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Salem College

Salem College is a private campus in Winston-Salem proper — federal locale codes class it as urban. The federal record classifies Salem College as a women-only institution; check current eligibility with admissions.

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What could it cost?

Start with net price after grants, then read the published costs. Each chart names its academic year and the students it covers.

Net price by family income

key chart

Average annual cost after grants for each family-income band. These group averages are not personal price quotes.

IPEDS Income brackets, 2022–23

family-income band

$16,009

family income
under $30k

$19,467

$30–48k

$18,561

$48–75k

$20,207

$75–110k

$22,832

over $110k

These figures don't always rise with income — aid formulas can make a higher bracket cheaper.

Average net price

$18,2772023–24Skip to data table

Average annual attendance cost after grants for the reported student group. Your own aid offer and costs may differ.

Average net price at Salem College rose from $14,810 (2008) to $18,277 (2023).

Average net price — data
Year	Net price
2008	$14,810
2009	$25,627
2010	$33,319
2011	$12,489
2012	$15,895
2013	$14,669
2014	$16,350
2015	$16,504
2016	$17,836
2017	$17,576
2018	$18,010
2019	$18,339
2020	$10,492
2021	$16,717
2022	$18,835
2023	$18,277

IPEDS 16 federal reports, 2008–2023

Total cost of attendance

$48,5322024–25Skip to data table

Estimated annual attendance budget before grants, including tuition, fees, housing, food and books. Not every expense is billed by the school.

Total cost at Salem College rose from $35,610 (2009) to $48,532 (2024).

Total cost of attendance — data
Year	Cost
2009	$35,610
2010	$36,369
2011	$37,631
2012	$39,028
2013	$39,859
2014	$40,574
2015	$41,356
2016	$42,930
2017	$43,725
2018	$45,077
2019	$45,627
2020	$44,461
2021	$37,195
2022	$44,380
2023	$47,947
2024	$48,532

IPEDS Academic-year cost 2009–2024

Tuition & fees

Skip to data table

Published tuition and fees before grants. Housing, food, books and other attendance costs are separate.

Tuition & fees — data
Year	Tuition & fees
2000	$13,730
2001	$14,280
2002	$14,780
2003	$15,500
2004	$16,275
2005	$16,975
2006	$18,164
2007	$19,190
2008	$20,415
2013	$24,566
2014	$25,356
2015	$26,236
2016	$27,406
2017	$28,566
2018	$29,166
2019	$30,016
2020	$31,016
2021	$31,016
2022	$31,016
2023	$32,236

IPEDS Published price 2000–01 to 2023–24 (not adjusted for inflation)

Cost, size & completion summary

Cost, size & completion

Reported tuition is $33,848 before grants and other attendance costs. At Salem College, aid and other costs change the bill. Scorecard snapshot: 2026-06-10; historical charts show their own years.

Enrollment sits at 423 — Salem College is one of the smaller campuses on this site.

57.4% of first-time, full-time bachelor's entrants completed at Salem College within six years (2026-06-10 release). This measure excludes other student groups.

Do students finish — and what comes after?

Graduation, debt and earnings cover different groups. Read each chart's entering class or fiscal period; they are not one group's journey.

Six-year graduation rate

key chart

57.4%entered Fall 2018Skip to data table

The share of first-time, full-time bachelor's entrants who completed at this institution within six years. Other students are not included.

The six-year graduation rate at Salem College has wandered from Fall 1991 to Fall 2018 entering cohorts — up to 67.4% at the peak — but ends near where it began, at 57.4%.

A six-year rate can only describe a class that entered six or more years ago — by definition the last point on the line is that old.

Six-year graduation rate — data
Year	Graduated within 6 yrs
1991 cohort	55.1%
1992 cohort	52.7%
1993 cohort	55.2%
1994 cohort	63.4%
1995 cohort	59.2%
1996 cohort	65%
1997 cohort	57.7%
1998 cohort	50.6%
1999 cohort	51.9%
2000 cohort	51.6%
2001 cohort	52.2%
2002 cohort	52.8%
2003 cohort	60.5%
2004 cohort	56.6%
2005 cohort	52.7%
2006 cohort	62.7%
2007 cohort	63.9%
2008 cohort	65.3%
2009 cohort	60.3%
2010 cohort	57.3%
2011 cohort	56.9%
2012 cohort	60.5%
2013 cohort	58.9%
2014 cohort	66%
2015 cohort	67.4%
2016 cohort	61.8%
2017 cohort	56.3%
2018 cohort	57.4%

IPEDS Entering cohorts 1991–2018

Median debt at exit (completers vs non-completers)

Historical student groups

key chart

Skip to data table

Median federal student loan debt when students left school, shown separately for those who completed and those who did not.

