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Generations Park Charter Day Celebration 2017-02-07Photo: Bbqamazing · CC BY-SA 4.0
Colleges in and near Bridgewater

Bridgewater is a college town: 26 of every 100 residents are students

Bridgewater College (1,419 students on campus) is inside the town. Across Virginia, 7 of every 100 residents are enrolled in college.

College town26% of residents are studentsBridgewater College

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. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
4
26,731 students on campus
Nearest college
0.7 mi
Bridgewater College
Residents in college
26%
Above VA (7%)
Nearest community college
7.7 mi
Blue Ridge · $5,646 tuition
Nearest public university
6.1 mi
James Madison University · $14,250 in-state
Students on campus in Bridgewater
1,419
next to 6,924 residents

What stands out about college in Bridgewater

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

A college town26 of every 100 Bridgewater residents are enrolled in college, against 7 across Virginia.A college in BridgewaterBridgewater College has 1,419 students on campus in Bridgewater, 53% of whom graduate within six years.In-state price at James Madison UniversityLiving in Virginia, James Madison University charges $14,250 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $31,604. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.A community college 7.7 miles awayBlue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave: tuition and fees $5,646 a year for Virginia residents.
Town & gown

What it’s like to live in Bridgewater

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

26 of every 100 Bridgewater residents are in college (VA: 7).

1,419students on campus at Bridgewater College, next to 6,924 residents (dorm students count as residents)
270college students live in Bridgewater households rather than dorms
31.4median age · VA 39.0
57%of residents are women · VA 51% (±3.6 points)
40%of homes rented · VA 33%
$1,216median rent · 23% below the state
BridgewaterBridgewater, VA
Cost of living$1,216/mo median rentCSafetyCrime reported to the FBIA−HealthCDC estimatesAJobs & incomeIncome, jobs, getting aroundB+HandbookTrash day, parking, who to call

How students change Bridgewater’s other numbers

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

Jobs & income B+

Students who live off campus count in the Census poverty figures: 6.4% of Bridgewater residents are below the poverty line, 6.4% when college students are left out (that estimate could be off by 7 points either way). 7% 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 C

The Cost grade leaves out the share of renters paying 30% or more of income on rent wherever students are a quarter of residents or more (26% here): it would mostly measure student incomes.

Health A

CDC’s estimates follow each place’s age mix, and Bridgewater’s median age is 31.4 (Virginia 39.0), 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

Two private colleges within 7.3 miles, one public college within 6.1 miles, and Blue Ridge Community College 7.7 miles away.

5 mi10 mi15 miJames Madison UniversityBlue RidgeBridgewater CollegeBridgewater
University or collegeCommunity college
Bridgewater CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,419 on campus · In Bridgewater92%admitted$18knet price53%graduate$53kearningsJames Madison UniversityUniversity or college · Public · 21,645 on campus · 6.1 mi · Harrisonburg72%admitted$23knet price80%graduate$70kearningsEastern Mennonite UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,003 on campus · 7.3 mi · Harrisonburg100%admitted$25knet price67%graduate$55kearningsBlue Ridge Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 2,664 on campus · 7.7 mi · Weyers Cave$14knet price40%graduate$43kearningsTuition and fees: $5,646 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.

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 $75–110k, where Bridgewater’s median household income ($75,280) falls.

Blue Ridge Community College7.7 mi · Weyers Cave · sticker $20,788 · tuition $5,646$18,114a year
Bridgewater CollegeIn Bridgewater · sticker $58,702$20,582a year
James Madison University6.1 mi · Harrisonburg · sticker $31,735$22,343a year
Eastern Mennonite University7.3 mi · Harrisonburg · sticker $56,756$27,570a 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: 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 CollegeJames Madison UniversityEastern Mennonite UniversityBlue Ridge
James Madison University80% graduate$70k earnings$20k typical debt
Blue Ridge Community College40% graduate$43k earnings$10k typical debt
Bridgewater College53% graduate$53k earnings$26k typical debt
Eastern Mennonite University67% graduate$55k earnings$25k 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

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

Business 26%Parks & recreation 16%Biology 10%Visual & performing arts 8%Liberal arts 7%Psychology 7%Everything else 26%

Biggest programs

Business Administration, Management and Operations71 graduates a year
$61k4 yrs out
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness48 graduates a year
$55k4 yrs out
Psychology, General36 graduates a year
$42k4 yrs out
Biology, General25 graduates a year
$59k4 yrs out
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities23 graduates a year
$51k4 yrs out
History19 graduates a year
$48k4 yrs out
Computer Science13 graduates a year
$81k4 yrs out
Sociology9 graduates a year
$49k4 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

Is Bridgewater a college town?

Yes. 26 of every 100 Bridgewater residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), against 7 across Virginia. Bridgewater College has 1,419 students on campus, next to 6,924 residents.

What colleges are in Bridgewater?

Bridgewater College is inside the town. Blue Ridge Community College is 7.7 miles away in Weyers Cave.

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

Blue Ridge Community College in Weyers Cave, 7.7 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,646 a year for Virginia residents; the federal net price, $13,997, counts housing and food at full cost.

How hard is it to get into Bridgewater College?

Bridgewater College admitted 92% of applicants in the Scorecard’s latest year; the middle half of admitted students scored 1,020–1,360 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. 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 →