Salem College
Winston-Salem, North Carolina · Website
$44,640
median earnings, 10 years after starting
$44,640
median earnings, 10 years after starting
Salem College is a private nonprofit 4-year college in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with 423 undergraduates and 85 graduate students. Its average net price after grants is $18,277 a year (tuition and fees $33,848). It admits 77% of applicants and 57% of students finish within 6 years. Former students earn a median $44,640 a year 10 years after they started, and graduates leave with a median $26,649 in federal student loans.
Updated Oct 10, 2026 · June 2026 data
Net price
$18,277
US median $17,138
Tuition and fees
$33,848
US median $11,837
Admission rate
77%
US median 78%
Completion rate
57%
Within 6 years, US 58%
Median debt
$26,649
About $283 a month
Earnings at 10 years
$44,640
Rank 2,053 of 5,094 in the US
Cost
What a year costs: posted prices and the average after grants
Net price by family income
Average yearly cost after grants, for students who get aid
- Net price
- $18,277
- Tuition and fees
- $33,848
- Cost of attendance
- $48,532
- Students with a need-based grant
- 55%
- Students with federal loans
- 45%
- Net price, family income under $30K
- $19,074
- Net price, family income $30K to $48K
- $16,001
- Net price, family income $48K to $75K
- $16,147
- Net price, family income $75K to $110K
- $19,940
- Net price, family income over $110K
- $24,027
Net price is what students who get aid pay on average after grants.
Tuition and net price by year
School years 2015-16 to 2024-25. The year on the chart is the year the school year starts.
Yearly cost
Tuition and fees went from $26,236 in 2015-16 to $33,848 in 2024-25.
Admission, completion and retention
Share of applicants admitted, of students who finish and of first-year students who come back
Admission and students
- Admission rate
- 77%
- Average SAT
- 1,082
- SAT reading, middle
- 580
- SAT math, middle
- 547
- ACT, middle
- 19
- Undergraduates
- 423
- Graduate students
- 85
- Part-time students
- 6.2%
- Women
- 100%
- Students per teacher
- 9
- Completion rate
- 57%
- Retention rate
- 68%
- Highest degree
- Graduate degree
- Programs
- 44
- Endowment
- $60.5M
- Other
- Women only
Earnings and debt
Compared with the medians of the colleges of its state, of colleges of the same kind and of all US colleges
Median earnings 10 years after starting rank 2,053 of 5,094 US colleges and 38 of 147 in North Carolina (1 = highest).
| Measure | College | NC median | Same kind | US median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net price | $18,277 | $14,086 | $22,320 | $17,138 |
| Tuition in-state | $33,848 | $6,906 | $31,170 | $11,837 |
| Admission rate | 77% | 75% | 74% | 78% |
| Completion rate | 57% | 48% | 57% | 58% |
| Retention rate | 68% | 72% | 77% | 75% |
| Median debt | $26,649 | $20,000 | $24,287 | $13,271 |
| Earnings after 6 years | $38,496 | $31,569 | $44,392 | $35,656 |
| Earnings after 10 years | $44,640 | $36,048 | $52,928 | $40,813 |
Best-paid programs
Median earnings 1 year after graduation
Same kind: US private nonprofit 4-year colleges. Earnings and debt are medians of former students who received federal student aid. 54% of borrowers lowered their balance within 3 years. 64% earn more than a typical high school graduate 6 years after starting.
Programs
44 fields of study and credentials, with graduates, debt and earnings
| Field of study | Graduates | Median debt | Earnings 1 yr | Earnings 4 yr | US median 4 yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Student Counseling and Personnel ServicesOnlineMaster's | Master's | 15 | $51,305 | $49,734 | $61,499 | $60,111 |
| Business Administration, Management and OperationsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 13 | $27,000 | $43,299 | $68,431 | $68,257 |
| Design and Applied ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 11 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $51,490 |
| Psychology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 10 | $24,250 | Withheld | $49,464 | $50,706 |
| Fine and Studio ArtsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 8 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,367 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsMaster's | Master's | 6 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $59,916 |
| Educational Administration and SupervisionOnlineMaster's | Master's | 5 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| Education, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | $23,250 | $36,646 | $47,488 | $49,808 |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject AreasMaster's | Master's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $63,707 |
| English Language and Literature, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,590 |
| MusicMaster's | Master's | 4 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,285 |
| Communication and Media StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $56,359 |
| Special Education and TeachingMaster's | Master's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $64,397 |
| Biology, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | $26,750 | Withheld | Withheld | $57,214 |
| Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular BiologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $65,466 |
| Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | $45,560 | $55,378 |
| HistoryBachelor's | Bachelor's | 3 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $50,680 |
| Romance Languages, Literatures, and LinguisticsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $55,000 |
| Rhetoric and Composition/Writing StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $48,471 |
| MathematicsBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $69,562 |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/FitnessBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $54,562 |
| Religion/Religious StudiesBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $41,390 |
| SociologyBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $52,657 |
| Visual and Performing Arts, GeneralBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | - | - | Withheld | - |
| MusicBachelor's | Bachelor's | 2 | Withheld | Withheld | Withheld | $42,892 |
In the area
- Jobs, pay and new homes: the county of Winston-Salem and North Carolina on Local Economy
- More colleges: All colleges in North Carolina
- Homes: Homes for sale in North Carolina
Questions and answers
How much does Salem College cost?
$18,277 a year is the average net price at Salem College after grants and scholarships. Tuition and fees are $33,848, and the full cost of attendance with housing, food and books is $48,532. Families earning under $30,000 pay $19,074 on average.
What is the acceptance rate at Salem College?
77% of applicants are admitted to Salem College. The average SAT score of admitted students is 1,082 and the middle ACT score is 19. The median admission rate of colleges in North Carolina is 75%.
How much do Salem College graduates earn?
$44,640 a year is the median pay of former Salem College students who work, 10 years after they started ($38,496 after 6 years). That ranks 2,053 of 5,094 US colleges and 38 of 147 in North Carolina. Its best-paid program one year after graduation is Student Counseling and Personnel Services (Master's) at $49,734.
How much student debt do Salem College graduates have?
$26,649 is the median federal student loan debt of Salem College graduates, about $283 a month over 10 years. The median across US colleges is $13,271. 45% of undergraduates take out federal loans.
What is the graduation rate at Salem College?
57% of first-time, full-time students at Salem College finish within 6 years. 68% of first-year students come back for a second year. The median of private nonprofit 4-year colleges is 57%.
What are the most popular majors at Salem College?
Student Counseling and Personnel Services (15 master's graduates), Business Administration, Management and Operations (13 bachelor's graduates), Design and Applied Arts (11 bachelor's graduates) had the most graduates in the newest year, out of 44 programs.
Official public data, June 2026 release. Net price is for first-time, full-time students who get aid. Completion counts first-time, full-time students who finish within 150% of the normal time. Debt and earnings are medians of students who received federal student aid, measured a few years after they left, in the dollars of the year measured; earnings count former students who work and are not enrolled, including those who did not finish.