by our College Data Analytics TeamSalem State University is a public institution in Salem, Massachusetts enrolling 4,291 undergraduates. It accepts 96% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 50%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #737 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 14%), and its Value for Your Money analysis rates it a Fair Price.
Source: IPEDS 2025; College Scorecard July 2026; College Factual rankings 2027. Data as of: July 2026.
Salem State University ranks #737 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 14%.
College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities in its annual rankings and ranks them in a variety of ways, including most diverse, best overall quality, best for non-traditional students, and much more.
Salem State University was awarded 288 badges in the 2027 rankings.
College Factual ranked Salem State as #737 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list. This puts it in the top 20% of all schools in the nation.
Salem State also holds the #45 spot on the Best Colleges in Massachusetts ranking.
See all of the rankings for Salem State University.
Salem State University has an acceptance rate of 96%, so it is easier to gain admission to this school than some others. Still, the admissions staff will examine your application closely to make sure you’re a good fit for Salem State.
Learn more about Salem State University admissions.
The student to faculty ratio at Salem State is an impressive 12 to 1. That’s quite good when you compare it to the national average of 15 to 1. This is a good sign that students at the school will have more opportunities for one-on-one interactions with their professors.
In addition to the student to faculty ratio, some people look at what percentage of faculty members are full-time as a sign of how much time professors will be able to spend with their students. This is because part-time teachers may not be on campus as much as their full-time counterparts.
The full-time faculty percentage at Salem State University is 100%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
The freshmen retention rate of 75% tells us that most first-year, full-time students like Salem State University enough to come back for another year. This is a fair bit higher than the national average of 68%. That’s certainly something to check off in the good column about the school.
The on-time graduation rate for someone pursuing a bachelor’s degree is typically four years. This rate at Salem State for first-time, full-time students is 50%, which is better than the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Salem State University.
In the current academic year, there are 4,291 undergraduates at Salem State.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Salem State University.
The typical net cost at Salem State is $17,140. The affordability of the school largely depends on your financial need since net price varies by income group. See the table below for the net price for different income groups.
| $0-30 K | $30K-48K | $48-75 | $75-110K | $110K + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $10,516 | $13,870 | $13,821 | $17,590 | $23,223 |
The net price is calculated by adding tuition, room, board and other costs and subtracting financial aid. Note that the net price is typically less than the published price for a school. For more information on the sticker price of Salem State, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
Almost 66% of college students who graduated with the class of 2018 took out student loans, but that percentage varies from school to school. At Salem State, approximately 49% of students took out student loans averaging $6,265 a year. That adds up to $25,060 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 6.4%. Although this is lower than the national default rate of 10.1%, you’ll still want to keep this in mind when taking out student loans. Get more details about paying for Salem State University.
The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Salem State University make about $56,662 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. That’s great news for Salem State University students since it is 15% more than the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year.
See which majors at Salem State University make the most money.
Salem State University is an public institution found in Salem, Massachusetts. Salem is a good match for students who enjoy the safety and convenience of the suburbs. Get more details about the location of Salem State University.
Contact information for Salem State University are listed below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 352 Lafayette St, Salem, MA 01970 |
| Phone: | 9785426000 |
| Website: | www.salemstate.edu |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Salem_State_University |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/salemstateuniversity |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/SalemState |
In the most recent reporting year, students from 21 majors graduated from Salem State University. The following table lists the most popular undergraduate majors along with the average salary graduates from those majors make.
| Most Popular Majors | Completions | Average Salary of Graduates |
|---|---|---|
| Multi-Disciplinary Studies | 1,738 | NA |
| Teacher Education Grade Specific | 168 | $47,960 |
| Social Work | 146 | $46,041 |
| Nursing | 145 | $71,506 |
| General Psychology | 105 | $33,517 |
| General Education | 94 | $32,059 |
| Educational Administration | 77 | $46,645 |
| Criminal Justice & Corrections | 77 | $39,277 |
| Business Administration & Management | 71 | $52,924 |
| General Biology | 66 | $37,411 |
2,694 students took at least one online class at Salem State University.
Online learning options are becoming more and more popular at American colleges and universities. Online classes are great for students who have busy schedules or for those who just want to study on their own time.
Learn more about online learning at Salem State University.
Interested in comparing Salem State? Match them up using College Combat, our free interactive tool that lets you compare colleges on the features that matter most to you.
Footnotes
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
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