Salem University
Salem, West Virginia · Private For-Profit
ROI Score: 7/100 · Below Benchmark
Data: 2024-25 College Scorecard release
Salem University scores 7/100 (Below Benchmark). Every sub-score is in single digits: 6/100 earnings premium, 7/100 payback period (999 years, meaning earnings never recoup cost on a normal timeline), 4/100 completion rate (just 19.9% of enrolling students graduate), 12/100 debt-to-earnings (0.837 ratio), and 9/100 repayment rate (only 50% reduce principal at three years). Tuition is $11,900 against a net price of $12,303 (net price exceeds tuition because the calculation includes living expenses and fees). Average 6-year earnings of $29,500 rise to a median of just $34,642 by year 10. Four-year total cost is $49,212 against $24,694 median debt. Salem is a small (892 students) West Virginia for-profit with a 74.6% Pell rate, serving a heavily disadvantaged adult-learner population. The institution's outcomes are uniformly poor outside of one tiny Computer and Information Sciences cohort.
How Salem University 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 Score7/100 - Below Benchmark tier of our scale (below 45). For context, 38% of the schools we score reach 60 or higher.
- 6-year graduation rate19.9% - The national average for four-year schools is 64% (NCES, 2022). Completion is 15% of our score, since a degree that is not finished rarely pays back.
- Payback period>50 years - In our estimate, the earnings premium over a high school completer is small next to the cost, so the cost may not be recouped within a working career.
Salem University
Quick Numbers
| In-state tuition + fees | $11,900/yr |
| Out-of-state tuition + fees | $11,900/yr |
| Average net price | $12,303/yr |
| Total 4-year cost (net) | $49,212 |
| Median earnings (10yr post-entry) | $34,642 |
| Average earnings (6yr post-entry) | $29,500 |
| Median debt at graduation | $24,694 |
| Estimated monthly loan payment | $262 |
| Estimated payback period | >50 years |
| 6-year graduation rate | 19.9% |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 892 |
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: $11,900/year, which covers tuition and fees only. The net price counts books, supplies, and average living costs on top of tuition and fees, then subtracts grants and scholarships. For the average student here it comes to $12,303/year, or roughly $49,212 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 $9,886/year here, while families earning over $110,000 pay $14,716/year.
Among graduates who borrowed, the median federal loan debt from this school is $24,694, which works out to about $262 a month on the standard 10-year repayment plan. Our debt-to-earnings ratio divides that debt by average earnings six years after entry ($29,500) and comes to 0.84, 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 | $9,886 |
| $30,001 - $48,000 | $10,753 |
| $48,001 - $75,000 | $11,154 |
| $75,001 - $110,000 | $14,107 |
| $110,001+ | $14,716 |
Cost by Income Bracket Explained
Lower-income families (under $30K)
Families under $30,000 pay $9,886 net, the lowest bracket. Heavy Pell layering caps cash debt, but the 19.9% completion rate means most low-income enrollees leave with debt and no degree.
Middle-income families ($30K-$110K)
Households earning $48,001-$75,000 pay $11,154 and $75,001-$110,000 pay $14,107 net. The middle-income brackets show modest step-ups. Even at $11,154 net, four-year cost of $44,616 against $34,642 in 10-year earnings produces the 999-year payback.
Higher-income families ($110K+)
Families above $110,000 pay $14,716 net, or about $58,864 over four years. Higher-income families paying full freight at a for-profit with these outcomes are essentially making a charitable donation.
Earnings by Major
Top 3 most popular majors at Salem University with available earnings data.
| Major | Median Earnings | Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management, and Operations | $55,583 | C |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | $53,027 | F |
| Computer and Information Sciences | $74,772 | B |
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 is Salem's largest program with 50 graduates, $45,834 first-year and $55,583 four-year earnings against $31,000 debt for a 0.676 debt-to-earnings ratio and C grade. The single defensible major at the school for completers, and only relative to other Salem programs.
Computer and Information Sciences
Computer and Info Sciences has 6 graduates with $74,772 four-year earnings against $27,037 debt for a 0.362 debt-to-earnings ratio and B grade. The tiny sample makes the data unreliable, and 6 graduates can't sustain a meaningful program.
Criminal Justice and Corrections
Criminal Justice produces 10 graduates with $25,665 first-year and $53,027 four-year earnings against $30,949 debt for a 1.206 debt-to-earnings ratio and F grade. The earnings jump between year 1 and 4 suggests delayed career formation; first-year earnings are $25,665 against $30,949 in debt. WV state-school CJ programs produce identical employment outcomes at half the debt.
How Graduates Do
Earnings
Loan Repayment
| Metric | This School | Median of schools we score |
|---|---|---|
| 1-year repayment | 34.3% | 68.8% |
| 3-year repayment | 50.0% | 73.6% |
| 5-year repayment | 27.1% | 67.7% |
| 7-year repayment | 40.7% | 72.8% |
Completion Rate
Trends Over Time
How Salem University’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
| Enrollment | 892 |
| Pell Grant recipients | 74.6% |
| Avg faculty salary (monthly) | $4,189 |
Admission rate is not reported in current Scorecard data. No SAT or ACT mid-ranges are reported either. The completion rate is 19.9%.
Compared to Similar Schools
Peer institutions matched by type, size, and selectivity.
| School | ROI | Net Price | 10yr Earnings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Salem University (this school) | 7 | $12,303 | $34,642 |
| American Public University System | 50 | $9,597 | $44,409 |
| The College of Westchester | 15 | $16,296 | $42,215 |
| Provo College | 14 | $27,053 | $39,645 |
| National American University-Rapid City | 7 | $31,062 | $37,325 |
| American InterContinental University-Atlanta | 7 | $16,482 | $36,144 |
Head-to-Head ROI Comparisons
See Salem University side by side with similar schools on ROI, cost, earnings, and debt.
Who Thrives Here
Salem University serves an 892-student, 74.6% Pell-rate population concentrated in West Virginia and adjacent Appalachian counties. Salem's value proposition is flexible scheduling and open enrollment, but the cost in completion risk and weak outcomes makes the trade unfavorable.
The Verdict: Below Benchmark Under Our Scoring
Under our methodology, Salem University scores 7/100, which falls in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At a net price of $12,303 per year, with typical graduate earnings of $34,642 ten years after entry, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 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, its 19.9% graduation rate, a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.84 (median across the schools we score: 0.61), a three-year loan repayment rate of 50.0% (median across the schools we score: 73.6%), a long payback period.
Median debt of $24,694 among graduates who borrowed, against average earnings of $29,500 six years after entry, gives a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.84. 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 University: Common Questions
Is Salem University worth it?
In our view, the financial case is a hard one to make on the numbers alone. Salem University scores 7/100 on our ROI scale, in the Below Benchmark tier (below 45). At $12,303 a year after aid against $34,642 in typical earnings ten years out, we estimate the payback period at more than 50 years. Your major and aid package can change the picture, so run your own numbers.
How much does Salem University 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 $12,303 a year, or roughly $49,212 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 University graduates earn?
The typical graduate earns about $34,642 ten years after enrolling, at or below the $41,800 median for high-school graduates (NCES, 2022). With little earnings gap to cover the cost, the financial return is hard to make.
How long does it take to pay off Salem University?
We estimate the payback period - the time it takes for the earnings bump over a high-school graduate to cover what you spent - at more than 50 years for Salem University. The median across the schools we track is about 12 years.
How much debt do Salem University graduates take on?
Among graduates who borrowed, median federal loan debt from this school is about $24,694, against average earnings of $29,500 six years after entry - a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.84. 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 University?
The six-year graduation rate is 19.9%. 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.