Public · University

Salem State University

Salem, Massachusetts · Large suburb

#4 best value in Massachusetts
95.9%
Admit rate
$15,996
Avg net price
50%
Graduation rate
$56,662
Median earnings

Salem State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Salem, Massachusetts (large suburb setting), enrolling 4,291 undergraduates.

PublicMidsize · 4,291 undergradsLarge suburbAccessible · 96% admitNCAA Division III without footballCold wintersSnowyNear the coast

About Salem, Massachusetts

Salem is a historic coastal city in Essex County, Massachusetts, United States, located on the North Shore of Greater Boston. The peninsula that would become Salem was known as Naumkeag (alternate spellings Naemkeck, Nahumkek, Neumkeage) by the Native people who lived there at the time of contact in the early 1600s. The Pickman House, built c. 1664, abuts the Witch Memorial and Burying Point Cemetery, the second oldest burying ground in the United States. (Wikipedia)

Setting
Large suburb
Highest degree offered
Graduate
Nearest big city
13 miles to Boston, MA
To the ocean
< 1 mile
Nearest airport
11 miles to Boston Logan (BOS) · major hub

How Salem State University compares

Selectivity95.9%

More selective than 12% · #61 most selective of 63 in Massachusetts

Graduation rate50%

Higher than 39% · #57 of 66 in Massachusetts

First-year retention75%

Higher than 46%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$56,662

Higher than 58% · #42 of 67 in Massachusetts

Average net price$15,996

Cheaper than 68% · #4 cheapest of 65 in Massachusetts

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio12 : 1

Lower than 59%

Undergraduate enrollment4,291

Larger than 75%

Percentiles compare Salem State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in Massachusetts.

Salem State University campus

Student body

Undergraduate vs. graduate

5,654students
  • Undergraduate4,29176%
  • Graduate1,36324%

Undergraduates by gender

4,291undergrads
  • Women2,77765%
  • Men1,51435%

Undergraduates by race / ethnicity

  • White52%
  • Black8.8%
  • Hispanic25%
  • Asian3.0%
  • Other or multiracial11%

Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.

By the numbers

Undergraduate enrollment
4,291
Graduate enrollment
1,363
Student–faculty ratio
12 : 1
Pell Grant recipients
35%
First-generation students
40%
Students over 25
13%
Median family income
$43,677
Avg faculty salary (academic year)
$96,246
Endowment
$69,619,582

Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.

Admissions

Admission rate
95.9%
Test scores
Not considered
SAT range (25th–75th %)
SAT average
SAT reading
SAT math
ACT composite

Cost

In-state tuition
$12,338
Out-of-state tuition
$19,531
Room & board
$16,838
Books & supplies
$1,200
Total cost of attendance
$28,291
Average net price
$15,996

Net price is the total cost minus grants and scholarships — what students actually pay. It varies sharply by family income; see the breakdown below.

Outcomes

Graduated (within 6 years)
50%
Graduated on time (4 years)
36%
First-year retention
75%
Transferred to another college
0%
Median earnings, 6 years after entry
$48,209
Median earnings, 10 years after entry
$56,662
Median debt at graduation
$25,000
Students with federal loans
49%
Paying down their loans (1 year in)
56%

About 14% of students who finish here need more than four years — each extra year adds roughly another year of tuition and living costs.

Graduating on time

By student background (4 years)

All students
36%
Low-income (Pell)
52%
First-generation
51%

When these bars run close together, students from every background tend to finish at similar rates — a sign the school supports the ~30% who are first-gen or low-income.

Campus life & athletics

On-campus housing
Yes
Dorm capacity
1,675
Dorm capacity vs undergrads
39%
Application fee
$50
Athletics
NCAA Division III without football
Varsity athletes
315 (159 men · 156 women)

Housing and fees: IPEDS 2023–24. Athletics rosters: Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25. Dorm capacity can include graduate and family housing, so the share of undergrads can top 100%.

Varsity sports (10)

Ice Hockey60
Lacrosse57
Soccer49
Baseball32
Basketball29
Softball22
Field Hockey20
Volleyball19
Tennis15
Golf12

Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.

Campus safety

Safety grade
C
Reported offenses per 1,000 students
2.8 / year
Violent offenses (2022–2024)
32
Property offenses (2022–2024)
20

On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (6,230 students). Counts reflect reports, not convictions — schools with strong reporting cultures often show more, so a higher count doesn't simply mean a more dangerous campus.

Reported offenses in an average year

The same 2022–2024 Clery Act reports, divided down to one year.

17reported offenses a year
11 violent a year6.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Rape
7.0
Burglary
6.3
Fondling
3.3
Aggravated assault
0.3
Motor vehicle theft
0.3

Averages, not a forecast — a single year can run well above or below this. Bars are scaled against this campus's most-reported offense, so they compare types here rather than against other schools.

What you'll actually pay, by family income

Average net price (total cost minus grants and scholarships) paid by aided students in each family-income band.

< $30k
$10,516
$30–48k
$13,870
$48–75k
$13,821
$75–110k
$17,590
$110k+
$23,223

College Scorecard / IPEDS, most recent year. Family income is total household income; net price covers tuition, fees, room, board and supplies after grant aid, for students receiving federal aid.

Four-year (or more) true cost

Net price for your family's income, projected across the time it actually takes students here to graduate.

Est. total to a degree
$61,016

$13,821/year × about 4.4 years — most students here don't finish in exactly four, and each extra term adds cost. A planning estimate from net-price and graduation-timing data, not a bill.

Does the school pay you to attend?

Grant aid from the school's own funds — the discount off sticker, on top of any federal or state help.

98%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,543
average award, among those who get one

Modest institutional aid: 98% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,543. Most of what lowers the price here is federal or state money, not the school's own funds.

Blends need-based and merit aid — IPEDS doesn't split the two, so a high number can mean generous merit scholarships, deep need-based aid, or both. Figures cover 858 full-time first-year undergraduates, 2022–23. Source: IPEDS Student Financial Aid.

Is it worth it?

A rough return-on-investment read from what graduates earn versus what they borrow.

Median earnings (10 years)
$56,662
Typical debt at graduation
$25,000
Debt vs. one year's pay
44%
Out-earn a HS grad
66%

Typical debt would take roughly 4.4 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.

Solid value

A reasonable return: earnings comfortably clear the debt over a few years for most students who finish.

Earnings are the College Scorecard median for former students (working, not enrolled) 10 years after entry — not a guarantee, and they vary a lot by major. Debt is the median federal loan balance at graduation.

The pay gap here

Median earnings 10 years after entry, split by gender.

Women
$53,906
Men
$67,121

Men out-earn women by $13,215 (25%) a decade out.

Federal figures for former students working and not enrolled, 10 years after they first entered. A gap this wide usually reflects which majors men and women here tend to choose — not different pay for the same job.

Campus climate

Summer high
80°F
Winter low
18°F
Annual rain
48″
Annual snow
39.1″

Average temperature

HighLow
10°50°90°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.55.0JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Marblehead, MA US station (1.3 mi from campus).

Median earnings of this school's own graduates 1 and 5 years after finishing each program, and median federal-loan debt at completion (College Scorecard). Small programs are privacy-suppressed (—). Click a major to compare colleges nationally.

Colleges similar to Salem State University

Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Salem State University side by side →

Colleges near Salem State University

Source: US Department of Education College Scorecard (most recent cohorts), IPEDS institutional characteristics, Equity in Athletics (EADA) data, Clery Act Campus Safety and Security data, and NOAA US Climate Normals. Distances are straight-line from campus coordinates. Percentiles compare schools of the same level (four-year vs. two-year) that report each statistic.