Colleges › North Carolina › Salem College
Salem College
Salem College says yes to 76.7% of applicants. Focus less on getting in and more on what's below — starting with the $44,640 median earnings.
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Salem College sits in Winston-Salem proper — a private campus woven into the city rather than walled off from it. Salem College enrolls women only — one of the few remaining single-sex campuses in the country.
Its highest-earning path is Business Administration, Management and Operations, where graduates median $68,431 four years out. 55.2% of undergraduates carry Pell grants — a plain read on who the campus actually serves. With 423 undergraduates and a residential core, weekends happen on campus — and 67.5% of first-years come back for a second year.
Submitters admitted here typically landed between 1078 and 1315 — near the NC middle for four-year schools. Put your own practice estimate on Salem College's range with the SAT calculator, or bring a saved GPA from the grade tools.
Admissions
In the Fall 2023 cycle, Salem College received 1,951 applications and admitted 1,698 (87%), with 156 enrolling.
Scores help here but aren't the gate. If your SAT sits inside the 1078–1315 submitter range, sending it likely helps; below it, Salem College's own policy says you can leave it out.
| Score | 25th | 50th | 75th |
|---|---|---|---|
| SAT Reading & Writing | 588 | 655 | 685 |
| SAT Math | 490 | 580 | 630 |
| ACT Composite | 18 | 22 | 27 |
Percentiles are among students who submitted scores (Fall 2023 admissions cycle).
How Salem College compares
| Salem College | North Carolina median | National median | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 76.7% | 75.1% | 77.2% |
| Tuition (in-state) | $33,848 | $19,500 | $19,591 |
| Median earnings (10 yr) | $44,640 | $45,873 | $53,781 |
At $44,640, ten-year earnings trail the state median ($45,873). Look at Salem College's major-level rows below before reading too much into the campus-wide number.
Cost, size & completion
Tuition runs $33,848 regardless of where you're from. At Salem College, that sticker is a starting point for aid talks — not what the median family pays.
Enrollment sits at 423 — Salem College is one of the smaller campuses on this site.
57.4% graduate within six years. Roughly 43% don't — ask a Salem College tour guide what happens to them and watch the answer carefully.
Top majors by earnings at Salem College
| Bachelor's program | Median earnings, 4 yrs after completion |
|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | $68,431 |
| Psychology, General | $49,464 |
| Education, General | $47,488 |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $45,560 |
Median earnings for these 4 Salem College programs come from a different federal cohort than the campus-wide $44,640 above — compare rows to each other, not to that 10-year figure. 29 additional Salem College programs have earnings withheld under federal privacy rules.
Frequently asked questions
What GPA and test scores do you need for Salem College?
Among admitted students who submitted scores, the middle 50% scored 1078–1315 on the SAT. There's no published GPA cutoff — pair these ranges with the 76.7% admission rate to judge your odds.
What is Salem College's acceptance rate?
87% in the Fall 2023 cycle — 1,698 admitted from 1,951 applicants.
How much does Salem College cost?
At Salem College, published tuition is $33,848 — net price after aid usually comes in lower. That number is Salem College's ceiling, not a quote.
What do Salem College graduates earn?
Federal data puts median earnings at $44,640 ten years after enrolling. The table above breaks this down by major.
Similar colleges in North Carolina
- Shaw University — 80.2% admitted
- Mid-Atlantic Christian University — 62.2% admitted
- Queens University of Charlotte — 62.1% admitted
- Warren Wilson College — 71.3% admitted
Run your own numbers
Data: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard (Jun 2026), IPEDS ADM2023/HD2024. Retrieved 2026-09-01. Figures reflect the latest federal cohorts, which lag the current admissions cycle.