by our College Data Analytics TeamA lot of students are not billed the full, advertised sticker price of a school. Instead, they will be given a financial aid offer that will include a combination of scholarships, grants, loans, and work-study. The sum total of attendance at Salem State University can sound overwhelming, but bear in mind that many students get some type of financial aid.
What financing options does Salem State offer, and what will you qualify for? Keep scrolling for more information. Scroll down to discover how much school funding could be available to you.
Eligibility for aid and scholarships is driven mostly by your household’s income and need. Use the information below to understand how much financial assistance you may get from Salem State University.
Financial assistance, available as scholarships, loans, and work-study, is a way schools lower the price of attendance so many students can enroll. Note that some aid is more valuable than the rest, and individual awards are far from uniform.
At Salem State University, 98% of entering full-time freshmen got some type of financial assistance approximately 780 first-years).
| Type of Aid | % of Freshmen Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 98% | $10,319 |
| Institutional grants & scholarships | 98% | $3,834 |
| Federal Pell grants | 48% | $5,773 |
| State/local grants | 61% | $5,702 |
| Federal student loans | 58% | $5,007 |
Because grants and scholarships do not have to be repaid, they are the most sought-after type of financial aid. At Salem State, roughly 72% of undergrads got grants or scholarships worth on average $10,493 (covering around 3484 recipients).
| Award | % of Undergrads Receiving | Average Amount |
|---|---|---|
| Grant or scholarship aid (all sources) | 72% | $10,493 |
| Federal Pell grants | 35% | $5,480 |
| Federal student loans | 49% | $6,265 |
On-campus students receiving title-IV aid were awarded grants averaging $12,295.
Because need-based aid scales with family income, what students actually pay differs sharply across income brackets.
| Family Income | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| $0 – $48,000 | $13,845 |
| $30,001 – $75,000 | $16,311 |
| Over $75,000 | $23,473 |
Remember these are net prices — what families pay after gift aid, not before.
The net price represents the average annual cost a title-IV-receiving student pays after grant aid is subtracted from the full cost of attendance.
| Cohort | Average Net Price |
|---|---|
| On-campus title-IV students | $15,996 |
| Off-campus title-IV students | $18,441 |
For a personalized estimate based on your family’s financial situation, use Salem State’s net price calculator: www.salemstate.edu/campus-life/student-navigation-center/financial-aid/net-price-calculator.
Graduating students at Salem State carry a median federal student debt of $19,500 of federal borrowing.
| Metric | Amount |
|---|---|
| Median federal debt (all student-aid borrowers) | $19,500 |
| Median federal debt (graduates only) | $25,000 |
| Typical 10-year monthly payment (graduates) | $265.04/mo |
At a typical 10-year repayment schedule, the median graduate would pay about the monthly figure above.
The numbers below show the full range, not just the middle of the distribution. The figures below chart the debt distribution at Salem State.
| Percentile | Cumulative Federal Debt |
|---|---|
| 10th percentile (lowest-debt students) | $4,500 |
| 25th percentile | $7,772 |
| 75th percentile | $27,000 |
| 90th percentile (highest-debt students) | $33,700 |
Outcomes differ by income bracket, by first-generation status, and by whether a student is financially dependent.
Debt by Income Tier
| Income tier | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Low income | $20,000 |
| Middle income | $19,500 |
| High income | $18,310 |
By First-Generation Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| First-generation students | $19,500 |
| Continuing-generation students | $18,500 |
By Dependency Status
| Cohort | Median federal debt |
|---|---|
| Dependent students | $18,500 |
| Independent students | $23,380 |
The Department of Education computes summary indicators that describe debt outcomes at a glance. Salem State.
Most undergraduate borrowing runs through the federal Stafford loan program. Below is the annual Stafford program activity at Salem State:
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| Stafford loan recipients | 26978 |
| Total Stafford loan amount | $542,396,770 |
If you are a veteran or active-duty service member, the GI Bill and DoD Tuition Assistance are the primary federal programs you can use at this school.
Post-9/11 GI Bill activity
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| GI Bill recipients | 114 |
| Total GI Bill amount | $856,621 |
| Average GI Bill amount per recipient | $7,514 |
DoD program volume
| Metric | Value |
|---|---|
| DoD Tuition Assistance recipients | 1 |
| Total DoD amount | $4,500 |
| Average DoD amount per recipient | $4,500 |
References
More about our data sources and methodologies.