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BRIDGEWATER STATE COLLEGE

Boyden Hall, Bridgewater, MA 02325

Admissions: 508-531-1237 • Financial Aid: 508-531-1341

Email: admission@bridgew.edu • Website: http://www.bridgew.edu

From the College

“Bridgewater State College is the comprehensive public college of Southeastern Massachusetts and has a dual mission: to educate the residents of Southeastern Massachusetts and the Commonwealth, and to use its intellectual, scientific and technological resources to support and advance the economic and cultural life of the region. While maintaining its historical focus on the preparation of teachers, Bridgewater today provides a broad range of baccalaureate degree programs through its School of Arts and Sciences, its School of Education and Allied Studies and new School of Management and Aviation Science, which includes the only four-year Aviation program at a public college in New England.”

Campus Setting

Bridgewater, founded in 1840, is a public college of liberal arts and professional studies. Its 235-acre campus is located in Bridgewater, 28 miles south of Boston. A four-year public institution, Bridgewater State College has an enrollment of 10,774 students. The school also has a library with 305,090 books. It provides on-campus housing that can accommodate 2,065 students. Housing options: coed dorms • single-student apartments. Recreation and sports facilities include: athletic and football fields • baseball and softball parks • gymnasium • tennis courts.

Student Life and Activities

Most students (68 percent) live off campus which does impact the on-campus social scene. Nevertheless, like any college, students do find time to create their own recreational outlets. Popular gathering spots are the campus center, the Rat and Cen-zio’s. Favorite campus activities include Winterfest, Springfest and Homecoming. Bridgewater State College has 67 official student organizations. Circle K, WBIM, the Program Committee and the Student Government Association have strong presences on campus. Bridgewater State College is a member of the ECAC (Division I, Football I-AA), Little East Conference (Division III), Massachusetts State College Athletic Conference (Division III), New England Football Conference (Division III), New England Women’s Lacrosse Alliance (Division III) and Pilgrim League (Division III).

Academics and Learning Environment

For the B student, the learning environment of a college is just as important as the quality of its academic program. Bridgewater State College has 302 full-time and 260 part-time faculty members, offering a student-to-faculty ratio of 23:1. The most common course size is 20 to 29 students. Bridgewater State College offers 44 majors with the most popular being business/marketing, elementary education and psychology and least popular being physics, economics and philosophy. The school has a general core requirement. Cooperative education is not offered. All first-year students must maintain a 2.0 GPA or higher to avoid academic probation, and a minimum overall GPA of 2.0 is required to graduate. Other special academic programs that would appeal to a B student: independent study • double majors • accelerated study • honors program • internships • distance learning.

B Student Support and Success

Bridgewater offers the Academic Achievement Center (AAC), which features learning assistance programs and is home to Second Language Services, the Office of Disability Resources, Tutoring Services, the Writing Studio, Mathematics Services, Study and Research Services and the Communication Laboratory. The college also provides a Core Curriculum that is a skill centered, outcomes-based general education course, designed to help all students prepare for learning in their chosen fields. It is made up of four areas: skills requirements (writing, logical reasoning, mathematical reasoning and spoken communication); core distribution requirements (arts, humanities, natural and social and behavioral sciences, global culture, multiculturalism, quantitative reasoning and the U.S. Constitution); seminars (writing/speaking intensive courses) and requirements in the major (connecting the core curriculum to each major).

Bridgewater State College provides a variety of support programs including dedicated guidance for: academic • career • personal • psychological • minority students • family planning • religious. Annually, 82 percent of freshmen students return for their sophomore year. Companies that most frequently hire graduates from Bridgewater State College include: Accenture • Advanced Rehabilitation System • Bayer Diagnostic • Boston Biomedical • Braintree Rehabilitation Hospital • Brown & Co. • Delta Airlines • Department of Social Services • Fidelity Investments • FleetBoston • Foxboro Company • General Dynamics • Gillette Company • Health South • Investors Bank & Trust • LEC Environment Consulting Little • Mass General Hospital • Massachusetts House of Representatives • May Institute • Meditech • Midwest Express Airline • New England Cable News • Northeast Rehabilitation Hospital • PBS Consultants • PricewaterhouseCoopers • Providence Journal • Putnam Investments • Springborn Laboratories • State Street • Stone and Webster • United States Department of Labor • WCVB TV 5 • Wells Fargo Financial • WPEP 1570 AM.

