Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium ProgramsPrivate (for-profit)

Salem University

Salem, West Virginia·Private for-profit, 4-year or above·Southeast·salemu.edu
6-yr Graduation
20%
-25.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
Total enrollment
1,083
peer median 1,090
Avg net price
$14,469
-$3.0k vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
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Graduation rate & outcomes

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

Overall completion
20%-25.5pp vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
4-year graduation
16%
6-year graduation (bachelor’s)
17%
Full-time retention
55%

Pell equity

18.0pp gap
Pell recipients
14%
Non-Pell
32%

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

Program outcomes

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

Of 27 Title IV programs, 6 pass the federal Gainful Employment test and 0 fail. 21 have graduate earnings too small to publish, so they carry no pass/fail verdict.

Total programs
27
Passing
6
22.2% of portfolio
Failing (GE)
0
0.0% of portfolio
Fail rate
0.0%
-0.6pp vs 0.6% national

Pass / fail distribution

27programs
  • Passing6 · 22.2%
  • No Data21 · 77.8%
  • Failing0 · 0.0%

Severity spectrum

Critical
0
Severe
0
Recoverable
0
At Risk
1
Watch
0
Safe
5
No data
21

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.

6
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+8.1%
$64,997 vs $60,112
Curriculum and Instruction
Master's Degree · Education
+29.7%
$60,185 vs $46,391
Educational Administration and Supervision
Graduate Certificate · Education
+42.4%
$66,072 vs $46,391
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
+52.3%
$53,027 vs $34,808
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
+59.7%
$55,583 vs $34,808
Computer and Information Sciences General
Bachelor Degree · Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
+114.8%
$74,772 vs $34,808

Debt vs earnings

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

5
Business Administration Management and Operations
Master's Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
46%
$29,914 debt · $64,997 earn
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Bachelor Degree · Security And Protective Services
40%
$21,063 debt · $53,027 earn
Business Administration Management and Operations
Bachelor Degree · Business, Management, Marketing, And Related Support Services
35%
$19,671 debt · $55,583 earn
Computer and Information Sciences General
Bachelor Degree · Computer And Information Sciences And Support Services
25%
$18,473 debt · $74,772 earn
Educational Administration and Supervision
Graduate Certificate · Education
18%
$11,774 debt · $66,072 earn

Accreditation status & history

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

AccreditedInstitutional accreditor

Higher Learning Commission

Accredited since 1963Next review Aug 2033

Programmatic accreditations · 4

Action history · 3

  1. Jul 2023Renewal of Accreditation
    Higher Learning Commission
  2. Dec 2021Grant Substantive Change: Ownership
    National League for Nursing, Commission for Nurse Education Accreditation · Nursing - Associate degree
  3. Mar 2015Accreditation Reaffirmed: Warning Removed
    Higher Learning Commission

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$12,462
$30–48k$14,635
$48–75k$15,427
$75–110k$15,442
$110k+$16,258

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

Avg net price (private)
$14,469
-$3,049vs Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs median $17,518
Federal loans
66.8%
In-state tuition
$10,750
Out-of-state
$13,750

Federal aid volume & trends

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

In AY 2024–25, 818 students received $4.6M in Pell grants, alongside $8.7M in federal Direct Loans.

Pell recipients
818
AY 2024–25
Pell disbursed
$4.6M
$4,594,190 total
Direct Loans
$8.7M
1,780 loan awards

Pell recipients · 5-year trend

1k
20
1k
21
1k
22
1k
23
1k
24

Loan volume by type · AY 2024–25

Subsidized$2.8M
819 loan awards
Unsubsidized · UG$3.5M
784 loan awards
Unsubsidized · Grad$1.9M
129 loan awards
Parent PLUS$463K
41 loan awards
Grad PLUS$83K
7 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 638 borrowers who entered repayment, 34 (5.3%) defaulted within three years above the 2.3% national rate.

Default rate
5.3%
+3.0pp vs 2.3% national
Borrowers in repayment
638
Defaulted
34
Measurement window
3 years
Federal CDR standard

Default rate vs national, by cohort

2016
17.0%
2017
17.2%
2018
13.1%
2019
5.3%
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

Top program areas ranked by completions.

Distinct CIP programs14
UndergraduateOffered
GraduateOffered

Top program families by completions

261 total completions
01Business
12547.9%
02Security/Protective
4115.7%
03Education
3312.6%
04Computer Sciences
238.8%
05Health Professions
238.8%
06Biological Sciences
103.8%
07Parks/Recreation
62.3%
08Liberal Arts
00.0%

Enrollment trends & demographics

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

Fall total
1,083
12-mo unduplicated
1,400
Undergraduate
1,060
Graduate
340

Gender split

Men
39%546
Women
61%854

Race / ethnicity composition

White
54.0%
Black
14.4%
Non-resident
13.7%
Unknown
9.9%
Hispanic
5.6%
Asian
0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native
0.7%
Two or more
0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander
0.3%

Athletics & Title IX gender equity

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

Athletes
249
145 M · 104 W
Women athletes
41.8%
Athletic aid
$1.6M
Total student aid
Budget
$3.4M
Total expenses

Men vs women · spending splits

Athletic student aid
$833K
$793K
Recruiting expense
$22K
$22K
Head-coach salaries
$37K
$39K
Men Women

Sport-by-sport · 7

Baseball
64 M ·
$514K
Soccer
31 M · 23 W
$470K
Basketball
21 M · 19 W
$822K
Water Polo
14 M · 17 W
$429K
Softball
· 27 W
$310K
Tennis
15 M · 8 W
$302K

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
0.00
0 offenses · 984 students

3-year trend

0.002 yrs ago2.021 yr ago0.00Latest
Offenses · 3-yr
2
Last three years
VAWA · 3-yr
0
DV, dating, stalking
Hate crimes · 3-yr
0
Res-hall fires · 3-yr
0

Criminal offenses by type

No criminal offenses reported.

By location

0total

    VAWA offenses

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

    Hate crimes by bias

    No hate crimes reported.

    Arrests vs disciplinary referrals

    CategoryArrestsReferrals
    Weapons00
    Drugs00
    Liquor09

    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
    19.0:1
    Instructional staff (full-time equivalent)
    20

    Salem vs Peer comparison

    The peer institutions Salem 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 University
    20%1,083$14,469Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
    Washington University of Science and Technology
    67%7.3%1,096Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
    American InterContinental University-Atlanta
    9%801$15,774Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
    Atlantis University
    52%746$20,767Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
    Strayer University-Florida
    100%1,303$17,518Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
    Florida National University-Main Campus
    39%2,750$23,629Masters Colleges & Universities: Medium Programs
    Peer group median46%7.3%1,090$17,518

    Frequently asked questions about Salem University

    Quick answers to the questions most often asked about Salem.

    What is the graduation rate at Salem University?

    Salem University reports a 6-year graduation rate of 20% per the latest IPEDS.

    How many students attend Salem University?

    Salem University reports a total enrollment of 1,083 students per the latest IPEDS.

    What is the average net price at Salem University?

    The average net price at Salem University is $14,469 per the latest College Scorecard. Net price is the published cost of attendance minus grant aid.

    Where is Salem University located?

    Salem University is located in Salem, West Virginia 26426.

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