Payback
EarningsPlus
Economic score
Salem College is a private liberal arts college located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Salem College is very inclusive in their admissions.
Return on educational investment at Salem College is in the bottom 50% of all ranked schools. The median student earns $41,578 10 years after enrolling, 35th in North Carolina, and in the bottom 25% nationally. When adjusted for earning differences by major, Salem College bachelor students earn 15% less than the national average. Salem College is ranked 24th in North Carolina.
Salem College’s median net annual cost of $18,339 and average years to graduate of 4.1 are reported only at the school level. We assume these same costs and graduation time for all programs.
The top 4 programs at Salem College sorted by number of graduates - Business Administration, Biology, Education, Psychology - are shown below.
Annual net cost
$18,339
Average years to graduate
4.1
When a school's graduation rate falls in the bottom 25% in the country, we do not display an economic ranking.
When a school's graduation rate falls in the bottom 25% in the country, we do not display an economic ranking.
EarningPlus compares the three-year post graduate earnings to the median earnings of the same graduating class, with the same graduate degree. These 2 metrics, debt-to-earnings and EarningsPlus, are combined into an economic score. The lower the economic score the better.
The most popular 1 graduate programs at Salem College - Student Counseling - are shown below.
The average full-time graduate completes their degree in 4.1 years. 60% of all students graduate within 8 years including part-time students. The graduation rate at Salem College is 3% higher than the state average, and 9% below the average for all liberal arts colleges in the country.
At Salem College, Pell Grant recipients represent 58% of the measured graduating class, 23% higher than the national average of 35%. The average Pell Grant recipient at Salem College graduates within 4 years.
Salem College is in the top 10% of schools for graduating Pell recipients.
We calculate this performance by adjusting the graduation rate of Pell students by their percentage of the student body. This adjustment is made to prevent schools with large numbers of Pell students from underperforming in comparison to schools with few Pell students but high graduation rates.
Salem College’s economic mobility score of 28.53 is calculated by adjusting the 3.75 economic score of lower-income students by the 58% pell grant recipients within the student body. Salem College’s EMS of 28.53 ranks in the top 25% nationally.false
Economic Mobility
To calculate economic mobility of low-income (household earnings below $30,000) students, we adjust each institution’s economic score by their percentage of Pell Grant students. The logic of this Pell-adjusted calculation is derived from Third Way’s Economic Mobility Index (EMI).
Top 25%
The average Title IV recipient at Salem College pays $18,339 a year, $30,827 less than the $49,166 advertised. See below the cost breakdown for students who receive Title IV grants, broken down by income level.
Average net price
The average net price shown by income level for all students that receive Title IV aid. Calculated by deducting the average grant and scholarship aid from tuition, fees, books, and room and board. Limited to first-time, full-time students. Public institution figures are calculated using in-state tuition figures.
Median net price $18,339
Much of the gap between net price and sticker price is filled by institutional and government grants. At Salem College, 99% of students receive some grants and scholarships, compared to the national average of 87% for all colleges and universities. The average amount of federal, state, and institutional grants that students receive is shown on the right.
This leaves a total of $18,339 on average to be covered by the student – be it through loans or out of pocket. In total, 51% of students take out loans, federal or private, at an average amount of $4,542. This is 3% less than the national average.
Federal grants
$4,282
Pell grants
$4,432
State grants
$5,980
Institutional grants
$17,227
Salem College's very inclusive admissions are indicated by their 90% acceptance rate. In 2021, the school had 479 applicants, of which 432 were admitted and 48 enrolled. Salem College has a rolling admissions policy, which means applications are reviewed as they arrive until all spaces are filled.
Full time
78%
83%
Female
N/A
59%
First time
59%
59%
In-state
89%
68%
1st generation
33%
35%
White
53%
52%
Black
16%
14%
Hispanic
18%
15%
Asian
2%
5%
American Indian
N/A
1.6%
Pacific Islander
N/A
0.3%
Other
11%
12%