Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater, MA131 Summer Street, Bridgewater, MA 02325
508-531-1000
Bridgewater State University is a public university located in Bridgewater, Massachusetts. It is the largest public university in the state and offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees. The university is a member of the Five Colleges Consortium, which allows students to take courses at four other Massachusetts colleges: Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, and Smith College.
BSU was founded in 1840 as a normal school, a type of teaching institution that prepares students for careers in education. The school was originally located in Bridgewater, but moved to its current location in North Bridgewater (now known as Bridgewater) in 1887. The school became a state college in 1960 and a state university in 2010.
BSU enrolls over 11,000 undergraduate and graduate students. The university is known for its strong programs in education, business, and the sciences. It is also home to the Massachusetts Archives, a state-funded archive that collects and preserves Massachusetts' historical records.
The university's main campus is located on 188 acres (76 hectares) of land in North Bridgewater. The campus includes over 50 academic and administrative buildings, as well as residence halls, a dining commons, a library, and athletic facilities. BSU also owns a 1,200-acre (486-hectare) forest in Bridgewater and a 350-acre (142-hectare) farm in nearby Raynham.
BSU is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. The university is governed by a nine-member Board of Trustees, which includes eight members appointed by the Governor of Massachusetts and one student member elected by the university's Student Government Association.
Quick Facts
Enrollment: 10651
Acceptance Rate: 82.31%
Type: Public, 4-year or above
Main Website: https://www.bridgew.edu/
Financial Aid: https://www.bridgew.edu/admissions/financial-aid
Annual Costs
Total Cost In-State On-Campus: $28664
Total Cost Out-State On-Campus: $34804
Return on Investment Rating
The estimated cost for four years as an undergraduate at Bridgewater State University is $114717.89. This includes the average cost of attendance for four years plus the interest on the average loan over a ten year repayment minus the average of grants and scholarships per student.
We then contrast this figure with average early-career and mid-career average incomes of graduates of four year programs at Bridgewater State University. For graduates of Bridgewater State University, we saw an average early-career income of $52700.00 and mid-career income of $88300.00. We then ranked the school's value based on how many years of mid-career income it takes to repay the educational costs.