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Admissions & selectivity

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# Winston-Salem State University Acceptance Rate & Admissions

Updated October 1, 2026

[Overview](/school/winston-salem-state-university/)[Cost & aid](/school/winston-salem-state-university/cost/)[Outcomes](/school/winston-salem-state-university/outcomes/)Admissions[Majors](/school/winston-salem-state-university/majors/)[Similar schools](/school/winston-salem-state-university/similar/)

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## What is the acceptance rate at Winston-Salem State University?

Winston-Salem State University’s reported acceptance rate is 78.3%.

**Acceptance rate · Fall 2024**
78.3%

Source: College Scorecard · Fall 2024 admissions. Acceptance rates can change from year to year; this figure does not predict the current or next admission cycle.

How to interpret the acceptance rate

Winston-Salem State University admits 78.3% of applicants, a rate that sits below the median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

## What SAT and ACT scores do Winston-Salem State University students report?

Enrolled students who submitted SAT scores placed between 830 and 1,020 at the middle. For ACT submitters, the middle range ran from 15 to 20.

These ranges describe the score profile of recent enrolled submitters, not a cutoff for admission. An applicant can use the university's own 830 to 1,020 SAT band and 15 to 20 ACT band as a benchmark for where submitted scores have landed.

The ranges below describe enrolled students who submitted test scores at Winston-Salem State University. Use them as academic context, then check the university’s current testing policy for your application cycle.

SAT: approximate enrolled-student range

**Approximate lower endpoint**
830

**Approximate upper endpoint**
1020

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff. The endpoints add section percentiles; they are not verified composite-score percentiles. A separate SAT-equivalent average is not plotted as a median. Source: College Scorecard; sum of section 25th/75th percentiles; enrolled score-submitters.

ACT: enrolled-student score range

**25th percentile**
15

**75th percentile**
20

Enrolled students who submitted scores. This range is not an admission cutoff.

Figures cover fall 2024.

## Who enrolls at Winston-Salem State University?

**Pell Grant recipients**
64.9%

**Entering students outside the first-time, full-time group**
29.4%

**First-year retention**
77.2%

Retention source: College Scorecard; full-time first-year retention.

About these student measures

The entering-student group includes part-time entrants as well as other attendance patterns.

Winston-Salem State University enrolls 4,170 undergraduates, and 64.9% of them receive Pell Grants. An estimated 29.4% enter as transfers or part-time students, so the student body includes many people who began their coursework elsewhere.

The admission rate is 78.3%, against a median of 85.9% for comparable institutions (same type and size).

First-year retention at Winston-Salem State University runs above the peer median: 77.2% of full-time entrants return, compared with 73.7% at comparable institutions. The [six-year graduation rate](/analysis/what-the-graduation-rate-doesnt-count/) is 46.7%, which sits below the peer median of 49.1%.

Pell recipients in the same entering cohort complete at 54.8%, 8.1 percentage points above the overall six-year rate. Enrolled students can expect retention that outpaces comparable institutions, though the six-year completion rate trails the peer median. The Pell completion figure runs ahead of the overall rate.

## Data & methodology

Sources and reporting periods: [methodology](/methodology/).

Analysis and methodology by [Daniel Rogers](/about/#founder), founder of College Azimuth.

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

Admission rates describe past applicants, not an individual’s chance of admission; confirm requirements and deadlines with the institution.

Figure notes link to sources and limitations. [About College Azimuth](/about/).