CompletedLeft without degree

Each point combines two years. Neighboring points share one year, so changes should be read with that overlap in mind.

These two-year windows closed before today's students borrowed — they describe past cohorts, not the current price of a degree.

Median debt at exit — data
Year	Completed	Left without degree
Left school in fiscal years 1997 and 1998 (FY1997/98)	$16,625	$5,500
Left school in fiscal years 1998 and 1999 (FY1998/99)	$16,387	$3,164
Left school in fiscal years 1999 and 2000 (FY1999/00)	$15,816	$5,636
Left school in fiscal years 2000 and 2001 (FY2000/01)	$14,583	$6,125
Left school in fiscal years 2001 and 2002 (FY2001/02)	$15,625	$3,404
Left school in fiscal years 2002 and 2003 (FY2002/03)	$14,963	$3,313
Left school in fiscal years 2003 and 2004 (FY2003/04)	$14,500	$3,938
Left school in fiscal years 2004 and 2005 (FY2004/05)	$15,371	$3,969
Left school in fiscal years 2005 and 2006 (FY2005/06)	$15,800	$4,063
Left school in fiscal years 2006 and 2007 (FY2006/07)	$15,540	$4,510
Left school in fiscal years 2007 and 2008 (FY2007/08)	$15,254	$7,500
Left school in fiscal years 2011 and 2012 (FY2011/12)	$19,000	$8,000
Left school in fiscal years 2012 and 2013 (FY2012/13)	$21,000	$7,500
Left school in fiscal years 2013 and 2014 (FY2013/14)	$23,000	$9,230
Left school in fiscal years 2014 and 2015 (FY2014/15)	$24,844	$9,185
Left school in fiscal years 2015 and 2016 (FY2015/16)	$27,000	$9,500
Left school in fiscal years 2016 and 2017 (FY2016/17)	$27,000	$10,250
Left school in fiscal years 2017 and 2018 (FY2017/18)	$26,400	$8,870
Left school in fiscal years 2018 and 2019 (FY2018/19)	$27,000	$8,798
Left school in fiscal years 2019 and 2020 (FY2019/20)	$27,000	$8,750
Left school in fiscal years 2020 and 2021 (FY2020/21)	$26,649	$5,741

NSLDS GRAD_DEBT_MDN / WDRAW_DEBT_MDN, merged FY periods · via College Scorecard

Earnings after entry

Historical student groups

Median annual earnings after entering college, for federally aided students who were working and not enrolled when measured.

Entered: academic years 2013–14 or 2014–15

$38,496

6 years after entry

Entered: academic years 2011–12 or 2012–13

$42,430

8 years after entry

Entered: academic years 2009–10 or 2010–11

$44,640

10 years after entry

Each figure covers a different group of students who entered college in the stated years. Earnings were measured in the same two years; these are not one group followed over time.

Measured in 2020–21, adjusted for inflation to 2022 dollars. Each figure pools two entering academic years.

Treasury Pooled entering cohorts · Scorecard 2020–21 historical file

What does the admissions record show?

Rates and score ranges describe a past admissions cycle. Submitted scores are not cutoffs or a prediction of admission.

Admissions snapshot & test policies

Salem College admitted 1,722 of 2,246 applicants in Fall 2024. The 76.7% rate describes that application pool.

76.7%

acceptance rate · Fall 2024 admissions cycle

rate trend $32,236 tuition · 2023–24 423 undergraduates · Fall 2024

Test-optional (considered) · Fall 2024

400SAT range (section 25th/75th sums): 1066–12431600

Not sure where you stand? Estimate your GPA →

Admissions

In the Fall 2024 cycle, Salem College received 2,246 applications and admitted 1,722 (76.7%), with 136 enrolling.

Salem College reported scores as considered but not required for the Fall 2024 admissions cycle. For Salem College’s enrolled SAT submitters, Reading and Writing was 553–643 and Math was 513–600 (25th–75th percentiles). The section-percentile sums 1066–1243 are not composite-score percentiles. These are not admission cutoffs.

Check current requirements with admissions.

Score	25th	50th	75th
SAT Reading & Writing	553	610	643
SAT Math	513	550	600
ACT Composite	16	19	22

25th / 75th: a quarter of enrolled submitters scored below the first number, a quarter above the second. These are not cutoffs.

Only students who submitted scores are counted — at test-optional schools, many enrolled students aren't in this table.

