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Is Salem College worth it?
A first pass affordability and outcome read for Salem, using national average inputs. Run your own numbers for a personalized score.
Worth-It Score
Stretch
Salem sits in the stretch band for a typical family. The long-run earnings picture at $44,640 helps, but median debt of $26,649 plus yearly net price of $18,277 creates a tighter path. For context, Salem's net price is about 17% below the typical 4-year, private nonprofit school. It can work, but the financing plan has to be deliberate.
Is the price fair?
Compared to 1237 similar 4-year, private nonprofit schools
This school
$19,000
/yrAverage school like this
$22,837
/yrThis helps your Worth-It Score
You'd pay about $3,837 less per year than the typical student at a similar school. Over 4 years that's roughly $15,000 in savings.
Score breakdown
The public version of the score weighs affordability, after graduation outcomes, and repayment burden.
Affordability
40% weight
The yearly net price is manageable, but it makes the aid offer matter a lot.
Outcome
40% weight
The outcome data does not create enough margin to fully offset the cost.
Repayment
20% weight
Median debt stays in a more comfortable repayment range for a typical graduate.
The numbers behind the score
Median net price per year
$18,277
Median earnings 10 years out
$44,640
Median debt at graduation
$26,649
Graduation rate
57%
At Salem, a typical graduate carries about $26,649 in student debt and earns roughly $44,640 ten years after enrolling. On a standard 10-year repayment plan, that works out to about $303 per month, or 8% of pre-tax income. That sits at the tighter end of a workable borrower range.
What this means for your family
Salem is a private nonprofit four year school in Winston-Salem, NC. Private pricing can swing more dramatically based on aid, so your personalized score matters more here than the national average view alone.
Similar schools worth comparing
These schools share a similar sector, geography, or price range.
Private nonprofit 4-year
Mid-Atlantic Christian
Elizabeth City, NC
Worth-It Score: 38/100
Median net price: $18,328
Private nonprofit 4-year
Greensboro
Greensboro, NC
Worth-It Score: 50/100
Median net price: $17,882
Private nonprofit 4-year
Catawba
Salisbury, NC
Worth-It Score: 55/100
Median net price: $17,879
Private nonprofit 4-year
University of Mount Olive
Mount Olive, NC
Worth-It Score: 51/100
Median net price: $18,853
Private nonprofit 4-year
Gardner-Webb
Boiling Springs, NC
Worth-It Score: 59/100
Median net price: $17,674
Common questions about Salem
The median net price at Salem is $18,277 per year. That is the average yearly price after typical grant aid for students in the public federal data, not the published sticker price.
Get your personalized Worth-It score
National averages are a starting point. Plug in your actual aid offer, intended major, and family situation to get a score that reflects your specific picture.
Looking at private colleges options in North Carolina? See the most affordable private colleges in North Carolina →
The Worth-It Score weighs affordability (40%), after graduation outcomes (40%), and repayment burden (20%). Underlying data points come from publicly available federal higher education reporting. See full methodology →