Salem College
Winston-Salem, North Carolina · Private Nonprofit · 76.7% acceptance rate
ROI Score: 26/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Salem College (Winston-Salem, NC) scores 26 (Below Benchmark). The leading problem is a 22.1-year payback period against a net price of $18,277 and average 6-year earnings of $29,800. Median debt of $26,649 combined with earnings of $29,800 produces a 0.894 debt-to-earnings ratio. The 57.4% completion rate and 64.5% repayment rate at three years further depress the score. Salem College is a historically significant women's institution in North Carolina, but the financial outcomes for students are poor.
How Salem College scores under our methodology
These are the College Scorecard measures that pull this school's CampusROI score down. They describe the published figures, not the quality of the education, and they are our reading of the data. Check them against your own aid offer and intended major.
- ROI Score26/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- Payback period22.1 years - The median payback across the schools we score is about 12 years.
Salem College
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $33,848/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $33,848/yr |
| Average net price | $18,277/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $73,108 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $44,640 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $29,800 |
| Median debt at graduation | $26,649 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $283 |
| Estimated payback period | 22.1 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 57.4% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 423 |
Data as of 2024-2025. Source: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education).
The Full Financial Picture
The first number you'll see is the sticker price: $33,848/year, which covers tuition and fees only. After grants, scholarships, and aid, the average student here pays a net price of $18,277/year, or roughly $73,108 over four years. That's the number to plan around.
What you actually pay depends a lot on what your family earns. Families making under $30,000/year pay an average of $19,074/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $24,027/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $26,649, which works out to about $283 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($29,800) and comes to 0.89, under 1.0, meaning median debt is less than a full year of those earnings.
Net Price by Family Income
What families actually pay after grants and scholarships, by income bracket.
| Family Income | Avg Net Price/Year |
|---|---|
| $0 - $30,000 | $19,074 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $16,001 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $16,147 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $19,940 |
| $110,001+ | $24,027 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Low-income families (under $30,000) pay $19,074 per year - higher than the 30001-48000 bracket ($16,001), which is an unusual pattern suggesting aid formula complications or data volatility. At $19,074 per year against average earnings of $29,800, the financial case is very weak. Low-income students at Salem College are taking on substantial debt relative to expected earnings.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
The $48,001-75,000 bracket pays $16,147 and the $75,001-110,000 bracket pays $19,940 per year. Middle-income families in the lower bracket actually pay less than low-income families - an anomalous result that may reflect small sample data. At any of these price points, $29,800 average earnings and a 22.1-year payback period represent poor financial value.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families earning over $110,000 pay $24,027 per year - about $96,000 over four years. Against average earnings of $29,800 at six years, this represents a significant financial commitment with weak return. High-income families considering Salem College for its mission and identity should be clear that the financial data does not make a strong affirmative case.
Earnings by Major
Top 4 most popular majors at Salem College with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $68,431 | C |
| Psychology | $49,464 | C+ |
| Education, General | $47,488 | D |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $45,560 | - |
Earnings reflect median 4-year post-completion (or 1-year where 4-year unavailable). Grades based on debt-to-earnings ratio.
Program Analysis
Why these programs deliver their earnings outcomes.
Business Administration, Management, and Operations
Business Administration (13 graduates) is the strongest ROI program at Salem College: $43,299 at year one and $68,431 at year four with a C ROI grade and 0.624 debt-to-earnings ratio.
Psychology
Psychology (10 graduates) produces $49,464 at year four with a C+ grade and 0.546 debt-to-earnings ratio. No year-one earnings data is available. The four-year figure is better than expected given the school's aggregate outcomes, but the small cohort size limits reliability. The typical psychology undergraduate trajectory - requiring graduate education for higher-earning roles - applies here.
Education, General
Education (4 graduates) earns $36,646 at year one and $47,488 at year four with a D grade and 0.721 debt-to-earnings ratio. Teaching salaries in North Carolina are modest, and the D grade reflects a weak return relative to $26,407 median debt. The very small cohort limits the reliability of this data.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 60.4% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 64.5% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 61.1% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 66.1% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Salem College’s cost and outcomes have moved across College Scorecard releases (2009-2024).
Average Net Price
Completion Rate
Median Earnings, 10 Years After Entry (as reported)
Earnings reflect borrowers measured 10 years after entry and publish on an irregular cadence with a multi-year reporting lag, so this series shows only the years the Department of Education reported - the data is never interpolated.
Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, release years shown. Net price and completion are reported annually.
Admissions Snapshot
| Acceptance rate | 76.7% |
| SAT Math (25th-75th) | 513-600 |
| SAT Reading (25th-75th) | 553-643 |
| ACT Composite (25th-75th) | 16-22 |
| Enrollment | 423 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 55.2% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $6,493 |
At 76.7% acceptance with ACT mid-range of 16-22, Salem College is broadly accessible.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
The combination of very small enrollment, low earnings, modest completion rate, and high debt-to-earnings is a profile that demands careful student scrutiny.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salem College (this school) | 26 | $18,277 | $44,640 |
| Columbia College | 25 | $22,715 | $45,378 |
| Mary Baldwin University | 25 | $12,756 | $44,427 |
| Wesleyan College | 24 | $12,724 | $44,317 |
| Midway University | 24 | $29,579 | $44,246 |
| Hollins University | 21 | $20,896 | $40,075 |
Who Thrives Here
Salem College admits 76.7% of applicants with SAT mid-ranges of 513-600 Math and 553-643 Reading, ACT 16-22 composite. At 423 students with 55.2% Pell grant recipients, Salem College is a very small women's college serving a predominantly low-income student body. More than half of students qualify for Pell grants, yet the school charges $33,848 sticker tuition and delivers average 6-year earnings of $29,800. Students who choose Salem College for its women's college mission and regional identity should understand the financial data clearly and plan accordingly.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Salem College scores 26/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $18,277 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $44,640 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at about 22.1 years. In our view that makes the financial case a hard one to make on the numbers alone, but those numbers are averages: your major, your aid package and what you want from a degree all change the picture, so run your own numbers before you commit.
What to keep an eye on: weak earnings relative to cost, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.89 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 64.5% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $26,649 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $29,800 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.89. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. Your major - and how much you borrow - really matters.
Salem College: Common Questions
Is Salem College worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Salem College scores 26/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $18,277 a year after aid against $44,640 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at about 22.1 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Salem College cost after financial aid?
The average net price - the cost of attendance (tuition, fees, books, supplies and average living costs) minus grants and scholarships, for full-time, first-time students receiving federal aid - is about $18,277 a year, or roughly $73,108 over four years. Because it counts living costs, it can run above tuition alone. That is the number to plan around. Actual cost varies by family income, per the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard.
What do Salem College graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $44,640 ten years after enrolling, roughly $2,840 a year more than the median high-school graduate ($41,800, per NCES, 2022). That earnings gap is what has to cover the cost of the degree.
How long does it take to pay off Salem College?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at about 22.1 years for Salem College. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Salem College graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $26,649, against average earnings of $29,800 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.89. That is under 1.0 (a full year of those earnings); the median across the schools we score is about 0.61. How much you borrow really matters.
What is the graduation rate at Salem College?
The six-year graduation rate is 57.4%. The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our ROI score, since a degree you don't finish rarely pays back.
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Data: College Scorecard API (U.S. Department of Education)
Vintage: 2024-2025 · Last updated: 2026-03-25
Earnings reflect median outcomes for all federal financial aid recipients. Individual results vary by major, effort, and career path.