BSU is committed to providing our students with access to world-class learning opportunities both inside and outside of the classroom at a cost they can afford through careful management of public resources and student funds. As a result of the university’s careful stewardship of fiscal resources, Bridgewater has been able to invest in initiatives and programs that advance our highest priority: student success.
Several factors contributed to the continued strength of the university’s financial position, including:
- Sound financial planning, budgeting and management;
- Implementation of new and more effective recruitment strategies, including the shift to the Common Application, development of a new virtual tour, and an enhanced presence on Naviance (a high school college search platform), resulting in BSU achieving its largest incoming class in its history;
- Development of new academic programs that are responding to critical needs in the marketplace, including BSU’s first engineering program in photonics/optical engineering and expanded offerings in the health sciences;
- Implemented a highly successful Senior College offering 6-week seminars and courses for learners over 50 years old;
- Adoption and expansion of retention strategies targeting at-risk populations of students, including development and scaling-up of a highly successful Summer Bears program facilitating the transition to college for students with lower GPAs and personalized interventions designed to keep students who may otherwise have left the university (e.g., for holds on their accounts);
- Making significant new investments in financial aid (local aid has increased by 33 percent since 2015) and hiring a new director of financial aid to more effectively deploy resources to enhance recruitment and retention;
- Hiring of a new Chief Development Officer and restructuring of the alumni relations and development functions within the president’s office to strengthen alumni engagement and enhance giving in anticipation of launching a major capital campaign in 2020;
- Fully aligning resources with university strategic priorities in the budgeting process
Download Annual Comprehensive Financial Report
2021-2022
The audit report conveys an unmodified opinion of the university’s financial statements for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2022. The link below pertains to the most recent Annual Report.