College Viability Inspection Report

Bridgewater State University

Massachusetts · Public

Bridgewater State University is a public institution in Massachusetts, enrolling 7,504 students as of 2024. It graduates 34% of students in four years, returns 75% of freshmen for a second year, and costs an average of $15,646 a year after grants and scholarships. Of the 9 inspection checks that could be evaluated, 3 are flagged: Retention, Graduation, and Enrollment. This report benchmarks Bridgewater State University's most recent reported year (2024) against 2,000+ U.S. colleges across three dimensions: student outcomes, financial health, and value for money. All figures are drawn from federal IPEDS filings and are reported without editorial judgment.

Bridgewater State University Inspection Flags

Student Outcomes
Financial Health
Value for Your Money

Inspection flags are nine independent checks across student outcomes, financial health, and cost-to-value that surface areas of a college's reported numbers worth a closer look. A triggered flag means the college's data met a specific threshold that students and families may want to ask about — for example, graduation rates slipping below a level, or tuition rising while outcomes decline. A clear flag means the threshold was not met. Flags are signals for further conversation, not verdicts.

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College Viability
Data Summary

Bridgewater State University — All Reported Indicators

Plain-text reference table of every metric and inspection flag for Bridgewater State University. Values reflect IPEDS-reported figures; percent changes reflect endpoint-to-endpoint 2020 → 2024 comparison; percentiles reflect 2024 national rank against four-year public and private nonprofit institutions. Cells marked "not reported" indicate the indicator was not present in IPEDS for this institution.

Student Outcomes

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Four-Year Graduation Rate34.0%-5.6%40th
Six-Year Graduation Rate56.0%-6.7%51st
Full-Time Retention Rate75.0%-1.3%45th
Pell Grant Six-Year Graduation Rate47.8%-9.0%50th
Pell-to-Non-Pell Graduation Gap9.1pp-10.6%50th
Pell Share of Cohort39.0%+6.7%51st

Financial Health

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Revenue-to-Expense Ratio1.08×+14.3%50th
Total FTE Enrollment7,504-13.9%85th
Endowment Value$76.4M+40.7%59th
Net Assets (End of Year)$46.9M+934.1%35th

Value for Money

Metric2024 Value5-Yr % ChangeNational Percentile
Instructional Spending %39.3%-2.9%73rd
Student Support Spending %13.8%+18.2%55th
Administrative Spending %11.8%-2.9%21st
Instruction+Support to Admin Ratio4.51×+4.9%84th
Average Net Price$15,646-10.8%36th
Net Price: $0-30K Income$10,007-24.5%29th
Net Price: $30K-48K Income$11,579-25.3%35th
Net Price: $48-75K Income$13,559-26.6%33rd
Net Price: $75K-110K Income$16,904-21.8%31st
Net Price: $110K+ Income$21,176-8.2%32nd

Inspection Flags

FlagSectionStatus
Retention Below 80%
Bridgewater State University's retention rate fell below 80% in 5 of 5 reported years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Four-Year Graduation Rate Below 50%
Bridgewater State University's 4-year graduation rate fell below 50% in 5 of 5 reported years — triggering the 3-of-5 threshold.
Student OutcomesTriggered
Pell Gap Exceeds 10 Points
Bridgewater State University's Pell graduation gap exceeded 10pp in 2 of 5 eligible years — below the 3-of-5 trigger threshold.
Student OutcomesCleared
Revenue-to-Expense Below 1.0
Bridgewater State University's ratio fell below 1.0 in 1 of 5 reported years — below the 3-of-5 trigger threshold.
Financial HealthCleared
Enrollment Declined 5% or More
Bridgewater State University's total enrollment fell from 8,713 to 7,504 students between 2020 and 2024 (-13.9%) — a decline of 5% or more.
Financial HealthTriggered
Endowment Under $50M or Growth Under 15%
Bridgewater State University's endowment is $76.4M and grew +40.7% between 2020 and 2024 — clearing both the $50 million size threshold and the 15% growth threshold.
Financial HealthCleared
High Cost, Low Completion
Bridgewater State University costs less than the national median AND graduates students at above-median rates — neither condition for this flag is met.
Value for MoneyCleared
Spending on Students Below the National Median
Bridgewater State University spends $4.51 on instruction and student support per $1 of admin in 2024 — at or above the national median of $2.75 in every reported year.
Value for MoneyCleared
Rising Price, Falling Outcomes
Either net price did not rise or the graduation rate did not decline between 2020 and 2024 — flag not triggered.
Value for MoneyCleared