College Azimuth

Research brief & institution hub

Salem State University

MAMedium public institution · Overall rank #431 nationally

Data snapshot Updated

Azimuth places the university in the 71st percentile overall.

Who it’s a good fit for

Salem State University suits a student who wants a public university in Massachusetts with a practical degree mix. Business, Health Professions, and Psychology lead the programs, and mobility is above average.

Graduates out-earn what predicts for students like them. The model attributes more of that gain to what it cannot explain than to the factors it measures — field of study, enrollment and the local labor market.

Pell students complete at a rate above the overall cohort, and mobility is above average. Access is around the average, so the financial-access picture is mixed.

The admission rate is above the median for comparable schools. Most graduates are estimated to go into work rather than further study, and the largest program, Nursing, is also the best-paid one.

Salem State University at a glance

Admissions and outcomes

Admission rate[1]
95.9%
Six-year completion[2]
49.8%
Four-year earnings[3]
$62,605

Cost and family borrowing

Average annual net price · $48–75K family income[6]
$13,821
Median student debt[4]
$25,000
Median Parent PLUS debt[7]
$21,128

Salem State University rankings: how Azimuth assesses value[5]

Salem State University is a public university in Salem, Massachusetts, enrolling 4,291 undergraduates. In the Azimuth ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, its overall standing sits in the upper-middle of the field (71st percentile).

Salem State University admits 95.9% of applicants, against a median of 85.9% for comparable institutions of the same type and size. Of the full-time first-year class, 75.2% come back for a second year, against a peer median of 73.7%.

The first-time, full-time cohort graduates within six years at a rate of 49.8%, against a peer median of 49.1%. An estimated 33.2% of entrants arrive as transfers or part-time students, so that completion figure captures only a minority of the people who study here.

The four sit relatively close together. Mobility is the strongest (75th percentile), while access is the weakest (53rd percentile). Return and affordability fall between them (66th and 63rd percentiles).

Mobility is the clearest part of the profile at Salem State University, with affordability and return also standing ahead of access. Azimuth puts mobility in the 75th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions, the university’s strongest pillar.

Azimuth places return in the 66th percentile and affordability in the 63rd percentile. Access is the weakest pillar, in the 53rd percentile, so the profile is strongest on mobility rather than access.

35.4% of undergraduates at Salem State University receive Pell Grants, a measure of financial access. Azimuth ranks the university #688 for access among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Pell recipients complete at 56.5%, 6.7 percentage points above the rate for the first-time full-time cohort as a whole. Azimuth ranks the university #373 for mobility among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Graduates earn about $8,968 more than the model expects for similar students, and both of these mobility indicators point the same way.

How value-added outcomes are assessed · How to interpret program rankings

Salem State University rankings in context
GeographyRank
National#431
Massachusetts#20
Northeast#107

Azimuth overall value rankings within each geographic comparison group.

National pillar percentiles

Economic mobility
National percentile: 75
Access & reach
National percentile: 53
Affordability
National percentile: 63
Return on investment
National percentile: 66

Top-ranked majors

  1. Social Work#27
  2. Geography and Cartography#34
  3. Criminal Justice and Corrections#46

This school’s three highest-ranked programs nationally. Each rank compares bachelor’s programs in the same field; field sizes differ.

Explore major rankings

01 / Salem State University briefing

Salem State University cost & financial aid[6][7]

For aid recipients at Salem State University, the average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $15,996. The published cost of attendance is $28,291 (an average across living arrangements).

In-state tuition and fees are $12,338, room and board are $16,838, and out-of-state tuition and fees are $19,531. Average financial aid offsets $12,295 of the sticker price.

At comparable institutions (same type and size), the peer median net price is $14,068, with Salem State University $1,928 above that figure. Azimuth places its affordability pillar in the 63rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Aid reduces the published charge, though the average post-aid cost remains above the peer median.

Salem State University lists a sticker price of $28,291 (an average across living arrangements), yet aid recipients pay very different amounts depending on income. Average net price, what aid recipients pay after grants and scholarships, is $10,516 in the lowest-income band, $13,870 in the second-lowest, $13,821 in the middle, $17,590 in the second-highest, and $23,223 in the highest-income band.

The distance between the lowest and highest bands is $12,707. Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth ranks the university #518 for affordability.

