Bridgewater College vs Old Dominion University (ODU)

Bridgewater College and Old Dominion University, two distinct institutions of higher learning in Virginia, offer unique educational experiences tailored to diverse student aspirations. Bridgewater College, a private liberal arts college nestled in the Shenandoah Valley, boasts a tight-knit community and personalized attention, with an acceptance rate of 70% and a student body of around 1,500 undergraduates. Old Dominion University, a public research university located in Norfolk, provides a more extensive range of academic programs, including graduate degrees, and a larger student population of over 24,000. While both institutions excel in certain areas, their differences in size, location, and academic offerings may influence your college decision. Explore the detailed comparison table below to discover which university better aligns with your academic goals, preferred campus environment, and personal preferences.

	Bridgewater College	Old Dominion University
Overview
Location	Bridgewater, Virginia	Norfolk, Virginia
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Public
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	68.0%	72.0%
Common app member	Yes	Yes
Religious affiliation	Anabaptists

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.1%	96.2%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $50 Graduate: $50
SAT range	1065 - 1250	1020 - 1220
ACT range	22 - 28	20 - 27
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%	83.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%	11.0%
Total number of applicants	3,388	13,586
Total number of admissions given out	2,544	13,074
Admitted students who chose to enroll	398	2,899
Yield rate	15.6%	22.2%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Not required
High school transcript	Not required	Not required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$52,750	In state: $28,088 Out of state: $48,248
Average net price	$19,592	$17,254
Tuition	$37,500	In state: $7,029 Out of state: $26,664
Room & board	$13,360	Room/dormitory: $7,690 Meal plan: $5,398
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $32,545	91.0% Average amount $7,702
Students receiving federal student loan	66.0% Average amount $5,510	57.0% Average amount $5,222
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $14,207	7.0% Average amount $15,206

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,427 Men 46.3% Women 53.7%	18,678 Men 43.9% Women 56.1%
Graduate students	36 Men 36.1% Women 63.9%	4,816 Men 39.4% Women 60.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Moderate
Out-of-state students	N/A	10.2%
International students	1.8%	2.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,380	4,361
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	Virginia Maryland Pennsylvania North Carolina New Jersey

Academics
Popular study areas	Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology Communication and Journalism Liberal Arts	Health Professions Education Engineering Computer and Information Science Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	16:1
Institutional accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges

Outcome
Graduation rate	62.1%	48.7%
Dropout rate	37.7%	19.7%
Transferred out	N/A	28.2%
Alumni salary by major (Top 10)	Business Administration, Management and Operations (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $36,588 Year 2: $38,559 Year 3: $45,603 Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $42,293 Year 2: $41,565 Year 3: $42,550 Health and Physical Education/Fitness (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,003 Year 2: $31,042 Year 3: $40,629 History (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,642 Year 2: $35,060 Year 3: $40,434 Biology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $25,400 Year 2: $26,353 Year 3: $40,402 Fine and Studio Arts (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: N/A Year 3: $36,416 Communication and Media Studies (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $29,542 Year 2: $29,685 Year 3: $35,072 Psychology, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $26,753 Year 2: $30,771 Year 3: $34,515 Sociology (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $30,038 Year 2: $32,467 Year 3: $33,797 Family and Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: N/A Year 2: $23,649 Year 3: $26,916	Engineering, Other (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $98,047 Year 2: $106,421 Year 3: $104,107 Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $105,948 Year 2: $95,295 Year 3: $103,379 Engineering, General (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $79,161 Year 2: $78,719 Year 3: $83,937 Computer Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $63,137 Year 2: $72,231 Year 3: $83,852 Education, Other (Doctoral Degrees) Year 1: $74,043 Year 2: $71,854 Year 3: $77,597 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $64,315 Year 2: $58,673 Year 3: $75,302 Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,709 Year 2: $66,126 Year 3: $74,887 Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $72,357 Year 2: $71,114 Year 3: $74,858 Computer and Information Sciences, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $59,112 Year 2: $61,516 Year 3: $73,924 Mechanical Engineering (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $64,804 Year 2: $62,654 Year 3: $72,559

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