Public · University

Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater, Massachusetts · Large suburb

87.8%
Admit rate
$16,383
Avg net price
53%
Graduation rate
$57,466
Median earnings

Bridgewater State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Bridgewater, Massachusetts (large suburb setting), enrolling 7,829 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 7,829 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 88% admitNCAA Division III with football · New England Football ConferenceCold wintersSnowyNear the coast

Will you get in?

See where your numbers land against Bridgewater State University's admitted students.

Admit rate
87.8%
SAT (mid 50%)
1060–1263
Avg GPA (est.)
3.37

Enter a test score to see where you land against Bridgewater State University's admitted students.

A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Bridgewater State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.

About Bridgewater, Massachusetts

Bridgewater is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States. Bridgewater was established as a Township on June 3, 1656 from Duxbury in Plymouth Colony. The town was placed in Plymouth County when counties were formed in 1685. For a brief time, the town was part of the Dominion of New England from 1686 to 1689. In the late 1960s, the economy of Bridgewater was dependent upon the Old Colony Correctional Center and other Massachusetts Correctional Institutions of the MCD in Bridgewater, Bridgewater State Hospital and the Bridgewater Teacher's College (now the Bridgewater State University). (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
To the ocean
13 miles
Nearest airport
22 miles to New Bedford (EWB)

How Bridgewater State University compares

Selectivity87.8%

More selective than 29% · #54 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts

SAT average1180

Higher than 52%

Graduation rate53%

Higher than 47% · #54 of 66 in Massachusetts

First-year retention75%

Higher than 46%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$57,466

Higher than 61% · #40 of 67 in Massachusetts

Average net price$16,383

Cheaper than 67% · #7 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts

Median debt at graduation$24,286

Lower than 42%

Student–faculty ratio17 : 1

Lower than 23%

Undergraduate enrollment7,829

Larger than 86%

Percentiles compare Bridgewater State 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

9,286students
  • Undergraduate7,82984%
  • Graduate1,45716%

Undergraduates by gender

7,829undergrads
  • Women4,64159%
  • Men3,18841%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White67%
  • Black11%
  • Hispanic11%
  • Asian2.4%
  • Other or multiracial8.7%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
7,829
Graduate enrollment
1,457
Student–faculty ratio
17 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
32%
First-generation students
34%
Students over 25
13%
Median family income
$57,864
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$100,170
Endowment
$76,377,856

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 1,580 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.

  • From Massachusetts90%
  • Other U.S. states9.6%

Most first-years stay in state — Bridgewater State University draws overwhelmingly from Massachusetts.

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
87.8%
Test scores
Considered but not required
SAT range (25th–75th %)
1060–1263
SAT average
1180
SAT reading
550–650
SAT math
510–613
ACT composite
25–30
Average GPA (estimated)
3.37

Cost

In-state tuition
$11,808
Out-of-state tuition
$17,948
Room & board
$15,247
Books & supplies
$2,200
Total cost of attendance
$26,160
Average net price
$16,383

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)
32%
First-year retention
75%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$46,673
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$57,466
Median debt at graduation
$24,286
Students with federal loans
75%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
60%

About 22% 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
32%
Low-income (Pell)
57%
First-generation
56%

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
3,301
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
42%
Housing charge (year)
$9,678
Meal plan (year)
$4,908
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division III with football
Football conference
New England Football Conference
Varsity athletes
579 (346 men · 233 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)

Track and Field and Cross Country (combined)156
Football100
Soccer59
Swimming and Diving (combined)50
Wrestling34
Baseball32
Basketball32
Lacrosse27
Field Hockey22
Softball20
Tennis18
Volleyball18
Equestrian11

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.0 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
54
Property offenses (2022–2024)
5

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 3 campuses (9,727 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.

20reported offenses a year
18 violent a year1.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Fondling
6.0
Aggravated assault
6.0
Rape
5.7
Burglary
1.0
Motor vehicle theft
0.7
Robbery
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
$10,007
$30–48k
$11,579
$48–75k
$13,559
$75–110k
$16,904
$110k+
$21,176

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
$62,515

$13,559/year × about 4.6 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.

63%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$4,204
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 63% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $4,204. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

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 1,496 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)
$57,466
Typical debt at graduation
$24,286
Debt vs. one year's pay
42%
Out-earn a HS grad
68%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.2 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
$54,364
Men
$61,818

Men out-earn women by $7,454 (14%) 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
83°F
Winter low
17°F
Annual rain
51″
Annual snow
34.3″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.65.2JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Bridgewater, MA US station (2.5 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 State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Bridgewater State University side by side →

Colleges near Bridgewater State University

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.