Our Students
Bridgewater State University has heavily invested in the success of our students and we have the rankings to prove it.
Unwavering Support
Soon after transferring to Bridgewater from Massasoit Community College, Cindy Mack, ’23, ’24, learned three family members were murdered in Trinidad. Thinking he would need to take a leave of absence, Cindy instead discovered faculty and staff willing to help him in the face of tragedy.
That steadfast support continued throughout his time as a Bear.
He even received funding to travel to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago and produce a documentary about LGBTQIA+ discrimination in the country. An immigrant from the Caribbean nation and member of the LGBTQIA+ community, Cindy explored how same-sex intimacy was historically a criminal act and transphobia and homophobia remain pervasive.
Cindy, who studied political science and criminal justice, capped off his undergraduate years by serving as a student representative on the state Board of Higher Education, a position that he saw as a way to say: “thank you.”
"I can’t repay Bridgewater for what it’s done for not just my academic but personal wellbeing. Going back to school saved me from having a mental breakdown. It gave me a purpose."
Cindy Mack, ’23, ’24
Navigating Toward Success
Bridgewater State University’s extraordinary commitment to student success and investment in personalized, innovative retention services has not gone unnoticed. The Wall Street Journal ranked BSU in the top 7 percent of all U.S. universities for advancing the social mobility of students , and in Massachusetts we are 4th out 100-plus universities for advancing the social mobility of our graduates.
Through equity-minded solutions, we have developed and grown our Student Navigators Program to serve students at risk of not persisting with data-informed interventions. Simply said, we provide students – all of our students – with layers of support they need to succeed. Our navigators meet students where they are, as do all student-facing offices such as our Lewis and Gaines Center for Inclusion and Equity (LGCIE), our Pride Center, and our Academic Achievement Center (AAC).
From our faculty retention coordinators who serve in our academic departments, to the implementation of EAB Navigate (a student success care coordination platform), to expanded resources in the AAC, to our holistic Freshman Grade Point Recovery Program, to our extensive “Need Help?” campaign that provides a one-stop digital resource guide for students seeking support and crisis resources – our commitment to our students is unflagging.
Financial support for equity
For these efforts, Bridgewater has garnered financial support from private donors, corporations, and granting agencies that has enabled us to scale up our efforts. The Bridgewater State University Foundation has played a critical role in the support of our equitable student success programs.
In addition to providing the most need-based aid to students than at any other time in Bridgewater’s history, our Foundation support has also enabled us to award merit scholarships to include all incoming students with a GPA of 3.4-plus.
We have launched retention scholarships to support the success of students in good academic standing who would have otherwise stopped their education because of unpaid tuition and fees, and we are continuing to increase our flexible Student Emergency Fund to help students persist during unexpected life challenges.
Our finish-line scholarships do just that, help our hardworking students – nearly half of which represent the first generation in their families to go to college – with that little extra support, often less than $2,000, to complete their degrees, enabling them to enter the professional workforce, to raise families, to serve, to lead, to live Bridgewater motto: Not to be ministered unto but to minister.”
Navigating Toward Success
Bridgewater State University’s extraordinary commitment to student success and investment in personalized, innovative retention services has not gone unnoticed. The Wall Street Journal ranked BSU in the top 7 percent of all U.S. universities for advancing the social mobility of students , and in Massachusetts we are 4th out 100-plus universities for advancing the social mobility of our graduates.
Through equity-minded solutions, we have developed and grown our Student Navigators Program to serve students at risk of not persisting with data-informed interventions. Simply said, we provide students – all of our students – with layers of support they need to succeed. Our navigators meet students where they are, as do all student-facing offices such as our Lewis and Gaines Center for Inclusion and Equity (LGCIE), our Pride Center, and our Academic Achievement Center (AAC).
From our faculty retention coordinators who serve in our academic departments, to the implementation of EAB Navigate (a student success care coordination platform), to expanded resources in the AAC, to our holistic Freshman Grade Point Recovery Program, to our extensive “Need Help?” campaign that provides a one-stop digital resource guide for students seeking support and crisis resources – our commitment to our students is unflagging.
Financial support for equity
For these efforts, Bridgewater has garnered financial support from private donors, corporations, and granting agencies that has enabled us to scale up our efforts. The Bridgewater State University Foundation has played a critical role in the support of our equitable student success programs.
In addition to providing the most need-based aid to students than at any other time in Bridgewater’s history, our Foundation support has also enabled us to award merit scholarships to include all incoming students with a GPA of 3.4-plus.
We have launched retention scholarships to support the success of students in good academic standing who would have otherwise stopped their education because of unpaid tuition and fees, and we are continuing to increase our flexible Student Emergency Fund to help students persist during unexpected life challenges.
Our finish-line scholarships do just that, help our hardworking students – nearly half of which represent the first generation in their families to go to college – with that little extra support, often less than $2,000, to complete their degrees, enabling them to enter the professional workforce, to raise families, to serve, to lead, to live Bridgewater motto: Not to be ministered unto but to minister.”
By the Numbers
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For Every Student
Bridgewater State University opens doors for every student, without exception.
Queer Prom
The Pride Center's annual dance for the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies.
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