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Winston-Salem , NC
Salem College, founded in 1772, is a women's college located in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. As the oldest women's college in the southern United States, Salem College has a long and esteemed history of providing education and empowering women. The college is known for its strong liberal arts curriculum and its commitment to developing confident and independent women leaders.
At Salem College, students benefit from a small and close-knit community that fosters academic excellence and personal growth. With an average class size of 13 and a student-to-faculty ratio of 10:1, students receive individualized attention and have ample opportunities to engage in discussions, ask questions and collaborate with professors. The college offers more than 30 academic programs across various disciplines, including arts, humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences. This wide range of degree options allows students to tailor their education to their interests and goals. Additionally, the college places a strong emphasis on experiential learning, providing numerous internship, study abroad, and research opportunities for students to gain practical skills and global perspectives.
The campus of Salem College is charming and picturesque, with its historic buildings and beautiful gardens. Students also have access to state-of-the-art facilities, such as the Elberson Fine Arts Center, which houses an art gallery, music and theater spaces, and studios for visual arts. The college is part of the vibrant city of Winston-Salem, which offers a thriving arts and culture scene, numerous internship and job opportunities, and a welcoming community. Salem College is dedicated to empowering women and providing a transformative educational experience that prepares students for success in their careers and lives.
Salem College is a private upper-level higher education institution with graduate programs located in Winston-Salem, NC and set in an urban environment. This school follows a semester-based calendar. It has an acceptance rate of 78%. The freshman retention rate at Salem College is 68% and the six-year graduation rate is 57%.
Here are some current data on important things to consider about Salem College.
Quick Facts
464
Total Number of Undergraduate Students
$33,848
Tuition
9:1
Student to Faculty Ratio
57%
Graduation Rate
Admissions
If you know as much as possible about the school's criteria for admission, you can make a better judgment about your eligibility and boost your chances of getting accepted. Here are the most relevant facts you need to know about admission at Salem College.
According to the newest data, this school uses standardized test scores for admission and it admitted 1,772 in 2025. Salem College has an official test-optional admission policy but considers standardized test scores in cases when they are submitted by the student.
Test Scores
Out of the number of those who submitted test scores, the percentage of first-time, first-year degree-seeking students who submitted SAT scores was 6% and ACT scores 7%. 36.4% of the new students submitted SAT composite scores between between 1,200 and 1,399, 36.4% between 1,000 and 1,199, 22.7% between 800 and 999, and 4.5% of the students between 600 and 799. The percent of incoming freshmen who submitted ACT Composite scores in the range between 30-36 was 10, 10 between 24-29, 50 in the range between 18-23, and 30 between 12-17.
The latest reported average GPA of the enrolled students was 3.86. Accordingly, you'll probably need an above-average GPA in order to be granted acceptance.
Retention Rate
The percentage of first-year students at a college or university who stay on for their second year is known as the freshman retention rate. This piece of data is important as it can reveal to the prospective students how many freshmen liked the school enough to return to it as sophomores.
As reported in 2025, the freshman retention rate for Salem College was 68%.
Another important metric to consider is the graduation rate. This rate indicates how many students finish their degrees within a certain timeframe. At this school, the rate of students graduating within six years is 57%.
Student Body
Making the decision of which school is the best place for you is not easy. Having a better insight into a school's student body helps you learn more about its culture and life.
Main Student Body
The overall number of students enrolled at Salem College in 2025 was 549.
The school reported an out-of-state student body portion of 18.8% for that year. The total number of undergraduate students enrolled at the school was 464, 16 of which were foreign students. The number of transfer students at this school was 36.
Student Population Gender Ratio
The student body is primarily women, with 5 male and 447 female full-time students in 2025, which is indicative of the value gender equality has at this school.
Student Population Diversity
Higher Education is dedicated to increasing student diversity and enhancing students' feelings of inclusion and belonging. In a diverse learning space, you will be exposed to people from different backgrounds, which promotes the feeling of inclusion and acceptance. Discover more about the many ethnic communities that go to this school.
This school had 10 Asian students and 82 Afro-American students in 2025. The school also had 1 student who identified as Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander, and 15 American Indian or Alaska Native students. There were also 47 students whose ethnicity is unknown.
Cost
Before you send an application to any college or university, you should take into account the financial component. Here are some important data on Salem College costs that most students encounter at this school.
