Bridgewater College

Bridgewater College logo
#7331 / #1942
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#457
Most Desirable School
Higher education institution in Bridgewater, Virginia

Bridgewater College at a Glance

U.S. influence rank
#1942
Acceptance rate (fall 2024)
92%
Tuition and fees (2025–26)
$17,523
Graduation rate
52%
Undergraduates (fall 2024)
1,400

Reviewed by , Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error

Bridgewater College Featured Rankings

About Bridgewater College

According to Wikipedia, Bridgewater College is a private liberal-arts college in Bridgewater, Virginia. Established in 1880, Bridgewater College admitted both men and women from the time of its founding and was the first four-year liberal arts college in Virginia to do so. Approximately 1,800 students are enrolled.

Bridgewater College Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceRetention RateGraduation RateMedian SAT Score
3,98492%75%52%1190

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2024; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.

How Much Does Bridgewater College Cost To Attend?

Tuition and fees (in-state)
$17,523
Average Net Price by Family Income (2024–25)
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$16,892
30K - 48K$17,458
48K - 75K$18,037
75K - 110K$21,880
110K+$25,131

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.

How Much Do Bridgewater College Graduates Make?

Ten years after starting college, former Bridgewater College students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $58,669 a year, and 96% of those not still in school are working.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.

Bridgewater College's Demographics

Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
1,5011,44655

Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.

Where is Bridgewater College?

Bridgewater College is located at 402 E College St, Bridgewater, VA 22812-1599.

How Safe is Bridgewater College?

Like every college that receives federal student aid, Bridgewater College publishes an annual security report with its campus crime statistics and safety policies. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.

Relative to its enrollment, Bridgewater College has a violent crime rate of 0.07% and a property crime rate of 0.41%. Bridgewater has a violent crime rate of 0.03% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 0.57%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.

What Is Bridgewater College Known For?

Bridgewater College is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:

Bridgewater College's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Each rank compares how much Bridgewater College's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence

Literature
#1143
World Rank
#1203
Historical Rank
#380
USA Rank

Bridgewater College ranks #380 in the U.S. and #1143 worldwide for influence in Literature.

literature Degrees
Communications
#2921
World Rank
#2948
Historical Rank
#776
USA Rank

Bridgewater College ranks #776 in the U.S. and #2921 worldwide for influence in Communications.

communications Degrees
Political Science
#4078
World Rank
#4085
Historical Rank
#942
USA Rank

Bridgewater College ranks #942 in the U.S. and #4078 worldwide for influence in Political Science.

political-science Degrees
Physics
#4062
World Rank
#4082
Historical Rank
#988
USA Rank

Bridgewater College ranks #988 in the U.S. and #4062 worldwide for influence in Physics.

physics Degrees
Sociology
#3330
World Rank
#3337
Historical Rank
#1012
USA Rank

Bridgewater College ranks #1012 in the U.S. and #3330 worldwide for influence in Sociology.

sociology Degrees
Economics
#6051
World Rank
#6054
Historical Rank
#1175
USA Rank

Bridgewater College ranks #1175 in the U.S. and #6051 worldwide for influence in Economics.

economics Degrees
History
#4397
World Rank
#4407
Historical Rank
#1380
USA Rank

Bridgewater College ranks #1380 in the U.S. and #4397 worldwide for influence in History.

history Degrees
Philosophy
#5737
World Rank
#5770
Historical Rank
#1719
USA Rank

Bridgewater College ranks #1719 in the U.S. and #5737 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.

philosophy Degrees
Chemistry
#7302
World Rank
#7309
Historical Rank
#2069
USA Rank

Bridgewater College ranks #2069 in the U.S. and #7302 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.

chemistry Degrees
Computer Science
#9554
World Rank
#9562
Historical Rank
#2517
USA Rank

Bridgewater College ranks #2517 in the U.S. and #9554 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.

computer-science Degrees
Mathematics
#8951
World Rank
#8972
Historical Rank
#2559
USA Rank

Bridgewater College ranks #2559 in the U.S. and #8951 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.

math Degrees
Biology
#10141
World Rank
#10156
Historical Rank
#2575
USA Rank

Bridgewater College ranks #2575 in the U.S. and #10141 worldwide for influence in Biology.

biology Degrees
Psychology
#7055
World Rank
#7062
Historical Rank
#2655
USA Rank

Bridgewater College ranks #2655 in the U.S. and #7055 worldwide for influence in Psychology.

psychology Degrees
Business
#9560
World Rank
#9560
Historical Rank
#2683
USA Rank

Bridgewater College ranks #2683 in the U.S. and #9560 worldwide for influence in Business.

business Degrees
Medical
#11368
World Rank
#11371
Historical Rank
#3184
USA Rank

Bridgewater College ranks #3184 in the U.S. and #11368 worldwide for influence in Medical.

medicine Degrees

Who Are Bridgewater College's Most Influential Alumni?

Bridgewater College's most influential alumni include professors and professionals in the fields of Literature, Criminal Justice, and Communications. Here are some of Bridgewater College's most famous alumni:

Wolfgang Drechsler
A Political Philosophy and Innovation Policy scholar.
Pasco Bowman II
A United States federal judge.
Moses H. W. Chan
An American physicist.
Ray Bussard
An American swimming coach .
Ariana C Brice-Tutt
A Researcher.