More selective than 5% of Massachusetts colleges we cover.
College Scorecard, Fall 2024 entering class
Average after grants for all families receiving federal aid. Pick your income above.
Sticker price $28,291. College Scorecard.
Higher than 15% of Massachusetts colleges we cover and 41% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median 54%.
Within 6 years · College Scorecard
Higher than 34% of Massachusetts colleges we cover and 61% of colleges nationwide. U.S. median $53,263.
Median, 10 years after starting · College Scorecard
Salem State University acceptance rate & admissions
Of 4,852 applicants, Salem State University admitted 4,637 and 810 enrolled (IPEDS, Fall 2023 entering class).
IPEDS Admissions, Fall 2023 entering class
Test scores: College Scorecard, Fall 2024. Other figures: College Scorecard; IPEDS
Salem State University tuition, cost & net price
What families actually pay per year, by income
Average net price after grants and scholarships for Massachusetts residents who receive federal aid. Tap your income band.
College Scorecard, latest reported year (in-state, 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 State University costs to finish, and how fast it pays back
Graduates of Salem State University took 4.3 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 Massachusetts. The figures follow your residency and income choices above.
| Family income | Net price / yr | Cost to finish | Years to pay back |
|---|---|---|---|
| $0–30k | $10,516 | $45,429 | 2.7 years |
| $30–48k | $13,870 | $59,918 | 3.6 years |
| $48–75k | $13,821 | $59,707 | 3.6 years |
| $75–110k | $17,590 | $75,989 | 4.5 years |
| $110k+ | $23,223 | $100,323 | 6.0 years |
Cost to finish = yearly price × 4.3 years, the average time graduates took (41% 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 ($56,662) minus $39,880 for high school graduates ages 25-34 in MA (Census ACS 2020-2024), a gain of $16,782 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 State University majors, earnings & careers
Salem State University offers 58 bachelor's majors across 9 areas. Earnings below are for this school's graduates of each major, four years after finishing.
- Business & Finance · 11
- Humanities & Languages · 9
- Social Sciences & Public Service · 9
- Science & Math · 8
- Arts & Design · 7
- Health & Medicine · 6
- Education · 4
- Communications & Media · 3
- Technology & Computing · 1
Highest-earning majors at Salem State University
| Major | Earnings, 4 yrs | Median debt |
|---|---|---|
| Nursing | $95,550 | $28,500 |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $92,380 | $27,000 |
| Chemistry | $81,266 | $27,000 |
| Business Administration | $67,789 | $27,000 |
| Biology | $67,551 | $27,000 |
| Mathematics | $61,259 | — |
| Social Work | $60,026 | $27,000 |
| Criminal Justice | $59,774 | $26,220 |
Quick list of all 58 majors
- Accounting—
- Allied Health (Imaging / Therapy / Tech)—
- Biochemistry—
- Biology$67,551
- Biotechnology—
- Business Administration$67,789
- Cell / Cellular Biology and Anatomical Sciences—
- Chemistry$81,266
- Communications$50,260
- Computer and Information Sciences$92,380
- Criminal Justice$59,774
- Dance—
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology—
- Economics—
- Education$45,568
- Education (Elementary / Secondary)$56,509
- Education (Subject Teaching)$55,808
- English$43,621
- Entrepreneurship—
- Film and Photography—
- Finance—
- Fire Protection—
- Geography$58,593
- Geology / Earth Science$59,424
- Graphic / Interior / Fashion Design—
- Health Administration$55,323
- History$49,572
- Hospitality Management—
- Human Resources—
- International Business—
- Journalism—
- Kinesiology / Exercise Science$51,362
- Liberal Arts / General Studies—
- Linguistics—
- Management Information Systems—
- Management Science / Analytics—
- Marketing—
- Mathematics$61,259
- Medical Laboratory Science—
- Music—
- Nursing$95,550
- Parks, Recreation, and Leisure Studies—
- Peace Studies and Conflict Resolution—
- Philosophy—
- Philosophy and Religious Studies—
- Political Science$58,499
- Psychology$54,717
- Psychology (Clinical / Counseling)—
- Public Relations and Advertising—
- Rehabilitation / Therapy Sciences—
- Social Work$60,026
- Sociology$51,573
- Spanish / French / Romance Languages—
- Studio Art$50,397
- Teaching English or French as a Second or Foreign Language—
- Theatre—
- Visual and Performing Arts$32,484
- 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
Nursing → Registered nurse
Median annual wage for all workers in this job, not only new graduates. U.S. jobs projected to grow 5.6% from 2025 to 2035.
BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025; Employment Projections 2025-35
Living in Boston
Overall prices in the Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH area.
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
2 bedrooms $2,367. Housing costs 48% above the U.S. average.
HUD Fair Market Rent, FY2027
January and July average highs. 47 inches of rain a year, 39 inches of snow.
NOAA Climate Normals 1991-2020
Highest: hurricane (relatively high); tornado (relatively high); river flooding (relatively high); coastal flooding (very high).
FEMA National Risk Index, Essex County
Campus & students
IPEDS fall enrollment; Carnegie Classification; EADA via Urban Institute
Essex County at a glance
U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2024
Compare Salem State University with similar schools
Similar public colleges in Massachusetts 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 State University | 96% | $15,996 | 50% | $56,662 | This school |
| University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth | 91% | $20,927 | 52% | $68,804 | |
| Worcester State University | 88% | $13,381 | 61% | $60,624 | |
| Westfield State University | 81% | $16,721 | 54% | $57,346 | |
| Fitchburg State University | 87% | $14,262 | 55% | $53,874 |
College Scorecard, latest reported year. “You'd pay” follows your residency and income choices above.
Why the price is different
Salem State University would cost you $4,931 less per year than University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth, on average.
- Lower sticker price at Salem State University, mostly from lower tuition & fees (−$3,274).
- University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth gives aided families $263 more in grants, on average.
| Per year, Massachusetts resident | Salem State University | University of Massachusetts-Dartmouth | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tuition & fees | $12,338 | $15,612 | −$3,274 |
| Books & supplies | $1,200 | $1,400 | −$200 |
| Housing & meals | $16,378 | $17,940 | −$1,562 |
| Personal & travel | $1,784 | $1,772 | +$12 |
| Living-at-home adjustment | −$3,409 | −$3,239 | −$170 |
| Sticker price | $28,291 | $33,485 | −$5,194 |
| Average grants | −$12,295 | −$12,558 | +$263 |
| You pay | $15,996 | $20,927 | −$4,931 |
“+” means Salem State University 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 State University
What is the Salem State University acceptance rate?
Salem State University accepts 96% of applicants (College Scorecard). In the latest IPEDS admissions year, 4,637 of 4,852 applicants were admitted.
How much does Salem State University cost per year?
The sticker price (cost of attendance) is $28,291 a year for in-state students. After grants and scholarships, students receiving federal aid pay $15,996 a year on average; families earning $0–30k pay $10,516 and families earning $110k+ pay $23,223.
How much do Salem State University graduates earn?
Former Salem State University students earn a median $56,662 ten years after starting college, compared with a U.S. median of $53,263 across the colleges we cover.
What is the Salem State University graduation rate?
50% of first-time, full-time students graduate within six years, and 75% return for their second year.
How long does a Salem State University degree take to pay off?
For a family earning $48–75k, finishing at Salem State University costs about $59,707 after grants ($13,821 a year for 4.3 years, the average time graduates took). Former students earn a median $56,662 ten years after starting, $16,782 more than high school graduates in Massachusetts ($39,880), so the cost is repaid in 3.6 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 State University: cost, admissions and outcomes,” EducationGuide.com, https://educationguide.com/colleges/salem-state-university (College Scorecard and IPEDS data).