Salem State University — admissions, outcomes, merit aid & scholarships

🎯 Parent/student verdict

Likely

Accessible for most applicants. Affordable on average — net price runs around $15,996/yr. Major value play for in-state residents.

✅ Best for

In-state residents (tuition ~$12,338 — major value play)
Students drawn to Health Professions or Business, Management, & Marketing (the two biggest majors)

🎯 The reality

Bottom-quartile academic profile if: SAT below 990 (admitted-class quartiles; GPA floor is a calibrated heuristic where CDS not yet on file)

Verdict is composed from this college's structured data (admit rate, SAT bands, net price by income, Carnegie classification, scholarship grids) using transparent rule thresholds — not a chat-bot's opinion.

🏛️ Institutional snapshot

What kind of college is this?

Carnegie classification

M1: Master's - Larger Programs

Total enrollment

4,291

5,000 - 9,999

In-state tuition

$12,338

sticker, before aid

Out-of-state tuition

$19,531

+$7,193 vs in-state

Admit rate

95.6%

Accepts the majority

SAT middle 50%

990–1160

EBRW + Math composite

Test policy

Test-optional

2023

10-yr earnings

$56,662

median, after entry

Source: federal IPEDS Admissions 2023 for scores + admit rate; federal College Scorecard (20260606 vintage) for earnings + outcomes. SAT/ACT bands are the 25th–75th percentile of enrolled submitters.

📊 Outcomes & cost

What graduates actually earn, finish, and owe.

Federal College Scorecard data. Earnings are median annual income measured years after entering. Debt is for federal-aid borrowers only (cash-pay students aren't counted).

Earnings, 6 yrs after entry

$48,209

Earnings, 10 yrs after entry

$56,662

4-year completion

50%

Median debt (completers)

$25,000

Cost of attendance

$28,291

sticker price, not net

Pell-eligible students

35%

💰 True ROI

8.9× return

What families actually pay (after aid) vs. the sticker — and how 10-yr earnings stack against the real cost. Most sites quote sticker; we quote what families really pay.

What families actually pay (4 yrs)

$63,984

$15,996/yr avg net

Aid that hides behind the sticker

$49,180

vs sticker $113,164

10-yr earnings total

$566,620

$56,662/yr median, 10 yrs out

Years to recoup actual cost

1.1 yrs

at the median earnings rate

"True ROI" = (10-yr median earnings × 10) ÷ (actual 4-yr net price). The actual net is from Scorecard (average across all families); your family's net price will vary by income — see the breakdown above. Earnings are 10 years after enrollment (Scorecard PP-FOS, all majors combined).

💰 What families actually pay

Net price by family income

Net price = sticker price minus grant aid. This is what families actually pay out-of-pocket after scholarships and need-based aid — the most honest affordability signal there is. At Salem State University, the average net price is $15,996/yr across all families.

Family income $0-30k

$10,516/yr

Family income $30-48k

$13,870/yr

Family income $48-75k

$13,821/yr

Family income $75-110k

$17,590/yr

Family income $110k+

$23,223/yr

🔎 Earning over $110K? The federal brackets above lump every family from $110K to $1M+ into one row.

Need-based aid usually phases out somewhere between $200K and $300K at private colleges — but the exact threshold varies a lot. For a precise estimate based on your family's actual income, assets, and your student's academic profile, use Salem State University's official Net Price Calculator:

Get your family's estimate from Salem State University →

Opens on Salem State University's site. Takes about 10–15 minutes; have your most recent tax return handy.

Source: College Scorecard (NPT41-NPT45). Net price = total cost of attendance minus federal, state, institutional, and other grants. Some brackets may be suppressed for student-privacy reasons (small cohorts). Title IV first-time, full-time undergraduates only. The $110K+ ceiling is a federal data limitation — Department of Education hasn't refreshed these brackets since the early 2010s.

📚 What students study here

Most popular majors at Salem State University

Top 5 fields of study by bachelor's degrees awarded (most recent IPEDS Completions). Use this to see what Salem State University actually graduates — not just what it markets.

1. Health Professions

237 degrees · 30.9%

Typical career outcomes

Registered Nurse $86k Physician Assistant $130k Pharmacist $136k Physical Therapist (post-DPT) $100k

Highest-paying group on this list, but most careers require additional training beyond a 4-year degree.

2. Business, Management, & Marketing

226 degrees · 29.5%

Typical career outcomes

Financial Analyst $100k Management Analyst (Consultant) $99k Marketing Manager $158k Accountant / Auditor $80k

Broad set of corporate roles. Finance + consulting pay top, accounting + HR pay middle, sales spread is wide.

3. Psychology

134 degrees · 17.5%

Typical career outcomes

HR Specialist $68k Market Research Analyst $75k Clinical Psychologist (post-PhD) $93k Social Worker $58k

Most undergrad psych grads go into non-clinical roles. Clinical/counseling psych requires a master's or doctoral.

4. Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, & Firefighting

85 degrees · 11.1%

Typical career outcomes

Police Officer $72k Federal Special Agent $102k Detective / Investigator $91k

Public-sector careers in law enforcement, corrections, security. Strong pensions, modest base.

5. Education

84 degrees · 11.0%

Typical career outcomes

Elementary School Teacher $64k Secondary School Teacher $65k School Principal $101k Special Education Teacher $66k

Teaching is the largest path. Salary depends heavily on district + state.

Source: IPEDS Completions (C2023_a), bachelor's-level first majors aggregated to 2-digit CIP family. Share is of these top 5 only — not all majors.

💼 Top programs by earnings

Highest-earning majors at Salem State University

Median earnings 4 years after entry, by major (CIP code). From the federal College Scorecard program-level outcomes.

Major (CIP)	Credential	Cohort	1-yr earnings	4-yr earnings
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing.	Bachelor's Degree	155	$80,641	$95,550
Computer and Information Sciences, General.	Bachelor's Degree	39	$57,706	$92,380
Chemistry.	Bachelor's Degree	4	$49,439	$81,266
Business Administration, Management and Operations.	Bachelor's Degree	54	$46,897	$67,789
Biology, General.	Bachelor's Degree	62	$45,670	$67,551
Mathematics.	Bachelor's Degree	13	—	$61,259
Social Work.	Bachelor's Degree	48	$45,450	$60,026
Criminal Justice and Corrections.	Bachelor's Degree	81	$44,812	$59,774
Geological and Earth Sciences/Geosciences.	Bachelor's Degree	13	—	$59,424
Geography and Cartography.	Bachelor's Degree	27	$32,504	$58,593

For full college-vs-major comparison + ROI leaderboards, see /college-outcomes →

🤖 AI program signal

AI + computing education at Salem State University

CS degrees (annual)

21

CIP 11.0701 + 11.0101

Full multi-lens comparison: /ai-colleges →

⚖️ Compare side-by-side

Salem State University vs. another college

Type the college you want to compare against. We'll show admit rates, net price by your family income, top majors with career outcomes, and merit aid — all in one side-by-side view.

Alternatives to Salem State University

Matched not just by selectivity, but by strategic goal — what a family actually decides on.

🏆 Better merit-aid options

These similar-selectivity schools have published auto-merit grids that Salem State University doesnt — your kids scores could unlock real scholarship dollars.

Texas Tech University

TX · Public

31 auto-merit scholarships on file

Mississippi State University

MS · Public

19 auto-merit scholarships on file

University of Alabama at Birmingham

AL · Public

19 auto-merit scholarships on file

University of Louisville

KY · Public

19 auto-merit scholarships on file