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Bridgewater Central Square, MassachusettsPhoto: Kenneth C. Zirkel · CC BY-SA 4.0
Colleges in and near Bridgewater Town

Bridgewater Town is a college town: 16 of every 100 residents are students

Bridgewater State University (8,607 students on campus) is inside the city. Across Massachusetts, 8 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town16% of residents are studentsBridgewater State University

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Bridgewater Town. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
4
16,118 students on campus
Nearest college
1.1 mi
Bridgewater State
Residents in college
16%
Above MA (8%)
Nearest community college
7.1 mi
Massasoit · $5,376 tuition
Nearest public university
1.1 mi
Bridgewater State · $11,808 in-state
Students on campus in Bridgewater Town
8,607
next to 29,309 residents

What stands out about college in Bridgewater Town

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

A college town16 of every 100 Bridgewater Town residents are enrolled in college, against 8 across Massachusetts.A university in Bridgewater TownBridgewater State University has 8,607 students on campus in Bridgewater Town, 53% of whom graduate within six years.In-state price at Bridgewater StateLiving in Massachusetts, Bridgewater State University charges $11,808 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $17,948. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.A community college 7.1 miles awayMassasoit Community College in Brockton: tuition and fees $5,376 a year for Massachusetts residents.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Bridgewater Town

How much the colleges shape the town, from the Census Bureau’s survey of residents.

16 of every 100 Bridgewater Town residents are in college (MA: 8).

8,607students on campus at Bridgewater State University, next to 29,309 residents (dorm students count as residents)
1,774college students live in Bridgewater Town households rather than dorms
37.6median age · MA 40.0
52%of residents are men · MA 49% (±1.6 points)
24%of homes rented · MA 38%
$2,092median rent · 19% above the state
Bridgewater TownBridgewater Town, MA
Cost of living$2,092/mo median rentDSafetyCrime reported to the FBIA−HealthCDC estimatesA−Jobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundA−HandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Bridgewater Town’s other numbers

Read the town’s other grades with this in mind. How TownRatings handles college towns →

Jobs & income A−

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 4.9% of Bridgewater Town residents are below the poverty line, 4.7% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 2 points either way). 8% of the students themselves are below the line. In college towns, the Jobs & income grade uses the rate without students and leaves unemployment out.

Cost of living D

The Cost grade counts the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent, leaving it out only where students are a quarter of residents or more. Here they are 16%, so student incomes still weigh on that figure.

Health A−

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Bridgewater Town’s median age is 37.6 (Massachusetts 40.0), so the adult figures describe a young population.

Safety A−

Crime is counted per resident, and students who live here count as residents. A college with its own police department reports its incidents under that department, not the city.

Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Bridgewater Town

Two private colleges within 10.5 miles, one public college within 1.1 miles, and Massasoit Community College 7.1 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miBridgewater StateMassasoitStonehill CollegeBridgewater Town
University or collegeCommunity college
Bridgewater State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · 8,607 on campus · In Bridgewater Town88%admitted$16knet price53%graduate$57kearningsMassasoit Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 3,149 on campus · 7.1 mi · Brockton$8knet price19%graduate$46kearningsTuition and fees: $5,376 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Stonehill CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 2,584 on campus · 8 mi · Easton66%admitted$33knet price76%graduate$78kearningsWheaton College (Massachusetts)University or college · Private nonprofit · 1,778 on campus · 10.5 mi · Norton68%admitted$30knet price73%graduate$68kearnings

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at Over $110k, where Bridgewater Town’s median household income ($112,651) falls.

Massasoit Community College7.1 mi · Brockton · sticker $14,904 · tuition $5,376$14,416a year
Bridgewater State UniversityIn Bridgewater Town · sticker $26,160$21,176a year
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)10.5 mi · Norton · sticker $79,311$33,956a year
Stonehill College8 mi · Easton · sticker $72,714$37,147a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Bridgewater Town: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Bridgewater StateMassasoitStonehill CollegeWheaton College (Massachusetts)
Bridgewater State University53% graduate$57k earnings$24k typical debt
Massasoit Community College19% graduate$46k earnings$10k typical debt
Stonehill College76% graduate$78k earnings$25k typical debt
Wheaton College (Massachusetts)73% graduate$68k earnings$26k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid.

Majors

What students study in Bridgewater Town

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at Bridgewater State University, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Education 16%Business 16%Psychology 13%Public safety 7%Health professions 7%Communication 6%Everything else 34%

Biggest programs

Psychology, General309 graduates a year
$52k4 yrs out
Criminal Justice and Corrections145 graduates a year
$64k4 yrs out
Management Sciences and Quantitative Methods140 graduates a year
$65k4 yrs out
Communication and Media Studies135 graduates a year
$57k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas127 graduates a year
$58k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods124 graduates a year
$52k4 yrs out
Accounting and Related Services93 graduates a year
$79k4 yrs out
Social Work72 graduates a year
$60k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Bridgewater Town

Is Bridgewater Town a college town?

Yes. 16 of every 100 Bridgewater Town residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 8 across Massachusetts. Bridgewater State University has 8,607 students on campus, next to 29,309 residents.

What colleges are in Bridgewater Town?

Bridgewater State University is inside the city. Massasoit Community College is 7.1 miles away in Brockton.

Why is Bridgewater Town’s poverty rate so high?

Students who live off campus count in the Census figures. 4.9% of residents are below the poverty line; leaving college students out, 4.7% are (ACS 2020–24, give or take 2 points).

What is the closest community college to Bridgewater Town, and what does it cost?

Massasoit Community College in Brockton, 7.1 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,376 a year for Massachusetts residents; the federal net price, $8,460, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into Bridgewater State University?

Bridgewater State University admitted 88% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year; the middle half of admitted students scored 1,060–1,263 on the SAT.

Neighbors talk college

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

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Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Bridgewater Town. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →