Salem State University

Salem State University logo
#2517 / #680
Global Influence / U.S. Influence
#383
Most Desirable School
Public University located in Salem, Massachusetts and more

Salem State University at a Glance

U.S. influence rank
#680
Acceptance rate (fall 2024)
96%
Tuition and fees (2025–26)
$12,708
Graduation rate
49%
Undergraduates (fall 2024)
4,291

Reviewed by , Vice President and Academic Editor. Influence ranks come from our InfluenceRanking™ methodology; other figures come from federal data, with the year shown under each section. Report an error

Salem State University Featured Rankings

About Salem State University

According to Wikipedia, Salem State University is a public university in Salem, Massachusetts. Established in 1854, it is the oldest and largest institute of higher education on the North Shore and is part of the state university system in Massachusetts.

Salem State University's Online Degrees

BS in Business
Degree Concentrations
  • Accounting
  • Corporate Finance And Accounting
  • Entrepreneurship
  • Finance
  • Hospitality Management
  • Human Resources
  • International Business
  • Management
  • Management Information Systems
  • Marketing
  • Operations And Decision Sciences
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 4 years
BS in Occupational Health Studies
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 4 years
BS in Criminal Justice
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 4 years
BS in Fire Science
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 4 years
  • Format: Fully online
BS in Education: Early Education And Care
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 4 years
BLS in Liberal Studies
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 4 years
BSW in Social Work
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 4 years
BS in Healthcare Studies
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 4 years
BSN in Nursing: RN to BSN
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 2-3 years
  • Format: Fully online
BA in Psychology
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 4 years
BS in Psychology
  • Required Credits: 120
  • Completion Time: 4 years

Salem State University Admissions, Retention, and Graduation Information

Annual ApplicationsAcceptanceRetention RateGraduation RateMedian SAT Score
4,85296%75%49%1075

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); acceptance rate for fall 2024; test scores for fall 2023; applications and enrollment for fall 2023; retention for students who started in fall 2023; graduation rate within six years for students who started in 2019.

How Much Does Salem State University Cost To Attend?

Tuition and fees (in-state)
$12,708
Average Net Price by Family Income (2024–25)
IncomeAverage Net Cost
0 - 30K$8,474
30K - 48K$10,094
48K - 75K$10,214
75K - 110K$12,912
110K+$22,319

Source: U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and NCES); tuition and fees for 2025–26; net price for 2024–25, for first-time, full-time students receiving financial aid.

How Much Do Salem State University Graduates Make?

Ten years after starting college, former Salem State University students who received federal financial aid earn a median of $62,762 a year, and 94% of those not still in school are working.

Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard; students who started college in 2011–12 or 2012–13, measured in 2022 and 2023, in 2024 dollars.

Salem State University's Demographics

Students enrolled at any time during the 2023–24 school year, including part-time and online students.

Student BodyUnder-GradsGraduates
7,4285,6791,749

Source: National Center for Education Statistics; 12-month enrollment for 2023–24.

Where is Salem State University?

Salem State University is located at 352 Lafayette St, Salem, MA 01970.

How Safe is Salem State University?

Like every college that receives federal student aid, Salem State University publishes an annual security report with its campus crime statistics and safety policies. Its figures can also be looked up in the U.S. Department of Education’s Campus Safety and Security database.

Relative to its enrollment, Salem State University has a violent crime rate of 0.14% and a property crime rate of 0.13%. Salem has a violent crime rate of 0.15% and a property (including theft) crime rate of 1.56%. Sources: campus: U.S. Department of Education Campus Safety and Security data, on-campus offenses in 2024 (violent: murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault; property: burglary, motor vehicle theft and arson, which excludes ordinary theft); city: FBI Crime Data Explorer, offenses reported to the city police in 2024.

What Is Salem State University Known For?

