More selective than 15% of Massachusetts colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $26,160. College Scorecard.
Higher than 20% of Massachusetts colleges we cover and 49% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 37% of Massachusetts colleges we cover and 63% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
BSU acceptance rate & admissions
Of 8,631 applicants, Bridgewater State University admitted 7,698 and 1,580 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1060–1263 on the SAT or 25–30 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
BSU tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Massachusetts residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What BSU costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Bridgewater State University took 4.5 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in Massachusetts. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $10,007 | $44,531 | 2.5 years |
| $30–48k | $11,579 | $51,527 | 2.9 years |
| $48–75k | $13,559 | $60,338 | 3.4 years |
| $75–110k | $16,904 | $75,223 | 4.3 years |
| $110k+ | $21,176 | $94,233 | 5.4 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.5 years, the average time graduates took (34% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($57,466) minus $39,880 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $17,586 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
BSU majors, earnings & careers
Bridgewater State University offers 36 bachelor's majors across 10 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 7
- Health & Medicine · 5
- Humanities & Languages · 5
- Science & Math · 5
- Arts & Design · 4
- Business & Finance · 4
- Education · 3
- Communications & Media · 1
- Technology & Computing · 1
- Trades & Applied Technology · 1
Highest-earning majors at BSU
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Computer Science | $87,099 | $27,000 |
| Chemistry | $80,287 | $27,000 |
| Accounting | $79,315 | $27,000 |
| Economics | $70,473 | $27,000 |
| Air Transportation | $70,215 | $26,939 |
| Management Science / Analytics | $64,769 | $27,000 |
| Criminal Justice | $64,178 | $26,696 |
| Biology | $60,880 | $27,000 |
Quick list of all 36 majors
- Accounting$79,315
- Air Transportation$70,215
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)$53,872
- Anthropology$50,376
- Biology$60,880
- Chemistry$80,287
- Communications$56,968
- Computer Science$87,099
- Criminal Justice$64,178
- Dance—
- Economics$70,473
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$51,523
- Education (Subject Teaching)$58,255
- English$51,020
- Geography$57,550
- Geography and Environmental Studies—
- Geology / Earth Science$52,219
- Health Sciences—
- History$52,936
- Management Science / Analytics$64,769
- Marketing—
- Mathematics$54,709
- Music—
- Philosophy—
- Physics—
- Political Science$58,936
- Psychology$51,939
- Public Health—
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences—
- Social Work$59,510
- Sociology$54,224
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages$56,609
- Special Education$55,692
- Speech-Language Pathology / Communication Disorders$50,059
- Studio Art$45,747
- Theatre—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Management Science / Analytics → Operations research analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 11.9% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Criminal Justice → Police officer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Boston
Overall prices in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,409. Housing costs 48% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 52 inches of rain a year, 34 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: coastal flooding (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Plymouth County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Plymouth County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare BSU with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Massachusetts by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bridgewater State University | 88% | $16,383 | 53% | $57,466 | This school |
| University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth | 91% | $20,927 | 52% | $68,804 | |
| Worcester State University | 88% | $13,381 | 61% | $60,624 | |
| University of Massachusetts-Boston | 84% | $17,707 | 49% | $65,865 | |
| Fitchburg State University | 87% | $14,262 | 55% | $53,874 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Bridgewater State University would cost you $4,544 less per year than University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Bridgewater State University, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$3,804).
- University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth gives aided families $2,781 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Massachusetts resident | BSU | University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $11,808 | $15,612 | −$3,804 |
| Books & supplies | $1,000 | $1,400 | −$400 |
| Housing & meals | $14,586 | $17,940 | −$3,354 |
| Personal & travel | $3,170 | $1,772 | +$1,398 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$4,404 | −$3,239 | −$1,165 |
| Sticker price | $26,160 | $33,485 | −$7,325 |
| Average grants | −$9,777 | −$12,558 | +$2,781 |
| You pay | $16,383 | $20,927 | −$4,544 |
“+” means BSU costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about BSU
What is the BSU acceptance rate?
Bridgewater State University accepts 88% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 7,698 of 8,631 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1060–1263 on the SAT or 25–30 on the ACT.
How much does Bridgewater State University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $26,160 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $16,383 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $10,007 and families earning $110k+ pay $21,176.
How much do BSU graduates earn?
Former Bridgewater State University students earn a median $57,466 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the BSU graduation rate?
53% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 75% return for their second year.
How long does a BSU degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Bridgewater State University costs about $60,338 after grants ($13,559 a year for 4.5 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $57,466 ten years after starting, $17,586 more than high school graduates in Massachusetts ($39,880), so the cost is repaid in 3.4 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Bridgewater State University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/bridgewater-state-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).