Public · University
Winston-Salem State University
Winston-Salem, North Carolina · Large city
- 78.3%
- Admit rate
- $13,479
- Avg net price
- 47%
- Graduation rate
- $45,344
- Median earnings
Winston-Salem State University is a public bachelor's-granting institution in Winston-Salem, North Carolina (large city setting), enrolling 4,170 undergraduates. It is a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).
Will you get in?
See where your numbers land against Winston-Salem State University's admitted students.
- Admit rate
- 78.3%
- SAT (mid 50%)
- 830–1020
- Avg GPA (est.)
- 2.76
Enter a test score to see where you land against Winston-Salem State University's admitted students.
A guide, not a prediction. It compares your numbers with the middle 50% of admitted students and Winston-Salem State University's overall admit rate — it can't see essays, recommendations, activities, or your intended major, which all move real decisions.
About Winston-Salem, North Carolina
Winston-Salem is a city in Forsyth County, North Carolina, United States, and its county seat. Followers of the Moravian Church had interacted with Cherokees. The city of Winston-Salem is a product of the merging of the two neighboring towns of Winston and Salem in 1913. Old Salem is a restored Moravian settlement founded in 1766. (Wikipedia)
- Setting
- Large city
- Highest degree offered
- Graduate
- Nearest big city
- 1 mile to Winston-Salem, NC
- To the ocean
- 178 miles
- Nearest airport
- 16 miles to Piedmont Triad (GSO) · major hub
How Winston-Salem State University compares
More selective than 48% · #34 most selective of 53 in North Carolina
Higher than 3%
Higher than 33% · #28 of 56 in North Carolina
Higher than 53%
Higher than 25% · #31 of 57 in North Carolina
Cheaper than 79% · #11 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina
Lower than 34%
Lower than 35%
Larger than 74%
Percentiles compare Winston-Salem State University with the nation's 2,196 four-year colleges, among schools reporting each statistic. State ranks count four-year colleges in North Carolina.
Student body
Undergraduate vs. graduate
- Undergraduate4,17088%
- Graduate59012%
Undergraduates by gender
- Women2,92870%
- Men1,24230%
Undergraduates by race / ethnicity
- White4.9%
- Black83%
- Hispanic4.8%
- Asian0.6%
- Other or multiracial6.5%
Graduate gender splits aren't published in this data, so the gender chart covers undergraduates only.
By the numbers
- Undergraduate enrollment
- 4,170
- Graduate enrollment
- 590
- Student–faculty ratio
- 15 : 1
- Pell Grant recipients
- 65%
- First-generation students
- 35%
- Students over 25
- 13%
- Median family income
- $28,552
- Avg faculty salary (academic year)
- $82,953
- Endowment
- $54,878,108
Colleges don't publish true class-size data; student–faculty ratio (IPEDS) is the closest public measure of it.
Where students come from
Home state of the 883 first-year students who entered in fall 2023.
- From North Carolina77%
- Other U.S. states23%
Most first-years stay in state — Winston-Salem State University draws overwhelmingly from North Carolina.
Out-of-state students usually pay a higher tuition rate at public schools — check the cost card above for your bracket. Source: IPEDS residence & migration, fall 2023 entering class.
Admissions
- Admission rate
- 78.3%
- Test scores
- Considered but not required
- SAT range (25th–75th %)
- 830–1020
- SAT average
- 945
- SAT reading
- 430–520
- SAT math
- 400–500
- ACT composite
- 15–20
- Average GPA (estimated)
- 2.76
Cost
- In-state tuition
- $6,126
- Out-of-state tuition
- $16,782
- Room & board
- $11,484
- Books & supplies
- $1,690
- Total cost of attendance
- $23,147
- Average net price
- $13,479
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)
- 47%
- Graduated on time (4 years)
- 30%
- First-year retention
- 77%
- Transferred to another college
- 28%
- Median earnings, 6 years after entry
- $40,557
- Median earnings, 10 years after entry
- $45,344
- Median debt at graduation
- $25,000
- Students with federal loans
- 68%
- Paying down their loans (1 year in)
- 26%
About 17% 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)
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
- 2,705
- Dorm capacity vs undergrads
- 65%
- Housing charge (year)
- $7,402
- Meal plan (year)
- $3,985
- Application fee
- $50
- Athletics
- NCAA Division II with football
- Football conference
- Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association
- Varsity athletes
- 262 (145 men · 117 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 (9)
Athlete counts per sport, Equity in Athletics data, 2024–25.
Campus safety
- Safety grade
- D
- Reported offenses per 1,000 students
- 5.9 / year
- Violent offenses (2022–2024)
- 55
- Property offenses (2022–2024)
- 29
On-campus criminal offenses reported under the Clery Act, 2022–2024, across 1 campus (4,782 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.
By offense type, per year
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.
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.
$14,681/year × about 4.5 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.
Modest institutional aid: 55% of freshmen get a grant from the school, averaging $3,389. 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 849 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)
- $45,344
- Typical debt at graduation
- $25,000
- Debt vs. one year's pay
- 55%
- Out-earn a HS grad
- 50%
Typical debt would take roughly 5.5 years to repay at about a tenth of median earnings.
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 out-earn men by $2,348 (5%) 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
- 88°F
- Winter low
- 31°F
- Annual rain
- 43.2″
- Annual snow
- 7.1″
Average temperature
HighLowAverage precipitation (inches)
NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Winston Salem Rynlds AP, NC US station (3 mi from campus).
What Winston-Salem State University graduates study — and earn
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 Winston-Salem State University
Schools with a comparable profile — size, selectivity, cost, and graduate outcomes. Compare Winston-Salem State University side by side →
Southeast Missouri State University
Cape Girardeau, Missouri · Small city · 98 mi to St. Louis
- Students
- 6,373
- Admission
- 74%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 950
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $44k
Norfolk State University
Norfolk, Virginia · Midsize city · 1 mi to Norfolk
- Students
- 5,392
- Admission
- 88%
- Net price
- $15k
- SAT
- 927
- GPA
- 2.7
- Earnings
- $45k
Virginia State University
Petersburg, Virginia · Large suburb · 21 mi to Richmond
- Students
- 5,074
- Admission
- 89%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 948
- GPA
- 2.8
- Earnings
- $46k
Georgia Southwestern State University
Americus, Georgia · Distant town · 53 mi to Columbus
- Students
- 2,424
- Admission
- 75%
- Net price
- $12k
- SAT
- 978
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $49k
Prairie View A & M University
Prairie View, Texas · Distant rural · 44 mi to Houston
- Students
- 8,877
- Admission
- 79%
- Net price
- $14k
- SAT
- 980
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $45k
Tennessee State University
Nashville, Tennessee · Large city · 3 mi to Nashville
- Students
- 4,848
- Admission
- 70%
- Net price
- $16k
- SAT
- 1000
- GPA
- 2.9
- Earnings
- $43k
Colleges near Winston-Salem State University
Salem College
Winston-Salem, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 423 students
University of North Carolina School of the Arts
Winston Salem, NC · Public · Bachelor's · 945 students
Carolina University
Winston-Salem, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 460 students
Winston Salem Barber School
Winston-Salem, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 29 students
Forsyth Technical Community College
Winston-Salem, NC · Public · Associate · 7,113 students
Wake Forest University
Winston-Salem, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 5,485 students
Carolina Christian College
Winston Salem, NC · Private nonprofit · Bachelor's · 52 students
Empire Beauty School-Winston-Salem
Winston-Salem, NC · Private for-profit · Certificate · 80 students
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.












