College Factual  by our College Data Analytics Team
       Unbiased Factual Guarantee

Winston-Salem State University Comprehensive Profile

Fair Price Value for Your Money
78% Acceptance Rate
12% Student Loan Default Rate

If you want to know more about Winston-Salem State University, such as what majors does it offer, how diverse it is, how well it ranks, and more, this is your one-stop resource.

Want to dig deeper into a particular stat? Just click on its tile and you’ll be taken to a more in-depth page on the figure. In addition, you can use the links below to quickly jump to any section on this page.

* Rankings

Where Does Winston-Salem State University Rank?

#1,787 Best Colleges in Nation
#38 Best Colleges in NC
Winston-Salem State University ranking badge

2026 Best Colleges Rankings

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.

National Standing

College Factual ranked WSSU as #1,787 out of 3,449 colleges and universities in the country on its 2026 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.

What Are the Admission Requirements for Winston-Salem State University?

78% Acceptance Rate
80% Of Accepted Are Women
4% Submit SAT Scores

Acceptance Rate

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.

Average Test Scores

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.

SAT Reading and Writing Scores for Winston-Salem State University  ( 430 to 520 )
200
800
SAT Math Scores for Winston-Salem State University  ( 400 to 500 )
200
800

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.

ACT Composite Scores for Winston-Salem State University  ( 15 to 20 )
1
36

Learn more about Winston-Salem State University admissions.

Faculty at Winston-Salem State University

15 to 1 Student to Faculty
65% Full Time Teachers

Class Sizes

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.

Full-Time Instructors

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 65%. This is higher than the national average of 47%.

Full-Time Faculty Percent  65 out of 100
0
100

Retention and Graduation Rates at Winston-Salem State University

75% Freshmen Retention
49% On-Time Graduation Rate

Freshman Success

Winston-Salem State University has a freshmen retention rate of 75%. 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.

Freshmen Retention Rate  75 out of 100
0
100

Time to Degree

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 49%. That is great when compared to the national average of 33.3%.

On-Time Graduation Rate  49 out of 100
0
100

Find out more about the retention and graduation rates at Winston-Salem State University.

Student Demographics at Winston-Salem State University

4,244 Undergraduate Students
92.7% Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
74.6% Percent Women

During the most recent academic year, there were 4,244 undergraduates at WSSU.

Get more detailed information on the diversity at Winston-Salem State University.

How Much Does Winston-Salem State University Cost?

$16,772 Net Price
68% Take Out Loans
$26,264 Total Student Loans

The overall average net price of WSSU is $16,772. 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.### Net Price by Income Group for WSSU

$0-30 K $30K-48K $48-75 $75-110K $110K +
$11,012 $12,586 $15,668 $20,214 $20,815

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.

Borrowing and Loans

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.

How Much Money Do Winston-Salem State University Graduates Make?

$45,344 Avg Salary of Grads
Low Earnings Boost

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.

Location of Winston-Salem State University

North Carolina State
4,244 Undergraduate Students
Large City Campus Setting

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.

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
Facebook: www.facebook.com/WSSU1892
Twitter: twitter.com/wssurams

Winston-Salem State University Majors

19 Majors With Completions
2,142 Undergraduate Degrees

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 1,071 NA
Nursing 173 $66,918
Rehabilitation Professions 130 $39,550
Health/Medical Admin Services 113 $35,434
Business Administration & Management 87 $30,639
General Psychology 60 $27,801
General Biology 59 $32,123
Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science 58 $51,993
Liberal Arts General Studies 58 $25,799
Physiology & Pathology Sciences 43 NA

Learn more about the majors offered at Winston-Salem State University along with which ones have the highest average starting salaries.

Distance Learning at WSSU

82% Take At Least One Class Online
10% Take All Classes Online

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.

3,491 students took at least one online class at Winston-Salem State University.

Learn more about online learning at Winston-Salem State University.

Data Sources and References

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

Popular Reports

College Rankings
Best by Location
Degree Guides by Major
Graduate Programs

Compare Your School Options