Tuition and Fees
Here are some facts that can be useful if you were curious about Salem College estimated tuition costs.
Tuition in 2025 was $33,848 for full-time domestic students. As this is a private institution, there is no difference in tuition for out-of-state or international students.
| Expense Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $ 33,848 |
| Total Expense | $ 33,848 |
Financial Aid
Be it a grant, loan, scholarship, or work-study program, any type of financial aid can be a great deal for many students. Check out some recent data to get the information about need-based and non-need-based monetary aid available at Salem College.
The most recent figures show that financial help was given to 60 freshmen. Students of this school received an average of $29,918 in financial help.
Need-based
Financial aid that a student can receive if they are determined to have financial need and meet other eligibility requirements is known as need-based aid.
220 students obtained some form of need-based financial aid. Need-based college-administered scholarship and grant aid at Salem College is available to international students. The total number of students (including freshmen) who were determined to have financial need was estimated to be 249. The amount of federal need-based scholarships/grants awarded to the students at this institution added up to $1,101,652, and state $1,113,165.
$16,951
Average Amount of Aid Received
Non-Need Based
Non-need-based financial aid is any type of financial aid provided to a student who does not meet the criteria for need-based aid. Most students get non-need-based financial aid as Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, Graduate PLUS Loans, Parent PLUS Loans, and the TEACH Grant.
224 students, including freshmen, received institutional non-need-based scholarship or grant aid at this school in 2025. 60 full-time freshmen were awarded institutional non-need-based scholarship or grant aid. The total amount of non-need-based institutional scholarships/grants was $4,016,599. This includes endowment, alumni, other institutional awards, and also external funds awarded by the institution, but doesn't include athletic aid and tuition waivers. $182,695 was the amount that the students at this institution got from external sources (like Kiwanis and National Merit).
Majors
Faculty
9:1
Student to Faculty Ratio
Getting information about the faculty at a school can help you estimate the quality of education you will receive there.
According to the most recent data, the student-faculty ratio at Salem College was 9:1: that means 9 students per one teacher, which is considered a good ratio. The total number of faculty teaching at the institution is 69. This number included 18 male and 51 female faculty members. The fact that female faculty members outnumber the male ones at this school is telling of the importance gender equality has at Salem College.
Student Population Diversity Graph
Campus Life
It is not all about learning and grades at Salem College: campus life is a crucial component of your educational experience. Check out some details about campus life at Salem College.
Its campus spans 57 acres.
Student Organizations
Student organizations are run by students of an institution, and its membership typically consists only of current students and/or alumni.
This school has 45 open-membership student organizations you can participate in. The most popular student organization is multicultural clubs, followed by arts clubs and social cause clubs. Other popular student organizations at this school are academic interest groups/honor orgs and leadership and service clubs.
There is a drama club you can join if acting is something that interests you. Interested in media and communication? Salem College publishes its own newspaper.
Student Services
At Salem College, there are many amenities that make life on campus pleasant and safe.
There is a health clinic with personal/psychological counseling. In addition, other services like Veteran's Affairs and Women's Center are available to the students of Salem College.
All in all, campus life at Salem College is rich and vibrant and provides everything most students need.
Career Services
Having career services at a college or university can mean a great deal for your career planning, so find out what you can expect at Salem College.
Career Counselling
At Salem College, there is both group career counseling for all students and individual career counseling for all students. There are a library, a job bank, and job fairs. Job interviews are also available to students through the career center. The career center offers resume preparation and resume referral to employers. The school has campus employer recruitment for all the students. This school offers alumni networking opportunities, which could be a great asset for your future career. Individual job placement is available to all students at this school.
FAQ
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Salem College is located in Winston-Salem, NC.
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Salem College offers need-based college-administered scholarship and grant aid to international students.
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According to the latest information, the tuition for Salem College is 33,848 USD a year.
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This school uses standardized test scores for admission.
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The most recent data indicate that the acceptance rate for Salem College is 78%.
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The most recent data indicate that the freshman retention rate for Salem College is 68%.
Contact Information
Data Source: IPEDS and Peterson's Databases © 2023 Peterson's LLC All rights reserved. Portions of this content were co-written with OpenAI's GPT-3.5 model.
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Data Source: IPEDS and Peterson's Databases © 2023 Peterson's LLC All rights reserved.
Portions of this content were co-written with OpenAI's GPT-3.5 model.
