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.
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
- Nearest big city
- 25 miles to Providence, RI
- To the ocean
- 13 miles
- Nearest airport
- 22 miles to New Bedford (EWB)
How Bridgewater State University compares
More selective than 29% · #54 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts
Higher than 52%
Higher than 47% · #54 of 66 in Massachusetts
Higher than 46%
Higher than 61% · #40 of 67 in Massachusetts
Cheaper than 67% · #7 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts
Lower than 42%
Lower than 23%
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
- Undergraduate7,82984%
- Graduate1,45716%
Undergraduates by gender
- 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)
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)
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.
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.
$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.
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.
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 $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
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Bridgewater, MA US station (2.5 mi from campus).
What Bridgewater State 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 Bridgewater State University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Bridgewater State University side by side →
University of Wisconsin-Stout
Menomonie, Wisconsin · Distant town · 66 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 5,842
- Admission
- 88%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1150
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $58k
University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Platteville, Wisconsin · Distant town · 60 mi to Madison
- Students
- 5,837
- Admission
- 89%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1190
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $62k
State University of New York at Oswego
Oswego, New York · Distant town · 34 mi to Syracuse
- Students
- 5,473
- Admission
- 81%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1187
- GPA
- 3.4
- Earnings
- $58k
Minnesota State University-Mankato
Mankato, Minnesota · Small city · 68 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 11,703
- Admission
- 88%
- Net price
- $19k
- SAT
- 1150
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $57k
University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
Eau Claire, Wisconsin · Small city · 87 mi to Minneapolis
- Students
- 8,895
- Admission
- 82%
- Net price
- $17k
- SAT
- 1220
- GPA
- 3.5
- Earnings
- $59k
Stockton University
Galloway, New Jersey · Fringe rural · 46 mi to Philadelphia
- Students
- 7,537
- Admission
- 89%
- Net price
- $21k
- SAT
- 1139
- GPA
- 3.3
- Earnings
- $58k
Colleges near Bridgewater State University
Southeastern Technical Institute
South Easton, MA · Public · Certificate · 260 students
Massasoit Community College
Brockton, MA · Public · Associate · 4,235 students
Signature Healthcare Brockton Hospital School of Nursing
Brockton, MA · Private nonprofit · Certificate · 146 students
Stonehill College
Easton, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 2,528 students
Rob Roy Academy-Taunton
Taunton, MA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 23 students
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)
Norton, MA · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 1,773 students
Spa Tech Institute-Plymouth
Plymouth, MA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 233 students
Massachusetts School of Barbering
Quincy, MA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 44 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.