For the average aid recipient, aid covers about 43% of the published cost, an average savings of $12,295 against the sticker price. Across all aid recipients, the is $15,996, which sits $1,928 above the peer median of $14,068 at comparable institutions (same type and size).

Published tuition is $12,338 for in-state students and $19,531 for out-of-state students. Aid cuts the sticker price substantially, yet the net price that remains is above the peer median.

Among borrowers who complete, median federal student loan debt at completion is $25,000, and 91.9% of federal aid recipients borrow federal loans. That figure is $3,771 above the peer median of $21,229 at comparable institutions (same type and size).

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month if repaid over ten years. Median Parent PLUS borrowing is $21,128.

Your family income

Choose a household income range to see estimated net price.

Reported average annual net price · $48–75K$13,821

After grants and scholarships. Your aid offer may differ.

Averages within each income band; individual aid packages vary.

Borrowing and repayment at Salem State University

At Salem State University, federal borrowing is widespread: 91.9% of federal aid recipients take federal loans, and borrowers who complete have median federal student loan debt of $25,000. The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $21,229.

Salem State's median is $3,771 above that figure, so its typical federal debt sits higher than the peer benchmark. For the separate population of parent borrowers, median Parent PLUS borrowing is $21,128.

The earnings picture is favorable, although borrowing sits above the level at comparable schools. Among federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled, median earnings are $62,605 four years after completion, placing Salem State University in the 59th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings beyond expectations is also favorable: graduates earn about $8,968 more than the model expects for similar students. Azimuth places this measure in the 81st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions.

Earnings scenarios put downside earnings at $50,449 and upside earnings at $85,189, while the typical scenario matches the reported median. Median federal student loan debt is $25,000, compared with $21,229 at comparable institutions (same type and size), or $3,771 above the peer median.

That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month if repaid over ten years. Above-expected earnings and higher borrowing point in different directions.

Parent borrowing is a separate part of a family’s financing picture: the median Parent PLUS borrowing among parent borrowers is $21,128. The median federal student debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month if repaid over ten years.

How Financial GPS measures payment burden · The four risk-and-reward zones

Financial GPS

What does repayment look like?

Institution median student debt
$25,000
Institution Parent PLUS debt
$21,128

Federal loans only; private or institutional loans aren’t included.

Estimated student payment · monthly
$284/mo
Estimated Parent PLUS payment · monthly
$268/mo

Payments use school-wide median balances, not a specific major’s.

Payment assumptions

Payments are 10-year standard payments on the median balance, before loan fees, used as a yardstick. Rates for newly issued loans may differ, and loans made after July 1, 2026 can repay over a longer term; existing loans keep their original fixed rates.

Explore your own numbers in Financial GPS
Read the full cost & aid brief

02 / Salem State University briefing

Salem State University career outcomes & earnings[3][8][9]

At Salem State University, return measures point upward, with Azimuth placing the return pillar in the 66th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $8,968 more than the model expects for similar students.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, stands in the 81st percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $2,926.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $6,042. Median earnings are $62,605 four years after completion, in the 59th percentile.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $57,301, leaving earnings $5,304 above it.

Salem State University has an earnings record that lands above the middle of the nonprofit four-year sector, with outcomes shaped by a range of program paths. Federally aided completers who are working and not enrolled have median earnings of $62,605 four years after completion.

Azimuth places those earnings in the 59th percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions; the measure draws on an earnings cohort of 2,346 completers. The program-mix model sets a typical earnings scenario at $62,605, with a downside scenario of $50,449 and an upside scenario of $85,189.

These are earnings scenarios, not observed groups. An estimated 30.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, a figure estimated from the program mix.

The above-middle earnings placement and the modeled range show a school-level result with substantial variation across academic paths.

Four years after completing a degree, federally aided graduates who are working and not enrolled earn a median of $62,605, in the 59th percentile. The peer median for comparable institutions (same type and size) is $57,301, so the university sits $5,304 above that benchmark.

Azimuth ranks Salem State University #494 for return among nonprofit four-year institutions. Graduates earn about $8,968 more than the model expects for similar students.

The earnings-beyond-expectations gap, which measures the difference between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, sits at the 81st percentile. The part the model attributes to the factors it measures (field of study, enrollment and the local labor market) adds $2,926.

The part it attributes to a remainder it does not explain adds $6,042. Within the measured factors, the STEM component adds $435.

