 mi to Atlanta
- Students
- 1,352
- Admission
- 88%
- Net price
- $20k
- SAT
- 1227
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $55k
Thomas More University
Crestview Hills, Kentucky · Large suburb · 6 mi to Cincinnati
- Students
- 1,293
- Admission
- 90%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1180
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $59k
Niagara University
Niagara University, New York · Large suburb · 19 mi to Buffalo
- Students
- 2,653
- Admission
- 87%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1168
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $56k
Trinity Christian College
Palos Heights, Illinois · Large suburb · 17 mi to Chicago
- Students
- 820
- Admission
- 85%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1157
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $56k
Georgetown College
Georgetown, Kentucky · Fringe town · 12 mi to Lexington
- Students
- 1,097
- Admission
- 91%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 1138
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $52k
Hanover College
Hanover, Indiana · Distant town · 36 mi to Louisville
- Students
- 1,031
- Admission
- 84%
- Net price
- $22k
- SAT
- 1201
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $54k
Colleges near Bridgewater College
James Madison University
Harrisonburg, VA · Public · Bachelor's · 20,888 students
Blue Ridge Community College
Weyers Cave, VA · Public · Certificate · 2,730 students
Eastern Mennonite University
Harrisonburg, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 754 students
Mary Baldwin University
Staunton, VA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,090 students
Staunton School of Cosmetology
Staunton, VA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 24 students
University of Virginia-Main Campus
Charlottesville, VA · Public · Bachelor's · 17,597 students
Piedmont Virginia Community College
Charlottesville, VA · Public · Associate · 3,045 students
Virginia Military Institute
Lexington, VA · Public · Bachelor's · 1,527 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.