Percentiles are among enrolled students who submitted scores (Fall 2024 admissions cycle).

Acceptance rate

76.7%Fall 2024Skip to data table

The share of applicants offered a spot — lower means more selective; read it alongside the score ranges below.

Acceptance rate — data
Year	Acceptance rate
Fall 2001	76%
Fall 2002	75.6%
Fall 2003	75.1%
Fall 2004	37.3%
Fall 2005	65.6%
Fall 2006	69.4%
Fall 2007	68.8%
Fall 2008	58.9%
Fall 2009	59.7%
Fall 2010	66.7%
Fall 2011	59.6%
Fall 2012	60.7%
Fall 2013	58.2%
Fall 2014	59.9%
Fall 2015	62.2%
Fall 2016	56.8%
Fall 2017	56.8%
Fall 2018	39.5%
Fall 2019	80%
Fall 2020	84.6%
Fall 2021	90.2%
Fall 2022	87.5%
Fall 2023	87%
Fall 2024	76.7%

IPEDS Fall cycles 2001–2024

SAT range (section sums, 25th–75th)

1066–1243Fall 2024 · submittersSkip to data table

Sums of the reading/writing and math percentiles among enrolled submitters — not percentiles of total SAT scores or admission cutoffs.

SAT range (section sums) — data
Year	25th	75th
Fall 2001	980	1210
Fall 2002	980	1210
Fall 2003	980	1250
Fall 2004	1020	1250
Fall 2005	1000	1200
Fall 2006	1000	1250
Fall 2007	970	1280
Fall 2008	950	1190
Fall 2009	960	1210
Fall 2010	910	1190
Fall 2011	910	1180
Fall 2012	1000	1210
Fall 2013	1000	1200
Fall 2014	950	1250
Fall 2015	940	1240
Fall 2016	950	1200
Fall 2017	1020	1300
Fall 2018	1050	1260
Fall 2019	910	1140
Fall 2020	965	1188
Fall 2021	1053	1200
Fall 2022	930	1220
Fall 2023	1078	1315
Fall 2024	1066	1243

IPEDS Fall 2001–2024, submitters only

ACT middle 50%

16–22Fall 2024 · submittersSkip to data table

The middle half of enrolled ACT submitters, using published composite-score percentiles — not admission cutoffs.

ACT middle 50% — data
Year	25th	75th
Fall 2001	20	27
Fall 2002	20	27
Fall 2003	20	26
Fall 2005	23	29
Fall 2006	20	27
Fall 2007	20	25
Fall 2008	22	28
Fall 2009	22	28
Fall 2010	19	25
Fall 2011	19	27
Fall 2012	21	27
Fall 2013	22	27
Fall 2014	21	27
Fall 2015	21	29
Fall 2016	22	27
Fall 2017	23	29
Fall 2018	21	28
Fall 2019	16	23
Fall 2020	17	23
Fall 2021	17	21
Fall 2022	18	28
Fall 2023	18	27
Fall 2024	16	22

IPEDS Fall 2001–2024, submitters only

What is the campus like?

Enrollment counts a campus population; retention follows first-years returning. Their dates and populations are shown separately.

Undergraduate enrollment

423Fall 2024Skip to data table

Reported undergraduate enrollment. This count does not measure class size or teaching access.

Undergraduate enrollment at Salem College fell from 839 (Fall 2002) to 423 (Fall 2024).

Undergraduate enrollment — data
Year	Undergraduates
Fall 2002	839
Fall 2003	861
Fall 2004	854
Fall 2005	834
Fall 2006	820
Fall 2007	742
Fall 2008	714
Fall 2009	749
Fall 2010	817
Fall 2011	929
Fall 2012	936
Fall 2013	950
Fall 2014	946
Fall 2015	922
Fall 2016	920
Fall 2017	813
Fall 2018	674
Fall 2019	585
Fall 2020	456
Fall 2021	348
Fall 2022	331
Fall 2023	390
Fall 2024	423

IPEDS Fall headcounts 2002–2024

First-year retention (full-time)

68%Fall 2023 cohortSkip to data table

The share of the reported first-time student group who returned the following year. This rate does not explain why others left.

First-year retention at Salem College has wandered from Fall 2002 to Fall 2023 — up to 88% at the peak — but ends near where it began, at 68%.