The fields that contribute most to the result are in health professions and business, which together account for over a third of degrees. Earnings scenarios, estimated from the program mix, range from $50,449 on the downside to $85,189 on the upside.

An estimated 30.7% of graduates continue to graduate study, based on the program mix.

The range of earnings scenarios shows that field choice can change the financial picture at Salem State University. The downside earnings scenario is $50,449, compared with an upside scenario of $85,189; both are scenarios estimated from the program mix, not observed groups.

At the program level, median earnings four years after completion are $95,550 in Nursing, $92,380 in Computer and Information Sciences, and $67,789 in Business Administration and Management. Those program figures help explain the breadth of the modeled range.

Salem State University pairs higher-than-expected graduate earnings with borrowing that exceeds the comparable-school midpoint. For borrowers who completed, median federal student loan debt is $25,000.

The peer median, the middle value for comparable institutions (same type and size), is $21,229, and the university’s figure is above it by $3,771. That debt corresponds to an estimated payment of $284 a month if repaid over ten years.

Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, offers a separate view of outcomes. Graduates earn about $8,968 more than the model expects for similar students.

The return picture is mixed: earnings beat the model, but completed borrowers carry higher-than-peer debt.

What explains value-added earnings?
Program & institutional factors The part attributed to observed institutional characteristics.
+$2,926
Unexplained remainder What remains after the model’s observed factors.
+$6,042
Total modeled value added The modeled difference from expected earnings.
+$8,968

These are statistical model components, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

Read the full outcomes brief

03 / Salem State University briefing

Salem State University acceptance rate & admissions[1][10][11]

Admission was broadly available in the reported cycle, with 95.9% of applicants admitted to Salem State University. That rate is above the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size), so the reported outcome differs from its peer midpoint.

SAT: reported composite scores
Admission rate
95.9%
25th percentile
1000
Median
1130
75th percentile
1170

CDS 2024-25 · enrolled first-year score submitters. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Read the full admissions brief

04 / Salem State University briefing

What are the largest majors at Salem State University?[12]

Program earnings at Salem State University range across social science and health-related fields four years after completion. Geography and Cartography reports median earnings of $58,593 and 27 degrees awarded.

Azimuth ranks it #34 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Social Work recorded $60,026 with 48 degrees awarded; Azimuth places it #27 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field.

Criminal Justice had median earnings of $59,774 across 81 degrees awarded and holds an Azimuth rank of #46 nationally among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. Health and Medical Administrative Services recorded $55,323 and 38 degrees awarded, ranking #56 nationally by Azimuth among nonprofit four-year institutions in its field. The figures show distinct earnings levels across these fields.

Salem State University has 13 ranked bachelor’s fields, led by Social Work. Azimuth ranks Social Work #27 nationally in its field among nonprofit four-year institutions; it awarded 48 degrees and its completers had median earnings of $60,026 four years after completion.

Geography and Cartography ranks #34 in its field, with 27 degrees awarded and median earnings of $58,593. Criminal Justice is ranked #46 by Azimuth, with 81 degrees awarded and $59,774 in median earnings four years after completion.

The ranked fields span different earnings levels, making field choice especially important here.

The program mix at Salem State University is led by Business and Health Professions, which together account for more than a third of all bachelor's degrees awarded, at 18.4% and 18.2% respectively. Psychology is the third-largest family at 12.1% of degrees.

Across all fields, 12.7% of degrees are in STEM. The university has 13 programs with an Azimuth national rank and 20 with published four-year earnings data.

The largest single program is Nursing, at 155 degrees awarded, followed by Psychology at 145 and Criminal Justice at 81. Social Work is the highest-ranked program in its field, with median earnings of $60,026 four years after completion, and Azimuth ranks it #2 in Massachusetts.

Nursing, the largest program, is also the highest-earning, with a median of $95,550. The second-highest earner is a much smaller program: Computer and Information Sciences graduates earn $92,380 from 39 degrees awarded a year.

Geography and Cartography ranks #34 nationally and #1 in Massachusetts within its field, with 27 degrees awarded and earnings of $58,593. The pattern here is one of strength concentrated in a few large, applied fields.

Nursing, the largest program, has the highest earnings, while Social Work is the highest-ranked. The earnings figures here are measured four years after completion, and for fields where graduate study is common, later-career outcomes may look different.

