Winston-Salem State University is a public institution in Winston-Salem, North Carolina enrolling 4,170 undergraduates. It accepts 78% of applicants and has an on-time graduation rate of 47%, above the national average of 33%. College Factual ranks it #1,870 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in its 2027 Best Colleges ranking (top 36%), 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.
Winston-Salem State University ranks #1,870 of 5,159 colleges nationwide in College Factual’s 2027 Best Colleges ranking, placing it in the top 36%.
In its yearly rankings, College Factual analyzes over 2,000 colleges and universities to determine which ones are the best in a variety of categories, such as overall value, quality, diversity, which schools are the best for each major, and much more.
Winston-Salem State University was awarded 9 badges in the 2027 rankings.
College Factual ranked WSSU as #1,870 out of 5,159 colleges and universities in the country on its 2027 Best Colleges list.
WSSU also holds the #38 spot on the Best Colleges in North Carolina ranking.
See all of the rankings for Winston-Salem State University.
The acceptance rate at Winston-Salem State University is 78%. That’s higher than the rate at many schools, but still low enough to be considered somewhat selective. If you want to get in, you’ll need good grades and to be able to show that WSSU is a good fit for you.
About 4% of students accepted to WSSU submitted their SAT scores. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, SAT Evidence-Based Reading and Writing scores ranged between 430 and 520. Math scores were between 400 and 500.
WSSU received ACT scores from 11% of accepted students. When looking at the 25th through the 75th percentile, ACT Composite scores ranged between 15 and 20.
Learn more about Winston-Salem State University admissions.
With a student to faculty ratio of 15 to 1, Winston-Salem State University is about average in this regard as the nationwide rate is 15 to 1. While this does not translate directly to class size, it’s a good indicator of how much time professors will have to spend with their students on a one-on-one basis.
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 Winston-Salem State University is 67%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.
Winston-Salem State University has a freshmen retention rate of 77%. That’s a good sign that full-time students like the school and their professors enough to want to stick around for another year. It’s also a sign that the admissions team did a good job in choosing applicants who were a good fit for the school.
Students are considered to have graduated on time if they finish their studies within four years. At WSSU the on-time graduation rate of first-time, full-time students is 47%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.
Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Winston-Salem State University.
During the most recent academic year, there were 4,170 undergraduates at WSSU.
Get more detailed information on the diversity at Winston-Salem State University.
The overall average net price of WSSU 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 + |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $11,463 | $12,412 | $14,681 | $18,813 | $21,405 |
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 WSSU, see our tuition and fees and room and board pages.
It’s not uncommon for college students to take out loans to pay for school. In fact, almost 66% of students nationwide depend at least partially on loans. At WSSU, approximately 68% of students took out student loans averaging $6,566 a year. That adds up to $26,264 over four years for those students. The student loan default rate is 12.1%. This is higher than the national default rate of 10.1% so you should proceed with caution when taking out student loans. Get more details about paying for Winston-Salem State University.
The pay for some majors is higher than others, but on average, students who graduate with a bachelor’s degree from Winston-Salem State University make about $45,344 a year during their first few years of employment after graduation. This is in the same neighborhood of the average college graduate’s salary of $49,219 per year. However, certain majors may produce higher-paying graduates.
See which majors at Winston-Salem State University make the most money.
Winston-Salem State University is an public institution situated in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The location of the school is great for students who enjoy the amenities of city life. Get more details about the location of Winston-Salem State University.
Contact information for Winston-Salem State University are given below.
| Contact Details | |
|---|---|
| Address: | 601 S. Martin Luther King Jr Dr, Winston-Salem, NC 27110-0001 |
| Phone: | 3367502000 |
| Website: | www.wssu.edu |
| Wikipedia: | en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winston-Salem_State_University |
| Facebook: | www.facebook.com/WSSU1892 |
| Twitter: | twitter.com/wssurams |
During the most recent year for which we have data, students from 19 majors graduated from Winston-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 | 1,094 | NA |
| Nursing | 186 | $65,596 |
| Rehabilitation Professions | 122 | $40,697 |
| Health/Medical Admin Services | 104 | $36,308 |
| Business Administration & Management | 97 | $30,639 |
| General Psychology | 67 | $27,801 |
| Liberal Arts General Studies | 63 | $25,799 |
| Physiology & Pathology Sciences | 51 | NA |
| Health & Physical Education | 50 | $23,013 |
| Communication & Media Studies | 49 | $18,947 |
3,491 students took at least one online class at Winston-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 Winston-Salem State University.
Curious how schools stack up against WSSU? Pit them head to head with College Combat, a free interactive tool for comparing colleges on the features you care about.
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.
References