Support for Students with Learning Disabilities

Students with learning disabilities may take advantage of specific support programs offered by Bridgewater State College. If necessary, the college will grant additional time to students with learning disabilities to complete their degree. Also, a lightened course load may be granted to LD students. Students with learning disabilities will find the following programs at Bridgewater State College extremely useful: tutors • learning center • testing accommodations • untimed tests • extended time for tests • take-home exam • oral tests • readers • note-taking services • tape recorders • early syllabus • priority registration • waiver of math degree requirement. Individual or small group tutorials are also available in: time management • organizational skills • learning strategies • specific subject areas • writing labs • math labs • study skills. An advisor/advocate from the LD program is available to students.

Highlights

Bridgewater State College

Bridgewater, MA (Pop. 25,185)

Location: Large town

Four-year public

Founded: 1840

Website: http://www.bridgew.edu

Students

Total enrollment: 10,774

Undergrads: 8,903

Freshmen: 1,841

Part-time students: 16%

From out-of-state: 4%

From public schools: Not reported

Male/Female: 40%/60%

Live on-campus: 32%

Off-campus employment rating: Excellent

Caucasian: 81%

African American: 6%

Hispanic: 3%

Asian or Pacific Islander: 2%

Native American: 0%

International: 1%

Academics

Calendar: Semester

Student/faculty ratio: 23:1

Class size 9 or fewer: 8%

Class size 10-29: 71%

Class size 30-49: 20%

Class size 50-99: 1%

Class size 100 or more: -

Returning freshmen: 82%

Six-year graduation rate: 54%

Most Popular Majors

Business/marketing

Elementary education

Psychology

How to Get Admitted

For admissions decisions, non-academic factors considered: extracurricular activities • special talents, interests, abilities • character/personal qualities • volunteer work • work experience • state of residency • minority affiliation • alumni relationship. A high school diploma is required, although a GED is also accepted for admissions consideration. SAT or ACT test scores are required of all applicants. SAT Subject Test scores are not required. Academic units recommended: 4 English, 3 Math, 3 Science, 1 Social Studies, 2 Foreign Language.

How to Pay for College

To apply for financial aid, students should submit the following: Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Bridgewater State College participates in the Federal Work Study program. Need-based aid programs include: scholarships and grants • general need-based awards • Federal Pell grants • state scholarships and grants • college-based scholarships and grants • private scholarships and grants. Non-need-based aid programs include: scholarships and grants • state scholarships and grants.

Highlights

Admissions

Applicants: 7,440

Accepted: 4,559

Acceptance rate: 61.3%

Placed on wait list: 500

Enrolled from wait list: Not reported

Average GPA: 3.1

ACT range: 19-23

SAT Math range: 460-560

SAT Reading range: 460-550

SAT Writing range: Not reported

Top 10% of class: 8%

Top 25% of class: 32%

Top 50% of class: 75%

Deadlines

Early Action: 11/15

Early Decision: No

Regular Action: Rolling admissions

Common Application: Accepted

Financial Aid

In-state tuition: $910

Out-of-state tuition: $7,050

Room: $6,420

Board: $3,250

Books: Varies

Freshmen receiving need-based aid: 60%

Undergrads rec. need-based aid: 52%

Avg. % of need met by financial aid: Not reported

Avg. aid package (freshmen): $7,660

Avg. aid package (undergrads): $7,345

Freshmen receiving merit-based aid: Not reported

Undergrads rec. merit-based aid: 1%

Avg. debt upon graduation: Not reported

School Spirit

Mascot: Bears

Colors: Crimson and white