More selective than 40% of North Carolina colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $48,532. College Scorecard.
Higher than 64% of North Carolina colleges we cover and 58% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 37% of North Carolina colleges we cover and 25% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Salem College acceptance rate & admissions
Of 1,951 applicants, Salem College admitted 1,698 and 156 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class). The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1066–1243 on the SAT or 16–22 on the ACT.
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Salem College tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for students who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (federal aid recipients)
Sticker price (before aid)
IPEDS 2023-24 cost items; total from College Scorecard
College Scorecard; Urban Institute Education Data Portal
What Salem College costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Salem College took 4.1 years on average to finish, so the yearly price adds up to the total below. Payback compares former students' earnings with what high school graduates earn in North Carolina. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $19,074 | $78,203 | 7.0 years |
| $30–48k | $16,001 | $65,604 | 5.9 years |
| $48–75k | $16,147 | $66,203 | 6.0 years |
| $75–110k | $19,940 | $81,754 | 7.3 years |
| $110k+ | $24,027 | $98,511 | 8.9 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.1 years, the average time graduates took (51% finished in 4 years; students who entered fall 2017, IPEDS). Years to pay back = cost to finish ÷ the earnings gain: median earnings of former students 10 years after starting ($44,640) minus $33,516 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in NC (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $11,124 a year. Before taxes, loan interest and earnings given up while in school. Method
College Scorecard (net price, earnings); IPEDS Graduation Rates (time to finish); U.S. Census Bureau ACS (high school earnings). Calculated by EducationGuide.
Salem College majors, earnings & careers
Salem College offers 33 bachelor's majors across 8 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Humanities & Languages · 7
- Arts & Design · 6
- Science & Math · 6
- Business & Finance · 4
- Health & Medicine · 4
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 4
- Communications & Media · 1
- Education · 1
Highest-earning majors at Salem College
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration | $68,431 | $27,000 |
| Psychology | $49,464 | $27,000 |
| Education | $47,488 | $26,407 |
| Criminal Justice | $45,560 | — |
Quick list of all 33 majors
- Accounting—
- Arts and Entertainment Management—
- Biochemistry—
- Biological and Physical Sciences—
- Biology—
- Business Administration$68,431
- Chemistry—
- Communications—
- Criminal Justice$45,560
- Dance—
- Economics—
- Education$47,488
- English—
- Environmental Science / Conservation—
- Ethnic / Gender Studies—
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
- Health Professions Education, Ethics, and Humanities—
- Health Sciences—
- History—
- International Business—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science—
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Mathematics—
- Music—
- Political Science—
- Pre-Med / Pre-Health—
- Psychology$49,464
- Religious Studies—
- Sociology—
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Studio Art—
- Visual and Performing Arts—
- Writing—
— means too few graduates to report earnings.
College Scorecard field of study, latest release
All majors by area with earnings 1 and 4 years out, and debt →Business Administration → Management analyst
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 10.1% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Criminal Justice → Police officer
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 3.5% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Winston
Overall prices in the Winston-Salem, NC area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $1,332. Housing costs 29% below the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 43 inches of rain a year, 6 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: tornado (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high); winter weather (relatively high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Forsyth County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Forsyth County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Salem College with similar schools
Similar private colleges in North Carolina by selectivity, graduation rate and size. Tap “Why?” to see where the price difference comes from.
| School | Acceptance | You'd pay | Graduation | Earnings, 10 yrs | Price gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Salem College | 77% | $18,277 | 57% | $44,640 | This school |
| Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary | 75% | $13,090 | 58% | — | |
| Gardner-Webb University | 77% | $17,674 | 55% | $48,039 | |
| Lees-McRae College | 77% | $28,340 | 42% | $43,415 | |
| Catawba College | 75% | $17,879 | 47% | $48,793 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Salem College would cost you $5,187 more per year than Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, on average.
- Higher sticker price at Salem College, mostly from higher tuition & fees (+$22,530).
- Salem College gives aided families $20,713 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, North Carolina resident | Salem College | SEBTS | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $33,848 | $11,318 | +$22,530 |
| Books & supplies | $1,336 | $800 | +$536 |
| Housing & meals | $13,056 | $7,469 | +$5,587 |
| Personal & travel | $5,740 | $3,717 | +$2,023 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$5,448 | −$672 | −$4,776 |
| Sticker price | $48,532 | $22,632 | +$25,900 |
| Average grants | −$30,255 | −$9,542 | −$20,713 |
| You pay | $18,277 | $13,090 | +$5,187 |
“+” means Salem College costs more; “−” means it costs less. Grants are the sticker price minus the net price. Cost items: IPEDS, on-campus budget. Sticker and net price: College Scorecard, latest reported year; the adjustment reconciles the two. Net price is an average for first-time, full-time students receiving federal aid, not a quote.
Common questions about Salem College
What is the Salem College acceptance rate?
Salem College accepts 77% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 1,698 of 1,951 applicants were admitted. The middle half of enrolled first-year students scored 1066–1243 on the SAT or 16–22 on the ACT.
How much does Salem College cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $48,532 a year. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $18,277 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $19,074 and families earning $110k+ pay $24,027.
How much do Salem College graduates earn?
Former Salem College students earn a median $44,640 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Salem College graduation rate?
57% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 68% return for their second year.
How long does a Salem College degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Salem College costs about $66,203 after grants ($16,147 a year for 4.1 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $44,640 ten years after starting, $11,124 more than high school graduates in North Carolina ($33,516), so the cost is repaid in 6.0 years of that gain, before taxes and interest (EducationGuide calculation).
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Sources on this page: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS; U.S. Census Bureau (ACS); Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS, Employment Projections); Bureau of Economic Analysis; HUD; NOAA; FEMA; Urban Institute Education Data Portal (ODC-By); Wikidata. “Colleges we cover” means colleges awarding bachelor's degrees to at least 100 undergraduates. Averages are not quotes; confirm costs with the school. How we score
Data: download this school's data (JSON) · Markdown · all datasets
Cite this: “Salem College: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/salem-college (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).