Salem State University is known for its academic work in the following disciplines:

Salem State University's Top Areas of Influence With Degrees Offered

Each rank compares how much Salem State University's faculty and alumni have shaped a field with other schools, using Wikipedia, Wikidata and scholarly citation databases such as Crossref and Semantic Scholar. World and U.S. ranks reflect modern influence; the historical rank counts influence across all time. How we rank influence

Social Work
#353
World Rank
#354
Historical Rank
#151
USA Rank

Salem State University ranks #151 in the U.S. and #353 worldwide for influence in Social Work.

social-work Degrees
Criminal Justice
#786
World Rank
#791
Historical Rank
#420
USA Rank

Salem State University ranks #420 in the U.S. and #786 worldwide for influence in Criminal Justice.

criminal-justice Degrees
History
#1339
World Rank
#1353
Historical Rank
#465
USA Rank

Salem State University ranks #465 in the U.S. and #1339 worldwide for influence in History.

history Degrees
Sociology
#1668
World Rank
#1674
Historical Rank
#486
USA Rank

Salem State University ranks #486 in the U.S. and #1668 worldwide for influence in Sociology.

sociology Degrees
Communications
#1929
World Rank
#1955
Historical Rank
#528
USA Rank

Salem State University ranks #528 in the U.S. and #1929 worldwide for influence in Communications.

communications Degrees
Education
#2630
World Rank
#2600
Historical Rank
#604
USA Rank

Salem State University ranks #604 in the U.S. and #2630 worldwide for influence in Education.

education Degrees
Earth Sciences
#2448
World Rank
#2458
Historical Rank
#615
USA Rank

Salem State University ranks #615 in the U.S. and #2448 worldwide for influence in Earth Sciences.

earth-science Degrees
Medical
#2357
World Rank
#2360
Historical Rank
#645
USA Rank

Salem State University ranks #645 in the U.S. and #2357 worldwide for influence in Medical.

medicine Degrees
Political Science
#2744
World Rank
#2757
Historical Rank
#645
USA Rank

Salem State University ranks #645 in the U.S. and #2744 worldwide for influence in Political Science.

political-science Degrees
Biology
#2863
World Rank
#2890
Historical Rank
#651
USA Rank

Salem State University ranks #651 in the U.S. and #2863 worldwide for influence in Biology.

biology Degrees
Nursing
#1761
World Rank
#1762
Historical Rank
#674
USA Rank

Salem State University ranks #674 in the U.S. and #1761 worldwide for influence in Nursing.

nursing Degrees
Philosophy
#2406
World Rank
#2450
Historical Rank
#720
USA Rank

Salem State University ranks #720 in the U.S. and #2406 worldwide for influence in Philosophy.

philosophy Degrees
Economics
#4570
World Rank
#4575
Historical Rank
#782
USA Rank

Salem State University ranks #782 in the U.S. and #4570 worldwide for influence in Economics.

economics Degrees
Computer Science
#4232
World Rank
#4239
Historical Rank
#949
USA Rank

Salem State University ranks #949 in the U.S. and #4232 worldwide for influence in Computer Science.

computer-science Degrees
Literature
#2996
World Rank
#3038
Historical Rank
#998
USA Rank

Salem State University ranks #998 in the U.S. and #2996 worldwide for influence in Literature.

literature Degrees
Psychology
#2642
World Rank
#2655
Historical Rank
#1004
USA Rank

Salem State University ranks #1004 in the U.S. and #2642 worldwide for influence in Psychology.

psychology Degrees
Business
#3999
World Rank
#4001
Historical Rank
#1082
USA Rank

Salem State University ranks #1082 in the U.S. and #3999 worldwide for influence in Business.

business Degrees
Mathematics
#4877
World Rank
#4907
Historical Rank
#1268
USA Rank

Salem State University ranks #1268 in the U.S. and #4877 worldwide for influence in Mathematics.

math Degrees
Chemistry
#6647
World Rank
#6655
Historical Rank
#1831
USA Rank

Salem State University ranks #1831 in the U.S. and #6647 worldwide for influence in Chemistry.

chemistry Degrees