Four-year earnings · six largest reported fields
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing 155 degrees awarded
$95,550
Psychology, General 145 degrees awarded
$54,717
Criminal Justice and Corrections 81 degrees awarded
$59,774
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods 78 degrees awarded
$56,509
Biology, General 62 degrees awarded
$67,551
Business Administration, Management and Operations 54 degrees awarded
$67,789

Fields selected by reported completions. Counts describe credentials awarded, not unique students or the earnings sample. Bars show median four-year earnings.

Read the full majors brief

05 / Salem State University briefing

How does Salem State University serve students from different backgrounds?

Pell recipients at Salem State University complete within six years at 56.5%, above the 49.8% six-year graduation rate for the first-time full-time cohort by 6.7 percentage points. That completion pattern is a useful part of the school’s mobility picture.

Among nonprofit four-year institutions, Azimuth puts Salem State University’s mobility pillar in the 75th percentile. Earnings beyond expectations, the gap between what graduates earn and what the model expects for similar students, are in the 81st percentile. Graduates earn about $8,968 more than the model expects for similar students.

At Salem State University, access is shaped by an estimated share of entrants outside the first-time, full-time group of 33.2% alongside an admission rate of 95.9%. The public university enrolls 4,291 undergraduates, and 35.4% receive Pell Grants.

Azimuth places the access pillar in the 53rd percentile among nonprofit four-year institutions. The admission rate, Pell participation, and transfer presence show several routes into the undergraduate population.

06 / Salem State University briefing

What colleges are similar to Salem State University?[15]

Azimuth groups alternatives by admissions, location, cost and earnings, then orders candidates within each group. Peer earnings use the matched four-year cohort. How matching works.

A shortlist for different decisions

Choose a row to compare the figures with Salem State University.

Admissions peerPlymouth State University87.5% admitted
Comparison with Salem State University
MeasureSalem State UniversityPlymouth State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$62,605$57,351-$5,254 vs Salem State University
Average annual net price$15,996$19,216+$3,220 vs Salem State University · higher cost
Admission rate95.9%87.5%
Nearby alternativeFramingham State UniversityNearby option · MA
Comparison with Salem State University
MeasureSalem State UniversityFramingham State University
Peer earnings · 4 years$62,605$61,569-$1,036 vs Salem State University
Average annual net price$15,996$16,114+$118 vs Salem State University · higher cost
Admission rate95.9%83.6%
Higher-earnings alternativeGeorge Mason University$78,425 earnings
Comparison with Salem State University
MeasureSalem State UniversityGeorge Mason University
Peer earnings · 4 years$62,605$78,425+$15,820 vs Salem State University
Average annual net price$15,996$17,915+$1,919 vs Salem State University · higher cost
Admission rate95.9%87.5%
Explore George Mason University →
Lower-cost alternativeRhode Island College$9,478 average net price
Comparison with Salem State University
MeasureSalem State UniversityRhode Island College
Peer earnings · 4 years$62,605$59,430-$3,175 vs Salem State University
Average annual net price$15,996$9,478-$6,518 vs Salem State University · lower cost
Admission rate95.9%91.8%
Explore Rhode Island College →
Similar profileUniversity of Southern MaineMatched across several measures
Comparison with Salem State University
MeasureSalem State UniversityUniversity of Southern Maine
Peer earnings · 4 years$62,605$60,816-$1,789 vs Salem State University
Average annual net price$15,996$13,596-$2,400 vs Salem State University · lower cost
Admission rate95.9%79.2%
Explore University of Southern Maine →

Each school is the first-ranked match in its category, not a recommendation across every measure. The same college may lead more than one category. Figures use the matching snapshot; earnings reflect the matched four-year cohort. — means unavailable.

Read the full similar schools brief

Data scope & methodology

Structured payloads generated Governed hub narrative Governed spoke corpus

Four-year earnings describe cohorts of completers. Figures for other horizons describe different cohorts and are not joined into a career-growth projection.

Azimuth's overall rank and pillar percentiles come from the school profile. Absolute pillar ranks, city, enrollment and official-site links are shown only when structured data supplies them.

Detailed earnings, cost, admissions and program values come from the endpoint responsible for each measure. Missing values are not replaced with zero. Value-added estimates are model associations, not causal effects.

Figures are refreshed with each data release, at most a quarter apart. The underlying source dates can be earlier than the release.

