Bridgewater, VA – Bridgewater College announced a major tuition reduction for the 2024-2025 academic year. The college’s tuition, previously set at $40,300, was reduced to $15,000, a 62% decrease aimed at making the institution more accessible to a wider range of students.
“Many students and their families look first at the published tuition price when making their college decisions and won’t even consider private colleges if they appear too expensive,” President Bushman explained in an August 2023 article for Inside Higher Ed titled Time to Get Real About Tuition.
One of the main challenges facing private colleges like Bridgewater is that prospective students often focus on the initial “sticker” price and may not understand how financial aid and scholarships can significantly lower the actual cost. Without considering these financial aid options, some students may feel discouraged from applying, despite the potential affordability of attending a private college.
Ian Lane, a sophomore and football player at Bridgewater, echoed this when asked if the new “sticker price” might influence athletic recruits’ decisions to commit to the college. “Nine times out of ten, it’s the parents who are paying for the schooling,” Lane stated. “So, I think the parents will have a bigger reason to push their kids to play sports at Bridgewater.”
Like many other private institutions, Bridgewater College offers a variety of scholarships aimed at easing the financial burden on students and their families. By significantly lowering its base tuition, the college hopes not only to attract new applicants but also to retain current students.
“After last year, I decided I was no longer going to be an athlete here anymore, so I definitely thought about looking at other colleges,” said Bridgewater sophomore Tevyn Sowers. “But with the tuition modifications that Bridgewater has implemented, I felt confident that I could stay at Bridgewater and not have to worry about any influxes or changes in my tuition.”
Bridgewater College aims to use the tuition cut to address concerns over fluctuating costs, a common source of stress for many students and their families. Whether dealing with minor changes in dorm expenses or more significant shifts in scholarship eligibility, students often face financial uncertainty year to year. With a new base tuition of $15,000, the college hopes to provide greater financial predictability, allowing students to focus on their academic success rather than their financial situation.
Bridgewater’s tuition reduction is part of a growing trend among private colleges to reassess their pricing models in response to increasing competition from public institutions and heightened concerns about affordability.
“Momentum for tuition resets among private colleges has grown since 2015. In September, two Iowa private institutions, Graceland University and Wartburg College, announced tuition resets of roughly 39% and 45%, respectively. Other institutions — Lasell University, in Massachusetts, Lenoir-Rhyne University, in North Carolina and Colby-Sawyer College, in New Hampshire — have also recently slashed tuition.” Wrote Danielle McLean in an October 2023 article from Higher Ed Dive titled More colleges are resetting tuition. Does the strategy work?
By lowering its tuition, Bridgewater College hopes to offer both current and prospective students a more secure and manageable path to completing their education.
