Public · Community college
Bristol Community College
Fall River, Massachusetts · Large suburb
- 7%
- Transfer rate
- $5,547
- Avg net price
- 22%
- Grad / completion
- $38,663
- Median earnings
Bristol Community College is a public associate-granting institution in Fall River, Massachusetts (large suburb setting), enrolling 6,083 undergraduates. Admission is open to all applicants.
About Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. At the time of the establishment of the Plymouth Colony in 1620, the area that would one day become Troy City was inhabited by the Pocasset Wampanoag tribe, affiliated with the Pokanoket Confederacy headquartered at Mount Hope in what is now Bristol, Rhode Island. Fall River retains a vibrant mix of cultures that date back to its time as an immigration hub. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large suburb
- Highest degree offered
- Associate
- Nearest big city
- 17 miles to Providence, RI
- To the ocean
- 2 miles
- Nearest airport
- 9 miles to New Bedford (EWB)
How Bristol Community College compares
Higher than 6% · #42 of 52 in Massachusetts
Higher than 15%
Higher than 63% · #23 of 34 in Massachusetts
Cheaper than 89% · #2 cheapest of 52 in Massachusetts
Lower than 71%
Lower than 49%
Larger than 93%
Percentiles compare Bristol Community College with the nation's 3,519 two-year and certificate schools, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count two-year and certificate schools in Massachusetts.
Student body
Undergraduates by gender
- Women3,82363%
- Men2,26037%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White55%
- Black13%
- Hispanic16%
- Asian1.9%
- Other or multiracial14%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 6,083
- Student–faculty ratio
- 16 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 46%
- First-generation students
- 51%
- Students over 25
- 41%
- Median family income
- $25,409
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $67,653
- Endowment
- $15,272,160
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 1,453 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From Massachusetts92%
- Other U.S. states3.2%
- International4.3%
Most first-years stay in state — Bristol Community College draws overwhelmingly from Massachusetts.
4% 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.
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $5,832
- Out-of-state tuition
- $10,776
- Room & board
- —
- Books & supplies
- $2,000
- Total cost of attendance
- $12,168
- Average net price
- $5,547
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
- 22%
- First-year retention
- 54%
- Transferred to another college
- 7%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $35,555
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $38,663
- Median debt at graduation
- $8,243
- Students with federal loans
- 25%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 49%
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
- No
- Application fee
- Free
- Athletics
- NJCAA Division III
- Varsity athletes
- 80 (40 men · 40 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 (4)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- A
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 0.0 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 0
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (6,950 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.
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.
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: 1% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $962. 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 731 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)
- $38,663
- Typical debt at graduation
- $8,243
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 21%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 47%
Typical debt would take roughly 2.1 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 $14,557 (43%) 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
- 24°F
- Annual rain
- 49.4″
- Annual snow
- 38.1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Tiverton, RI US station (8.1 mi from campus).
What Bristol Community 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 Bristol Community College
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Bristol Community College side by side →
Springfield Technical Community College
Springfield, Massachusetts · Midsize city · 1 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 4,759
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 14%
- Earnings
- $37k
Northern Essex Community College
Haverhill, Massachusetts · Large suburb · 25 mi to Manchester
- Students
- 3,685
- Tuition
- $7k
- Transfer
- 17%
- Earnings
- $43k
Holyoke Community College
Holyoke, Massachusetts · Fringe rural · 7 mi to Springfield
- Students
- 3,591
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 18%
- Earnings
- $37k
Mount Wachusett Community College
Gardner, Massachusetts · Midsize suburb · 25 mi to Worcester
- Students
- 3,059
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $41k
Cape Cod Community College
West Barnstable, Massachusetts · Small city · 56 mi to Providence
- Students
- 2,911
- Tuition
- $6k
- Transfer
- 15%
- Earnings
- $44k
North Shore Community College
Danvers, Massachusetts · Large suburb · 17 mi to Boston
- Students
- 4,393
- Tuition
- $5k
- Transfer
- 17%
- Earnings
- $45k
Colleges near Bristol Community College
Diman Regional Technical Institute
Fall River, MA · Public · Certificate · 17 students
Rob Roy Academy-Fall River
Fall River, MA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 97 students
University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth
North Dartmouth, MA · Public · Bachelor's · 5,221 students
Roger Williams University
Bristol, RI · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 3,946 students
Roger Williams University School of Law
Bristol, RI · Private nonprofit · Graduate
Rob Roy Academy-New Bedford
New Bedford, MA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 15 students
Motoring Technical Training Institute
Seekonk, MA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 312 students
Rob Roy Academy-Taunton
Taunton, MA · Private for-profit · Certificate · 23 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.