Explanatory text is AI-assisted drafting checked against those figures; it is not an additional data source.

Analysis and methodology by Daniel Rogers, founder of College Azimuth.

Read the ranking methodology, data definitions and limitations · About College Azimuth

Read the analysis behind value-added earnings and the change to four-year graduate earnings. These articles are published on collegeazimuth.com.

Data notes & source fields

Scorecard field codes identify the underlying measure; Azimuth-derived values are labeled separately. Snapshot dates are not measurement years. Source populations and reporting periods differ across measures. Field definitions are in the U.S. Department of Education · College Scorecard documentation; notes with a different source link it below.

  1. Admission rate. Reported applicants admitted; not a transfer-specific or individual admission probability.

    Source fields: ADM_RATE

  2. Six-year completion. First-time, full-time students completing at the institution within 150% of normal time, typically six years for a bachelor’s degree.

    Source fields: C150_4

  3. Four-year institutional earnings. Median earnings of graduates in the reported cohort who are working and not enrolled, four years after completion.

    Source fields: MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

  4. Median federal student debt. Federal student-loan debt among completers in the reported borrowing cohort. Excludes Parent PLUS and is not total debt across all students.

    Source fields: GRAD_DEBT_MDN

  5. National, regional and state ranks; pillar percentiles; major ranks. Derived scores within the stated eligible comparison set, not raw Scorecard fields. Major ranks compare institutions within a field; their denominators differ.

    Source fields: Azimuth rankings

    College Azimuth · Ranking methodology

  6. Annual net price by family income. Average annual cost after grants and scholarships for the eligible first-time, full-time aid-recipient cohort. Public-school figures reflect in-state tuition. Includes living costs; these are averages, not medians or individual offers.

    Source fields: NPT4_PUB/PRIV; NPT41_PUB/PRIV through NPT45_PUB/PRIV

  7. Parent PLUS debt, payments and GPS illustration. Stored payments use Financial GPS loan and repayment assumptions. The adjustable spectrum applies the published framework to annual student payments divided by earnings minus an expense allowance; its initial allowance uses the frozen 2024 framework baseline. It is an illustration rather than a school rating. Parent PLUS uses the completer median where available, otherwise the all-borrower median; these describe different borrowing populations.

    Source fields: PLUS_DEBT_ALL_COMP_MD; fallback PLUS_DEBT_ALL_MD; Azimuth Financial GPS calculations

    College Azimuth · Financial GPS methodology

  8. Downside and upside earnings; yellow band. The band spans the modeled lower and higher scenarios. It is not the P25–P75 interval for individual graduates. The median marker is the separately reported institutional median.

    Source fields: Azimuth modeled program-mix scenarios

    College Azimuth · Earnings scenario methodology

  9. Value added and its components. Observed-factor attribution plus the unexplained remainder equals total modeled value added. These are associations, not proven causal effects; the remainder is not a direct measure of teaching quality.

    Source fields: Azimuth statistical model

    College Azimuth · Value-added methodology

  10. SAT score range and reported midpoint. Reported scores of enrolled score-submitters, not admission cutoffs. The midpoint field is not necessarily the middle of the displayed range.

    Source fields: SATVR25 + SATMT25; SATVR75 + SATMT75; SAT_AVG

  11. First-year retention. Retention of the reported full-time cohort at four-year institutions.

    Source fields: RET_FT4

  12. Program earnings, completion counts and major-mix dots. Included bachelor’s programs have at least five reported completions. Counts are aggregated credentials, not unique people or an earnings sample. Major-mix dots group those counts by field of study; excluded programs are not zero activity.

    Source fields: EARN_MDN_4YR; IPEDSCOUNT1; CIPCODE

    College Scorecard · Field-of-study technical documentation

  13. Pell recipients. Share of undergraduates receiving a Pell Grant in the reported academic year.

    Source fields: PCTPELL

  14. Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group. This is not an observed transfer-in rate. It includes part-time entrants and other entering-student attendance patterns.

    Source fields: 1 − PFTFTUG1_EF

  15. Peer earnings and signed differences. Differences are peer minus this school, from the same matching snapshot. A positive earnings difference does not mean the peer is better on every measure.

    Source fields: Azimuth peer model using MD_EARN_WNE_4YR

    College Azimuth · Comparison methodology

How to interpret program rankings