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).

PublicMidsize · 4,170 undergradsLarge cityAccessible · 78% admitNCAA Division II with football · Central Intercollegiate Athletic AssociationCold winters

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
To the ocean
178 miles
Nearest airport
16 miles to Piedmont Triad (GSO) · major hub

How Winston-Salem State University compares

Selectivity78.3%

More selective than 48% · #34 most selective of 53 in North Carolina

SAT average945

Higher than 3%

Graduation rate47%

Higher than 33% · #28 of 56 in North Carolina

First-year retention77%

Higher than 53%

Earnings, 10 years after entry$45,344

Higher than 25% · #31 of 57 in North Carolina

Average net price$13,479

Cheaper than 79% · #11 cheapest of 57 in North Carolina

Median debt at graduation$25,000

Lower than 34%

Student–faculty ratio15 : 1

Lower than 35%

Undergraduate enrollment4,170

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

4,760students
  • Undergraduate4,17088%
  • Graduate59012%

Undergraduates by gender

4,170undergrads
  • 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)

All students
30%
Low-income (Pell)
45%
First-generation
46%

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)

Football116
Basketball29
Track and Field (Outdoor)28
Track and Field (Indoor)27
Softball17
Volleyball17
Cross Country13
Golf9
Tennis6

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.

28reported offenses a year
18 violent a year9.7 property a year

By offense type, per year

Aggravated assault
8.0
Burglary
8.0
Rape
5.0
Fondling
4.7
Motor vehicle theft
1.7
Robbery
0.7

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
$11,463
$30–48k
$12,412
$48–75k
$14,681
$75–110k
$18,813
$110k+
$21,405

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
$66,574

$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.

55%
of first-years get a grant from the school
$3,389
average award, among those who get one

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.

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
$45,965
Men
$43,617

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

HighLow
20°60°100°JFMAMJJASOND

Average precipitation (inches)

0.02.34.5JFMAMJJASOND

NOAA 1991–2020 climate normals, Winston Salem Rynlds AP, NC US station (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 Winston-Salem State University

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

Colleges near Winston-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.