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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.
How earnings compare to a high school diploma
Graduates earn $2,840 more than the typical high school graduate ($41,800) ten years after entering this school. A federal rule finalized in July 2026 ties undergraduate student-loan eligibility to a comparison like this one, with the first calculations expected in 2027.
72% of former students here out-earned that benchmark ten years after entry, per College Scorecard.
Context, not a federal determination: the official test will use earnings measured four years after completion and thresholds the Department of Education has not yet published, which may vary by state. Our figure is College Scorecard median earnings ten years after entry. How this works
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 →
Now work out how to pay for it, cheapest money first.
A Worth-It Score tells you whether the price is justified. The 2026-27 funding guide covers the borrowing order, what changed on July 1, 2026, and the current limits.
Open the 2026-27 funding guide →