Graduate earnings are in line with similar institutions.
What graduates earn 10 years after enrollment.
Annual salary at 10 years
Lower quartile earnings
Upper quartile earnings
How graduate earnings grow in the decade after enrollment.
Winston-Salem State University graduates demonstrate steady earnings progression over time, with median income rising from $40,557 six years after enrollment to $43,867 at eight years and $45,344 at ten years. This represents 11.8% growth from the six-year to ten-year measurement period, indicating consistent but moderate advancement in early career stages.
How outcomes compare to similar institutions.
Graduate earnings fall below the peer average for similar institutions.
Financial justification for the investment.
Moderate debt load. Repaying $25,000 requires planning but is achievable.
Winston-Salem State University graduates carry median debt of $25,000, placing the institution in the 28th percentile nationally with below average tier performance for debt levels. This debt load sits $3,895 above the peer median of $21,105, indicating somewhat higher borrowing than similar regional public universities.
Winston-Salem State University achieves below average return performance, ranking at the 38.2nd percentile nationally with modestly below average tier designation. However, the university generates $5,989 in earnings beyond expectations, placing it in the 77th percentile for value-added performance and achieving well above average tier status on this key measure.
Approximately 34.8% of Winston-Salem State University graduates continue to graduate or professional study, indicating balanced preparation for both i...
Program mix explains much of the earnings story.
Winston-Salem State University's strongest earning programs cluster in health sciences, where Adult Health Nursing leads with $73,285 median earnings followed by Blood Bank Technology Specialist at $59,239. These health science programs consistently outperform the institutional median and achieve competitive national rankings, demonstrating the university's particular effectiveness in professional health education.
Forensic Social Work provides a notable outlier in the social sciences with $45,182 earnings, nearly matching the institutional median. Lower-earning programs including General Studies at $32,477 and Communication and Media Studies at $28,054 reflect career patterns in education and media fields that prioritize service over high compensation.
See which programs drive the strongest earnings and career trajectories
The earnings distribution at Winston-Salem State University demonstrates meaningful variation in graduate outcomes, with the range from $29,750 at the 25th percentile to $66,577 at the 75th percentile representing a 2.2:1 ratio. This spread indicates that program choice and career path significantly influence long-term earning potential, with health science graduates achieving substantially higher outcomes than liberal arts graduates.
