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First-Year Applicants

For First-Year Students

Apply for Admission

You should apply as a first-year student if you have never enrolled at another college or university after graduating from high school. Bridgewater State University is the college of choice for first-year students who are looking for a traditional New England campus setting that offers world-class learning opportunities both inside the classroom and beyond.

The incoming class of 2026 is one of the largest and most diverse cohorts of first-year students in our 183 year history. The class includes more than 1,550 new first-year students from more than two dozen different states; 33 percent identify as students of color or multiracial background.

We hope that you, too, will consider becoming a BSU Bear!

Application Checklist | Admission Standards | Advanced College Credit | Admission Types | Ways to Apply

Fall Application Important Dates

Oct. 1: FAFSA available online
Nov. 15: Early Action deadline
Feb. 15: Priority deadline for regular decision
May 1: Enrollment deposit deadline

Admission Types

Early Action

To apply under the Early Action Program, you must submit the application by Nov. 15. An official copy of your high school transcript(s) should follow shortly after so that a review of the application can occur.

Completed Early Action applicants are notified of the admission decision by mid-December. Applicants are either offered admission, or the decision is deferred and the application is reviewed again during the Regular Decision process. First-year applicants offered admission during Early Action have until the May 1 Candidates Reply Date to respond to our offer.

Regular Decision

Fall semester applications are due Feb. 15 (priority deadline).
Applications submitted after the Feb. 15 priority deadline will be considered on a space-available basis. Notification of the admission decision on completed applications will be mailed within four weeks of completion and no later than April 1.

Spring semester (January) applications are due Nov. 1 (priority deadline). Applications submitted after the Nov. 1 priority deadline will be considered on a space-available basis.

Application Checklist

One student holds up another in her arms on Boyden Quad

REQUIRED

Application

You can apply using the BSU online application or the Common Application. The application fee is $50 and we also accept application fee waivers.

You can receive an application fee waiver by sending us your waiver form from the College Board or NACAC, indicating your eligibility on the Common Application or by having your school counselor request a waiver on your behalf with an email to the Office of Undergraduate Admission.

Official Transcript(s)

You should ask your school counselor to send an official transcript directly from your high school(s) using one of three options:

  1. Electronically (i.e. Naviance, Docufide, etc.).
  2. Emailed by your school to admission@bridgew.edu; or
  3. Mailed to: Office of Undergraduate Admission, 45 Plymouth St., Bridgewater, MA 02325

OPTIONAL

Test Scores

You can choose whether to submit standardized test scores (SAT/ACT) to be considered in the admission process. If you choose to submit scores, our College Board/SAT code is 3517 and our ACT Code is 1900. Please consult our Test Optional Policy before deciding which option is the best choice for you.

Personal Essay

You do not have to send us an essay to complete your application, but we would enjoy learning more about your story. We welcome an essay on any topic of your choice, including those that are suggested by the Common Application.

Evaluative Interview

Interviews are optional and often beneficial to both you and our counseling staff as a way to gather additional information to make more informed decisions. You can register online for an interview with the admission counselor who will be reviewing your application.

Recommendation Letters

You are not required to submit letters of recommendation to ready your application for review; however, we appreciate them as a way of getting another perspective on you as an applicant.

Documentation of Learning Disabilities

Disclosing a learning disability in the application and providing documentation (e.g., an Individual Education Plan [IEP], 504 Plan or diagnostic testing) may waive some state admission requirements and also ensures that admitted students who enroll will be provided seamless support by our Office of Student Accessibility Services.

Admission Standards

BSU follows the admissions standards provided by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. The most important factor in our admission decisions is your high school transcript. Research shows that your past performance in high school coursework is the most reliable indicator of your potential future academic success in college. The application check list cited above lists optional items that may provide us with a better sense of you beyond your grade point average and high school coursework.

Required Courses

The state admission standards require first-year applicants complete the following 17 college preparatory courses over their four years of high school to qualify for admission (see the 2019 Reference Guide for notable exceptions).

Column one has the subject, column two has the requirement.

