Once again, Bridgewater College has been recognized by U.S. News & World Report and Washington Monthly in their annual national rankings, signifying its dedication to preparing students for success with a transformative education.
In this year’s rankings, U.S. News recognized Bridgewater as a top performer on social mobility and a Best National Liberal Arts College. Similarly, Washington Monthly ranked Bridgewater on its Best Liberal Arts College and Best Bang for the Buck in the Southeast lists.
“It is always an honor to be recognized for the work our faculty and staff do to empower students of all backgrounds with an accessible and transformative education,” said Provost and Executive Vice President Dr. Leona Sevick. “We constantly strive to create an experience that offers connections to big ideas, supportive professors and real-world learning opportunities to best equip each and every student for personal and professional fulfillment.”
U.S. News’s methodology for its Best Colleges rankings relies heavily on institutional success measures, such as graduation rates, borrower debt and social mobility. In total, measures like these represent more than 50 percent of a school’s rank. Washington Monthly, on the other hand, considers three equally weighted factors in its Best College rankings: social mobility, research and community and national service.
For U.S. News and Washington Monthly, an institution’s social mobility score—which represents how well an institution has graduated economically disadvantaged students—also functions as their Top Performers on Social Mobility and Best Bang for the Buck rankings, respectively. Both organizations evaluate the performance of students who receive federal Pell grants for their rankings, with U.S. News exclusively considering these students for its rankings. This year, 36 percent of students in Bridgewater’s Class of 2028 are Pell-eligible, which is up from 30 percent of first-year students for the 2023-24 academic year. The social mobility rankings from U.S. News and Washington Monthly and this increase in Pell-eligible first-year students reflect BC’s commitment to transparency about college costs and providing an affordable education.
Media Contact:
Eli Quay ’20
Communications and Media Relations Specialist
equay3@bridgewater.edu
(540) 828-5486
09/25/24
