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.

Private nonprofitSmall · 1,400 undergradsSmall suburbAccessible · 92% admitNCAA Division III with football · Old Dominion Athletic ConferenceCold winters

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

Selectivity91.7%

More selective than 20% · #34 most selective of 43 in Virginia

SAT average1180

Higher than 52%

Graduation rate53%

Higher than 46% · #28 of 49 in Virginia

First-year retention75%

Higher than 46%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$53,453

Higher than 48% · #26 of 51 in Virginia

Average net price$17,800

Cheaper than 60% · #11 cheapest of 47 in Virginia

Median debt at graduation$26,000

Lower than 24%

Student–faculty ratio13 : 1

Lower than 50%

Undergraduate enrollment1,400

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

1,441students
  • Undergraduate1,40097%
  • Graduate413%

Undergraduates by gender

1,400undergrads
  • 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)

All students
45%
Low-income (Pell)
61%
First-generation
60%

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)

Football134
Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)122
Lacrosse69
Soccer58
Baseball49
Swimming37
Basketball35
Golf31
Softball26
Field Hockey23
Volleyball18
Tennis17

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.

9.7reported offenses a year
6.0 violent a year3.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
3.0
Burglary
3.0
Fondling
2.0
Murder
0.7
Motor vehicle theft
0.7
Aggravated assault
0.3

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.

< $30k
$13,283
$30–48k
$12,468
$48–75k
$15,046
$75–110k
$20,582
$110k+
$21,448

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.

Est. total to a degree
$63,715

$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.

100%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$31,390
average award, among those who get one

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.

Solid value

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.

Women
$49,831
Men
$59,903

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

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.04.1JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Dale Enterprise, VA US station (5.6 mi from campus).

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 →

Colleges near Bridgewater College

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.