Subject Requirement
English 4 courses
Mathematics 4 courses (Algebra I & II and Geometry or Trigonometry, or comparable coursework) including mathematics during the final year of high school
Sciences 3 courses (drawn from Natural Science and/or Physical Science and/or Technology/ Engineering), including 3 courses with laboratory work
Social Sciences 2 courses (including 1 course in U.S. History)
Foreign Languages 2 courses (in a single language)
Electives 2 courses (from the above subjects or from the Arts & Humanities or Computer Sciences)

Required GPA

First-year applicants completing these courses and earning a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of a 3.0 (B average) or higher on a weighted 4.0 scale are admissible. GPAs are recalculated using just completed college preparatory courses and utilizing a weighted scale. Honors courses are weighted 0.5 point and an additional full (1.0) point is given to courses that are Advanced Placement (AP), Dual Enrollment (DE) and/or International Baccalaureate (IB).

Sliding Scale (GPA/Test Scores)

First-year applicants who do not meet the minimum weighted 3.0 GPA requirement may be eligible for admission using the “sliding scale” provided in the state standards. The sliding scale allows your higher test scores to compensate for a lower GPA, provided you choose to take a standardized test and send us your scores.

Weighted GPA SAT Score ACT Score
2.51 - 2.99 990 19
2.41 - 2.50 1030 20
2.31 - 2.40 1070 21
2.21 - 2.30 1110 22
2.11 - 2.20 1140 23
2.00 - 2.10 1180 24

Other Considerations

Applicants who do not meet the minimum weighted GPA or sliding scale requirements are still encouraged to apply to BSU. You will be considered for admission based on a careful reading of additional information you have provided to us in the optional materials that you have submitted (e.g. essay, letters, interviews, etc.).

The state admission standards explicitly indicate that an applicant with a recalculated high school GPA below 2.0 (C average) may not be admitted as a first-year student. Applicants in these cases are welcome to reapply as a transfer student once they’ve completed college credits at another institution.

Advanced College Credit

Advanced Placement

BSU awards college credit for most AP exams with scores of three or higher. You can visit our online list of AP Exam Equivalencies to see exactly how the credits will appear on your degree audit. To receive credit, please request that the College Board sends official test scores directly to the BSU Office of Undergraduate Admission. BSU's College Board code is 3517.

International Baccalaureate

BSU welcomes first-year applicants who have participated in an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma program to request college credit for IB Higher Level courses in which students have earned scores of four or higher. Please have official test scores sent to the BSU Office of Undergraduate Admission.

Dual Enrollment

If you completed courses at a college or university that counted toward your high school diploma, you may be eligible to transfer those credits toward your degree at BSU. Transfer credit is given only for courses above the 100-level in which you received a grade of C- or higher. Official college transcript(s) should be submitted to the BSU Office of Undergraduate Admission to be formally evaluated for transferrable credit. Learn more about Dual Enrollment at BSU »

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

BSU awards academic credits that students may earn though the College Level Exam Program (CLEP) of the College Board. Official score reports should be submitted to the Office of Undergraduate Admission at the time of enrollment so they can be formally evaluated for credit. BSU's College Board code is 3517. Learn more about CLEP at BSU »

Ways to Apply

You may apply using the Common Application or the BSU Online Application.

BSU Online Application

If you have already set up an account, login.

To create your account and start your application, click the apply now button!

Apply via the BSU Application

The Common Application

Bridgewater State University is a member of the Common Application. If you have already started your Common App, you may simply add BSU to your list of schools! If you haven’t started your Common Application yet, click the button below to get started.

Apply via the Common Application

Related Links And Resources

BSU Admission Test Optional Policy and FAQs
Application Status
Academic Catalog
Student Involvement
Student Handbook
Readmission & Reinstatement
Felony Misdemeanor Form
Disciplinary Verification Form
Honors Program
Career Services
Request Information
Meal Plan Options
SAT Preparation Workshops
Student Accessibility
B.E.A.R.S. (Bridgewater Equivalency and Articulation Report System)

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