First-year retention — data
Year	Retention
Fall 2002 cohort	75%
Fall 2003 cohort	77%
Fall 2004 cohort	72%
Fall 2005 cohort	69%
Fall 2006 cohort	76%
Fall 2007 cohort	88%
Fall 2008 cohort	75%
Fall 2009 cohort	74%
Fall 2010 cohort	73%
Fall 2011 cohort	69%
Fall 2012 cohort	80%
Fall 2013 cohort	75%
Fall 2014 cohort	83%
Fall 2015 cohort	83%
Fall 2016 cohort	75%
Fall 2017 cohort	72%
Fall 2018 cohort	76%
Fall 2019 cohort	48%
Fall 2020 cohort	63%
Fall 2021 cohort	73%
Fall 2022 cohort	67%
Fall 2023 cohort	68%

IPEDS Full-time cohorts 2002–2023

More about Salem College

55.2% of Salem College's undergraduates carry Pell grants — the standard federal marker of lower-income enrollment. Carnegie classes Salem College as a primarily residential campus of 423 undergraduates — and 67.5% of the reported first-time, full-time student group returned for a second year.

Salem College's SAT section-percentile sums are 1066–1243 — their midpoint is near the NC four-year benchmark. These are not total-score percentiles. Put your own practice estimate on Salem College's range with the SAT calculator, or bring a saved GPA from the grade tools.

Why some charts are marked “key chart”

key chart

Start with three useful questions: what costs were reported for families in your income band, how many first-time full-time students finished, and what federal debt borrowers held when leaving.

How Salem College compares

State and national medians cover active bachelor-primary institutions, mixing public and private schools. Tuition uses in-state rates at public schools. These are broad reference points, not a ranking of similar schools or your likely bill.

Scorecard dates identify the release snapshot, not a shared measurement year. Earnings describe federally aided students who were working and not enrolled ten years after entry; cohorts and populations differ from the admissions and tuition figures.

Acceptance rate

Fall 2024 admissions cycle · IPEDS

Salem College76.7%

North Carolina median74.9%

National median76.8%

Tuition

Scorecard 2026-06-10 snapshot · published tuition before aid

Salem College$33,848

North Carolina median$19,500

National median$19,591

Median earnings (10 yr)

Ten years after entry · Scorecard 2026-06-10 snapshot

Salem College's snapshot: calendar years and dollar basis unverified.

Salem College$44,640

North Carolina median$45,873

National median$53,781

View comparison data & dates

Salem College, North Carolina and national reference values
Metric & basis	Salem College	North Carolina median	National median
Acceptance rateFall 2024 admissions cycle · IPEDS	76.7%	74.9%	76.8%
TuitionScorecard 2026-06-10 snapshot · published tuition before aid	$33,848	$19,500	$19,591
Median earnings (10 yr)Ten years after entry · Scorecard 2026-06-10 snapshot	$44,640	$45,873	$53,781

Published earnings by bachelor's field of study

For Salem College, these are federal subject groups (CIP), not departments. Median is the middle annual income.

Salem College federal-aid recipients · graduated 2017–18 or 2018–19 · income measured 2022 or 2023 · inflation-adjusted to 2024 dollars. Definitions and limits.

View 4 fields & earnings

Bachelor's field of study (CIP category)	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

These 4 fields listed for Salem College measure earnings after completion. The $44,640 institution-level snapshot above measures earnings after entry; it is not the same cohort or a total for these fields. 29 additional Salem College fields have earnings withheld under federal privacy rules.

Frequently asked questions

What test-score data does Salem College report?

Salem College's enrolled submitters had SAT section-percentile sums of 1066–1243 in Fall 2024. These are not total-score percentiles or a GPA requirement.

What is Salem College's acceptance rate?

76.7% in the Fall 2024 cycle — 1,722 admitted from 2,246 applicants.

How much does Salem College cost?

At Salem College, tuition is $33,848. Tuition is not the total cost of attendance; aid can reduce your bill.

What earnings data does Salem College report?

Median earnings ten years after entry: $44,640. Major figures measure four years after completion. Source and date limits.

Similar colleges in North Carolina

Mid-Atlantic Christian University — 62.2% admitted
Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary — 74.6% admitted
Queens University of Charlotte — 62.1% admitted
Warren Wilson College — 71.3% admitted

Run your own numbers

Data: IPEDS ADM2024 (Fall 2024 admissions, provisional) · IPEDS HD2024/IC2024 directory · College Scorecard 2026-06-10 release (institution and field-of-study files; earnings from Treasury records). Retrieved 2026-09-01. Chart dates follow this institution's available observations; the release date is not an academic year or an earnings year. Some records end earlier than others. Field-of-study cohort dates are shown with the table. Read the date and population definitions.