Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger ProgramsPublic

Bridgewater State University

Bridgewater, Massachusetts·Public, 4-year or above·New England·bridgew.edu
6-yr Graduation
53%
-0.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Total enrollment
9,727
peer median 5,819
Avg net price
$17,970
+$636 vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
9,096
9,096 candidates competed
Admitted
7,987
87.8% acceptance rate
Enrolled
1,551
19.4% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
53%-0.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
4-year graduation
32%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
53%
Full-time retention
75%

Pell equity

9.0pp gap
Pell recipients
48%
Non-Pell
57%

Non-Pell students graduate at a 9.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 92 Title IV programs, 36 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 56 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
92
Passing
36
39.1% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

92programs
  • Passing36 · 39.1%
  • No Data56 · 60.9%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
1
Safe
35
No data
56

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

36
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
+16.0%
$45,747 vs $39,449
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Master's Degree · Education
+25.0%
$57,978 vs $46,391
Communication Disorders Sciences and Services
Bachelor Degree · Health Professions And Related Clinical Sciences
+26.9%
$50,059 vs $39,449
English Language and Literature General
Master's Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+27.0%
$62,844 vs $49,483
Anthropology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
+27.7%
$50,376 vs $39,449
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
+29.3%
$51,020 vs $39,449
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
+30.6%
$51,523 vs $39,449
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+31.7%
$51,939 vs $39,449

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

30
Anthropology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
54%
$27,000 debt · $50,376 earn
Teacher Education and Professional Development Specific Levels and Methods
Bachelor Degree · Education
52%
$27,000 debt · $51,523 earn
Fine and Studio Arts
Bachelor Degree · Visual And Performing Arts
51%
$23,500 debt · $45,747 earn
History
Bachelor Degree · History
51%
$27,000 debt · $52,936 earn
English Language and Literature General
Bachelor Degree · English Language And Literature/Letters
50%
$25,500 debt · $51,020 earn
Social Work
Master's Degree · Public Administration And Social Service Professions
50%
$37,893 debt · $75,783 earn
Sociology
Bachelor Degree · Social Sciences
50%
$27,000 debt · $54,224 earn
Mathematics
Bachelor Degree · Mathematics And Statistics
49%
$27,000 debt · $54,709 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

New England Commission of Higher Education

Accredited since 1953Next review Jun 2032

Programmatic accreditations · 5

Action history · 8

  1. Feb 2024Accreditation Reaffirmed: Probation Removed
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
  2. Sep 2023Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Probation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
  3. Mar 2023Probation or Equivalent or a More Severe Status: Probation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs
  4. Mar 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    New England Commission of Higher Education
  5. Jul 2021Initial Accreditation
    American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, Council on Academic Accreditation in Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology · Speech-Language Pathology (SLP) - Graduate degree programs

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$11,267
$30–48k$12,771
$48–75k$16,464
$75–110k$19,161
$110k+$22,091

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price
$17,970
+$636vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs median $17,334
Federal loans
71.4%
In-state tuition
$11,389
Out-of-state
$17,529

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 3,236 students received $17.5M in Pell grants, alongside $44.4M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
3,236
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$17.5M
$17,487,318 total
Direct Loans
$44.4M
8,615 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

3k
20
3k
21
3k
22
3k
23
3k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$13.8M
3,365 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$18.6M
4,464 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$6.1M
397 loan awards
Parent PLUS$5.9M
389 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 2,778 borrowers who entered repayment, 48 (1.7%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.7%
-0.6pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
2,778
Defaulted
48
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
5.7%
2017
5.5%
2018
5.6%
2019
1.7%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Bridgewater State

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs79
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

1,921 total completions
01Education
53227.7%
02Business
28114.6%
03Psychology
25613.3%
04Public Admin
1819.4%
05Health Professions
1608.3%
06Security/Protective
1377.1%
07Communication
1156.0%
08Social Sciences
1075.6%
09English Language
914.7%
10Biological Sciences
613.2%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
9,727
12-mo unduplicated
11,506
Undergraduate
9,351
Graduate
2,155

Gender split

Men
39%4,525
Women
61%6,981

Race / ethnicity composition

White
69.3%
Black
10.6%
Hispanic
10.2%
Two or more
6.7%
Asian
2.2%
Unknown
0.5%
Non-resident
0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.0%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
466
279 M · 187 W
Women athletes
40.1%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$4.4M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
$0
Recruiting expense
$4K
$4K
Head-coach salaries
$21K
$19K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 16

Football
98 M ·
$154K
Track and Field (Indoor)
43 M · 18 W
$67K
Track and Field (Outdoor)
44 M · 15 W
$72K
Soccer
30 M · 26 W
$176K
Baseball
34 M ·
$193K
Basketball
16 M · 15 W
$226K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
1.77
17 offenses · 9,604 students

3-year trend

1.602 yrs ago2.311 yr ago1.77Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
57
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
47
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
8
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
4

Criminal offenses by type

Rape
7
Fondling
5
Burglary
2
Aggravated assault
2
Motor vehicle theft
1

By location

17total
  • On campus17

Includes 11 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

8
Domestic violence
4
Dating violence
7
Stalking
19 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

  • Sexual orientation3
  • Race1
  • Gender1

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons00
Drugs10
Liquor2200

Residence-hall fires

  • SHEA HALL1 fire
    Machinery/IndustrialDamage $0-$99

Data quality: 4 reports were later determined unfounded across the reporting period and are excluded from the totals above.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
17.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
338

Bridgewater State vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Bridgewater State selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectBridgewater State University
53%9,727$17,970Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Fitchburg State University
55%86.9%5,892$15,432Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Worcester State University
61%88.0%5,745$14,738Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Salem State University
50%95.9%6,230$18,441Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Framingham State University
48%83.6%4,002$16,698Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Westfield State University
54%81.4%4,588$18,561Masters Colleges & Universities: Larger Programs
Peer group median54%86.9%5,819$17,334

Frequently asked questions about Bridgewater State University

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Bridgewater State.

What is the graduation rate at Bridgewater State University?

Bridgewater State University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 53% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Bridgewater State University?

Bridgewater State University reports a total enrollment of 9,727 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Bridgewater State University?

The average net price at Bridgewater State University is $17,970 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Bridgewater State University?

Bridgewater State University's yield rate is 19.4%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Bridgewater State University located?

Bridgewater State University is located in Bridgewater, Massachusetts 02325.

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