Guest, Sign inJoin

Post to Bridgewater

We’ll email a one-tap link to publish your post. No password, and nothing is public until you click it.
Already a member? Sign in
University or college · Private nonprofit

Bridgewater College

Bridgewater, VA17 online only

Bridgewater College is a private nonprofit college in Bridgewater, VA, with about 1,419 students on campus.

Visit www.bridgewater.edu ↗Directions
Students on campus
1,419
plus 17 studying only online
Admission rate
92%
higher than at 80% of 4-year colleges
Net price a year
$17,800
lower than at 60% of 4-year colleges
Graduation rate
53%
lower than at 54% of 4-year colleges
Earnings, 10 yrs later
$53,453
higher than at 76% of U.S. colleges
In brief

The short version on Bridgewater College

Few families pay the sticker price

The full cost of a year is $58,702, but the average family on federal aid pays $17,800 after grants, about 70% less. What it costs ↓

Students are a big part of Bridgewater

26% of Bridgewater’s 6,924 residents are enrolled in college. Median rent runs 23% below the state. Living in Bridgewater ↓

This summary is written from the data on this page. Figures are from the U.S. Department of Education’s College Scorecard.

★ What stands out · What it costs

The sticker price, and what families really pay

Sticker price: $58,702 a year

Before any grants

Tuition & fees $16,090Room & board $14,850Books & supplies $1,005Other costs $26,757

After grants, the average family on aid pays $17,800.

Your family’s price

Average net price after grants, by family income

$15,046

About $60,184 over 4 years · 74% off the sticker price

Under $30k$30–48k$48–75k$75–110kOver $110k
Getting in

How hard is it to get into Bridgewater College?

92%

of applicants admitted

About 18 of every 20 applicants get in.

Test scores of admitted students

SAT reading
550–680
SAT math
470–680

The middle 50%: a quarter scored below the range and a quarter above it. Average SAT: 1180.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay off?

Graduate
53%
within 6 years · Pell students 48%
Come back for year two
75%
full-time first-year students
Earnings, 10 years later
$53,453
median, students on federal aid
Typical debt
$26,000
about $276 a month over 10 years

Debt vs. the paycheck

The typical loan payment as a share of a typical graduate’s monthly pay six years after starting

7.3%
0%10%: a common comfort line25%

$276 a month against about $3,802 a month in pay.

Paying back loans

Federal student loans, this college

75%

of borrowers paid down at least some of their loan within three years, more than at 92% of U.S. colleges.

Almost none defaulted within three years (payments on federal loans were paused from 2020 to 2023, so recent default rates are near zero everywhere).

Earnings by family background

Median earnings 10 years after starting, by family income at enrollment

Lower incomeunder $30k
$48k
Middle income$30–75k
$51k
Higher incomeover $75k
$57k
Majors

What students study, and what it pays

Share of degrees by field

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

Bachelor’s programs with the most graduates

And their graduates’ median earnings four years later (one year where that’s all that’s reported).

Business Administration, Management and Operations71 graduates a year · typical debt $26,000
$61k4 yrs out
Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness48 graduates a year · typical debt $26,000
$55k4 yrs out
Psychology, General36 graduates a year · typical debt $26,000
$42k4 yrs out
Biology, General25 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000
$59k4 yrs out
Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities23 graduates a year · typical debt $25,781
$51k4 yrs out
History19 graduates a year · typical debt $27,000
$48k4 yrs out
Computer Science13 graduates a year · typical debt $26,000
$81k4 yrs out
English Language and Literature, General13 graduates a year
—not reported
Who goes there

The students

1,400 degree-seeking undergraduates.

By race and ethnicity

White 66%Hispanic 8%Black 11%Asian 2%Two or more 6%International 4%

Women and men

Women 47%Men 53%
13 : 1
students per teacher
30%
get Pell grants (lower income)
60%
take federal loans
0%
undergrads 25 or older
0%
study part time
The town around it

Living in Bridgewater

26% of Bridgewater’s 6,924 residents are enrolled in college. What the town is like, from TownRatings’ Bridgewater pages.

Bridgewater →
BridgewaterBridgewater, VA
$1,216/momedian rent · 23% below the state$374Ktypical home valueA−Safety Grade24° / 86°January low / July high · 19" of snowAHealth GradeAll colleges in and near BridgewaterCompare prices, admissions and outcomes
Nearby

Other colleges within 30 miles

Straight-line distances from Bridgewater College; colleges with 100 or more students on campus.

James Madison UniversityUniversity or college · Public · Harrisonburg
6.7 mi21,645 students
Blue Ridge Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · Weyers Cave
7.1 mi2,664 students
Eastern Mennonite UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Harrisonburg
8 mi1,003 students
Mary Baldwin UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · Staunton
16.4 mi1,107 students

Ask around

Students, parents, alumni and the neighbors next door.

Town Square →
Start the conversation

Sources: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (institution and field-of-study files) and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023); town figures from the Census American Community Survey and NOAA climate normals. Graduation rates count first-time, full-time students; earnings and debt are for students who received federal aid. Distances are straight-line. Colleges are described, not graded (how TownRatings describes colleges). Map © OpenStreetMap contributors.