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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 educational institution operates on 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%.
To find out more about what Salem College has to offer to its students, read on for the latest data reported by this school.
Quick Facts
464
Total Number of Undergraduate Students
$35,200
Tuition
9:1
Student to Faculty Ratio
57%
Graduation Rate
Admissions
In order to improve your chances of getting admitted, you need to know as much as possible about the school's criteria for admission. What are the admission requirements for Salem College?
According to the newest information reported, 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
6% of first-time, first-year degree-seeking students submitted their SAT scores for admission, and 7% submitted ACT scores, out of the overall number of those who submitted test scores. 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% of the students between 800 and 999, and 4.5% of the students between 600 and 799. The percent of first-year students 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. That means that you need a GPA that's above average in order to get into Salem College.
Retention Rate
The percentage of freshmen at a college or university who stay on for their second year is known as the freshman retention rate. That information can tell you if the majority of freshmen liked their first year enough to come back.
The freshman retention rate for Salem College was 68% in 2025.
The graduation rate is another indicator to take into account. This rate shows how many students complete their degrees in a certain number of years. At this academic institution, the proportion of students graduating in six years is 57%.
Student Body
Picking a school that is the right match for you is not a simple task. You can better understand the culture and life of the school by finding out more about the student body.
Main Student Body
In 2025, the institution enrolled 549 students.
That year, the school had 18.8% of students coming from another state. The total number of undergraduate students enrolled at the institution was 464, 16 of which were foreign students. The number of transfer students at this school was 36.
Student Population Gender Ratio
With a primarily women student body, the school had 5 male and 447 female full-time students in 2025.
Student Population Diversity
The significance of student diversity cannnot be denied, when it comes to the overall feeling of inclusion and beloning among the students of any school. A diverse student body brings together individuals from different backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives. Find out more about different ethnic groups you can meet at Salem College.
This school had 10 Asian students and 82 Afro-American students in 2025. The school also had 1 student who declared 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
Financial planning for school is one of the most important things to consider before you apply. The most recent data reported regarding the expenses for attending this school are detailed below.
Tuition and Fees
Wondering about tuition at Salem College? Here is what you need to know.
In 2025, tuition amounted to $35,200 for all full-time domestic students. As this is a private institution, there is no difference in tuition for out-of-state or international students.
Books and Supplies
When you try to estimate the cost of attendance for a college or university, you need to consider the cost of books and supplies you're going to need. The approximate price of books and supplies for a full-time student of this school is $1,290.
Boarding
When choosing a college, you should factor in the price of a dorm room and meals at the school cafeteria. How much do room and board fees average around at schools?
In 2025, the price of room and board at Salem College was $14,256 per academic year. Room-only (on campus) cost per academic year at this school amounted to $6,992, according to the data from 2025. The estimated expense of room-only (on campus) for commuters not living at home was $10,170.
| Expense Category | Amount |
|---|---|
| Tuition | $ 35,200 |
| Room and Board | $ 14,256 |
| Book and Supplies | $ 1,290 |
| Total Expense | $ 50,746 |
Financial Aid
Grants, loans, scholarships, work-study programs: these are all different types of financial support for students. If you want to find out more about need-based and non-need-based aid at Salem College, here are some recent data you should consider.
According to the most recent data, 60 freshmen were awarded financial aid. The average amount of financial aid given to students was $29,918.
Need-based
If you need help with paying for your studies and you meet certain eligibility requirements, you may be eligible for need-based aid.
There were 220 students who acquired need-based financial aid of any kind. Need-based college-administered scholarship and grant aid at Salem College is available to international students. The overall number of students (including freshmen) who were determined to have financial need amounted to 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
Any financial aid given to a student who does not meet the requirements for need-based aid is considered non-need-based aid. Non-need-based student aid typicaly comes in a form of Direct Unsubsidized Stafford Loans, Graduate PLUS Loans, Parent PLUS Loans, and the Teacher Education Access for College and Higher Education (TEACH) Grant.
224 students, including freshmen, were awarded institutional non-need-based financial aid at this school in 2025. Institutional help in the form of non-need-based scholarships or grants was given to 60 full-time freshmen. 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
The student-to-faculty ratio can tell you a lot about the teaching resources a school provides for its students.
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 speaks volumes for gender equality at Salem College.
Student Population Diversity Graph
Campus Life
Not everything at Salem College is about learning and grades: campus life is an essential part of your educational experience. Check out some information about campus life at Salem College.
Its campus is 57 acres in size.
Student Organizations
Engaging with a variety of student organizations can enrich your educational experience and make it more rewarding.
This school has 45 open-membership student organizations you can participate in. The student organization that is most favored by students 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.
For students with a talent for acting, there is a drama club. For students interested in media and communication, Salem College publishes its own newspaper.
Student Services
Salem College offers a number of services crucial for a comfortable and safe life on campus.
There is a medical 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 all you need for a comfortable stay.
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. There is campus employer recruitment for all the students. This school offers alumni networking opportunities, which could be excellent 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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The overall full-time tuition per academic year for Salem College is 35,200 USD, based on the most recent data.
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This school has an official test-optional admission policy but makes use of SAT, SAT Subject Tests, ACT, or other standardized test scores in admission decisions for the candidates who choose to submit them.
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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 reported 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.