BaccalaureatePrivate nonprofit

Salem College

Winston-Salem, North Carolina·Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above·Southeast·salem.edu
6-yr Graduation
57%
+13.0pp vs Baccalaureate
Total enrollment
549
peer median 986
Avg net price
$18,277
-$3.5k vs Baccalaureate
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Admissions & acceptance rate

First-time freshman admissions: how selective the college is, and how many admitted students choose to enroll.

Applied
2,246
2,246 candidates competed
Admitted
1,722
76.7% acceptance rate
Enrolled
136
7.9% yield

Graduation rate & outcomes

Completion, retention, and the equity gap between Pell and non-Pell students.

Overall completion
57%+13.0pp vs Baccalaureate
4-year graduation
50%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
57%
Full-time retention
68%

Pell equity

18.0pp gap
Pell recipients
48%23 of 48
Non-Pell (all)
66%35 of 53
Subsidized loan, no Pell
68%23 of 34
No Federal Aid
63%12 of 19

Non-Pell students graduate at a 18.0-point higher rate than Pell recipients.

Source: IPEDS Graduation Rates (GR) — Pell/SSL cohort, 2024 cohort.

Program outcomes

Federal Program Performance Data: how each program's graduate earnings and debt measure up under Financial Value Transparency and Gainful Employment.

Of 38 Title IV programs, 5 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 33 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
38
Passing
5
13.2% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

38programs
  • Passing5 · 13.2%
  • No Data33 · 86.8%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
0
Watch
0
Safe
5
No data
33

Tiers band programs by how far graduate earnings sit above or below the benchmark, from Critical (below −15%) through Safe (above +25%). No data means earnings were privacy-suppressed.

Earnings premium gap

Graduate earnings versus the federal benchmark, worst gaps first.

5
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
+34.2%
$61,499 vs $45,831
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
+41.5%
$45,560 vs $32,203
Education General
Bachelor Degree · Education
+47.5%
$47,488 vs $32,203
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
+53.6%
$49,464 vs $32,203
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+112.5%
$68,431 vs $32,203

Debt vs earnings

Median completer debt against median graduate earnings, highest burden first.

5
Student Counseling and Personnel Services
Master's Degree · Education
78%
$47,680 debt · $61,499 earn
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
59%
$27,000 debt · $45,560 earn
Education General
Bachelor Degree · Education
57%
$27,000 debt · $47,488 earn
Psychology General
Bachelor Degree · Psychology
51%
$25,274 debt · $49,464 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
40%
$27,000 debt · $68,431 earn

Accreditation status & history

Who accredits the institution, current standing, and any past actions.

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1922Next review Jun 2019
AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Accredited since 1922Next review Jun 2027

Programmatic accreditations · 2

Action history · 18

  1. Aug 2024Deny Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  2. Aug 2024Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  3. Dec 2023Heightened Monitoring or Focused Review
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  4. Mar 2023Grant Substantive Change: Program
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges
  5. Dec 2022Renewal of Accreditation
    Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Commission on Colleges

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Tuition & cost

What families actually pay, broken down by family income.

Net price by family income

Aid exceeds costFamily pays
$0–30k$19,074
$30–48k$16,001
$48–75k$16,147
$75–110k$19,940
$110k+$24,027

Negative values mean aid exceeds the published cost of attendance for that income band.

Avg net price (private)
$18,277
-$3,482vs Baccalaureate median $21,760
Federal loans
44.6%
In-state tuition
$33,848
Out-of-state
$33,848

Federal aid volume & trends

Pell grants and federal Direct Loan volume disbursed to students, and how they've trended.

In AY 2024–25, 280 students received $1.7M in Pell grants, alongside $2.4M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
280
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$1.7M
$1,727,986 total
Direct Loans
$2.4M
444 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

0k
20
0k
21
0k
22
0k
23
0k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$718K
183 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$535K
178 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$737K
49 loan awards
Parent PLUS$367K
30 loan awards
Grad PLUS$27K
4 loan awards

Loan awards count each loan type a student holds, not unique borrowers; one student may carry several (e.g. subsidized and unsubsidized), so the per-type figures are the reliable detail.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student loan default rate

The share of student borrowers who default on federal loans within three years, against the national benchmark.

Of 300 borrowers who entered repayment, 4 (1.3%) defaulted within three years below the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
1.3%
-1.0pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
300
Defaulted
4
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
4.1%
2017
6.3%
2018
4.4%
2019
1.3%
2020*
0.0%
This institutionNational rate

* Cohorts 2020 and later read near 0% because the federal COVID-19 payment pause (CARES Act) suspended defaults nationwide. These years reflect a national policy, not institutional performance; the 2019 cohort is the last measured under normal repayment.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Academic programs at Salem College

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs43
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

92 total completions
01Education
3133.7%
02Visual/Performing Arts
1213.0%
03Health Professions
1010.9%
04Business
1010.9%
05Social Sciences
88.7%
06Psychology
55.4%
07English Language
55.4%
08Biological Sciences
44.3%
09Foreign Languages
44.3%
10Mathematics
33.3%

Enrollment trends & demographics

Fall headcount, 12-month unduplicated enrollment, and student body composition.

Fall total
549
12-mo unduplicated
587
Undergraduate
499
Graduate
88

Gender split

Men
2%10
Women
98%577

Race / ethnicity composition

White
48.9%
Hispanic
19.9%
Black
19.4%
Non-resident
3.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native
3.5%
Asian
2.4%
Unknown
1.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.2%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

How athletic participation, aid, and spending are split between men and women.

Athletes
88
0 M · 88 W
Women athletes
100.0%
Athletic aid
$0
Total student aid
Budget
$556K
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$0
Recruiting expense
$1K
Head-coach salaries
$42K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 5

Softball
· 22 W
$73K
Volleyball
· 22 W
$119K
Soccer
· 20 W
$90K
Basketball
· 12 W
$90K
Tennis
· 12 W
$26K

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Campus safety & crime statistics

Reported on-campus crimes over the last three years, including violence and hate crimes.

Criminal offenses · per 1,000 students
9.63
5 offenses · 519 students

3-year trend

2.022 yrs ago0.001 yr ago9.63Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
6
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
6
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

Fondling
2
Aggravated assault
2
Burglary
1

By location

5total
  • On campus5

Includes 4 in residence halls (a subset of on-campus, not added to the total).

VAWA offenses

0
Domestic violence
0
Dating violence
2
Stalking
2 total under the Violence Against Women Act.

Hate crimes by bias

No hate crimes reported.

Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

CategoryArrestsReferrals
Weapons01
Drugs01
Liquor03

Residence-hall fires

No residence-hall fires reported.

Source: U.S. Dept. of Education

Student-faculty ratio

Student-to-faculty ratio and instructional staff counts.

Student-to-faculty
9.0:1
Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
35

Salem College vs Peer comparison

The peer institutions Salem College selected for federal comparison reporting.

GraduationRetentionSelectivityEnrollmentAffordabilityYield
This institutionPeer median

A larger shape on any axis means this institution outperforms its peers on that dimension. For acceptance rate and net price, lower raw values are inverted so "more selective" and "more affordable" appear larger.

Carnegie
SubjectSalem College
57%549$18,277Baccalaureate
42%71.3%791$21,249Baccalaureate
46%80.0%1,180$22,270Baccalaureate
34%45.2%1,302$20,894Baccalaureate
25%50.7%180$28,299Baccalaureate
70%74.2%1,465$22,488Baccalaureate
Peer group median44%71.3%986$21,760

Institutions like Salem College

Explore the federal data for institutions in Salem College's comparison group.

Salem College Institutional Research office

The IR team responsible for the institution's federal reporting.

Team
1 member
  • Gary Daynes
    Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness

Frequently asked questions about Salem College

Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Salem College.

What is the graduation rate at Salem College?

Salem College reports a 6-year graduation rate of 57% per the latest IPEDS.

How many students attend Salem College?

Salem College reports a total enrollment of 549 students per the latest IPEDS.

What is the average net price at Salem College?

The average net price at Salem College is $18,277 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

What is the yield rate at Salem College?

Salem College's yield rate is 7.9%, the share of admitted students who enrolled, per the latest IPEDS.

Where is Salem College located?

Salem College is located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina 27101.

About the data on this page

Every figure comes from an official federal or public source. Here is each one and the release it is currently on.

IPEDS2025 provisional data (Fall 2025–26 release, July 28, 2026)
Enrollment, completions, graduation rates, tuition, financial aid, staffing, and finance for every U.S. institution in federal student aid programs.
College ScorecardJune 10, 2026 release (merged 2025–26 files)
Institution and field-of-study costs, graduate earnings, debt, completion, and admissions outcomes compiled from federal aid records, tax data, and IPEDS.
FVT/GE program performanceProvisional preview, May 18, 2026 release
Program-level debt-to-earnings and earnings-premium measures behind the FVT/GE and STATS accountability frameworks.
DAPIP accreditationContinuously refreshed
Accreditation status for institutions and programs, reported by recognized accrediting agencies.
Federal Pell Grant volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Pell Grant recipient counts, award amounts, and disbursements by institution and award year.
Federal student loan volumeAY 2025–26 (through Q3), through March 31, 2026
Federal Direct Loan recipient counts and disbursement volume by institution and award year.
Cohort Default RatesFY 2022 official rates
Institution-level federal student loan default rates, measuring borrowers who default within three years of entering repayment.
Equity in Athletics (EADA)Academic year 2024–25
Athletics participation, coaching, revenues, and expenses by sport and gender for Title IV institutions.
Campus Safety & SecurityData through reporting year 2024
Criminal offenses, arrests, disciplinary actions, VAWA offenses, and fire statistics reported by campus under the Clery Act.

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