Bridgewater College vs Wake Forest University (WFU)

Bridgewater College and Wake Forest University, two distinct institutions of higher learning, offer unique educational experiences to prospective students. Bridgewater College, a private liberal arts college nestled in the heart of Virginia's Shenandoah Valley, boasts a close-knit community and a focus on undergraduate teaching. Wake Forest University, a private research university located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, is renowned for its strong academic programs and vibrant campus life. While both institutions share a commitment to academic excellence, they differ in several key aspects, including acceptance rates, popular majors, student body demographics, and graduation rates. Explore the comprehensive comparison table below to discover which institution aligns best with your academic aspirations and personal preferences.

	Bridgewater College	Wake Forest University
Overview
Location	Bridgewater, Virginia	Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Campus setting	Suburb: Small	City: Midsize
College type	4 year	4 year
Control/business model	Private (Non Profit)	Private (Non Profit)
Calendar system	Semester	Semester
Degrees offered	Undergraduate and Graduate	Undergraduate and Graduate
Students retention rate	68.0%	94.0%
Common app member	Yes	No
Religious affiliation	Anabaptists

Admission
Acceptance rate	75.1%	25.2%
Application fees		Undergraduate: $85 Graduate: $80
SAT range	1065 - 1250	N/A
ACT range	22 - 28	N/A
Students submitting SAT score	17.0%
Students submitting ACT score	3.0%
Total number of applicants	3,388	15,156
Total number of admissions given out	2,544	3,816
Admitted students who chose to enroll	398	1,412
Yield rate	15.6%	37.0%
Test scores (SAT/ACT)	N/A	N/A
High school GPA	Required	Required
Recommendation letters	Not required	Required
High school transcript	Not required	Required
English proficiency test (e.g. TOEFL)	Not required	Required

Tuition and Fees
Sticker price	$52,750	$79,886
Average net price	$19,592	$24,643
Tuition	$37,500	$58,708
Room & board	$13,360	Room/dormitory: $10,144 Meal plan: $7,870
Available payment plans	Tuition payment plan	Prepaid tuition plan Tuition payment plan

Financial Aid
Students receiving financial aid (Grants & scholarships)	100.0% Average amount $32,545	33.0% Average amount $53,244
Students receiving federal student loan	66.0% Average amount $5,510	17.0% Average amount $4,985
Students taking out private loans	7.0% Average amount $14,207	3.0% Average amount $32,719

Students and Campus
Undergraduate students	1,427 Men 46.3% Women 53.7%	5,472 Men 45.7% Women 54.3%
Graduate students	36 Men 36.1% Women 63.9%	3,475 Men 42.4% Women 57.6%
Racial/ethnic diversity	Low	Low
Out-of-state students	N/A	N/A
International students	1.8%	9.8%
Campus local/setting	Suburb: Small	City: Midsize
Dormitory capacity	1,380	4,152
First year students are required to live on campus?	No	No
Top 5 states where most U.S. students come from	N/A	N/A

Academics
Popular study areas	Kinesiology & Leisure Studies Biological and Biomedical Sciences Psychology Communication and Journalism Liberal Arts	Business Health Professions Legal Profession Education Biological and Biomedical Sciences
Students to faculty ratio	13:1	10:1
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%	90.2%
Dropout rate	37.7%	9.5%
Transferred out	N/A	N/A
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	Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $169,430 Year 2: N/A Year 3: $155,438 Allied Health Diagnostic, Intervention, and Treatment Professions (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $96,143 Year 2: $96,587 Year 3: $105,398 Finance and Financial Management Services (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $73,169 Year 2: $80,510 Year 3: $96,761 Business Administration, Management and Operations (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $86,086 Year 2: $76,836 Year 3: $93,939 Computer Science (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $70,098 Year 2: $71,015 Year 3: $89,902 Accounting and Related Services (Master's Degrees) Year 1: $61,076 Year 2: $65,145 Year 3: $79,400 Business/Commerce, General (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $65,533 Year 2: $66,653 Year 3: $76,702 Law (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $58,731 Year 2: $60,811 Year 3: $72,065 Economics (Bachelor's Degrees) Year 1: $57,100 Year 2: $55,693 Year 3: $70,717 Medicine (First Professional Degrees) Year 1: $56,086 Year 2: $57,411 Year 3: $65,270

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Bridgewater College vs Wake Forest University (WFU)

Bridgewater College

Wake Forest University

Overview

Admission

Tuition and Fees

Financial Aid

Students and Campus

Academics

Outcome

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