Quad
Salem State UniversitySalem, MA · Public

Academics

Majors and faculty

The most popular major is Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse (12% of graduates). 12 students for every faculty member, fewer than at 59% of colleges. 100% of faculty are full-time. Spends $10,571 a year on instruction per student.

Most popular majors

1,052 bachelor's degrees, 2024–25 graduates

The top 5 programs account for 39% of graduates; 68 programs in 19 fields awarded at least one.

  1. Registered Nursing/Registered Nurse 51.380112% 126
    Graduates in this field earn $95,550 4 years out
  2. Psychology, General 42.01019.8% 103
    Graduates in this field earn $54,717 4 years out
  3. Criminal Justice/Law Enforcement Administration 43.01036.4% 67
    Graduates in this field earn $59,774 4 years out
  4. Biology/Biological Sciences, General 26.01016.1% 64
    Graduates in this field earn $67,551 4 years out
  5. Health/Health Care Administration/Management 51.07014.4% 46
    Graduates in this field earn $55,323 4 years out

Fastest-growing field: Health professions, 15% → 18% of graduates since 2014–15 (191 graduates in 2024–25).

Source:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2014–15 to 2024–25About the data(built 2026-10-12; CPI retrieved 2026-10-12)

Bachelor's degrees awarded July through June, by federal program name (), which can differ from what the college calls a major. A double major counts once, under the ; its other field is a . Earnings are College Scorecard's median for graduates of the program's broader field (), 4 years after completion; see Top-earning majors below.

Top-earning majors here

By earnings 4 years after completion

  1. Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$95,550 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $80,641

    4 years after completion$95,550
    National median: $88,910Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $79,643 · Non-Pell: $79,487(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $27,000 · 318 graduates, two most recent years combined

  2. Computer and Information Sciences, General$92,380 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $57,706

    4 years after completion$92,380
    National median: $92,374About typical

    Median federal debt: $26,250 · 68 graduates, two most recent years combined

  3. Chemistry$81,266 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $49,439

    4 years after completion$81,266
    National median: $65,120Above typical

    Median federal debt: $25,750 · 10 graduates, two most recent years combined

  4. Business Administration, Management and Operations$67,789 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $46,897

    4 years after completion$67,789
    National median: $68,257About typical

    4 years out, Pell: $54,374 · Non-Pell: $59,613(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $24,250 · 104 graduates, two most recent years combined

  5. Biology, General$67,551 4 yrs out

    1 year after completion: $45,670

    4 years after completion$67,551
    National median: $57,214Above typical

    4 years out, Pell: $58,435 · Non-Pell: $65,748(an older graduating class than the figure above — see the (i) for why)

    Median federal debt: $26,500 · 129 graduates, two most recent years combined

Bachelor's programs only, among graduates who received federal financial aid and were working (not enrolled in school) in the measurement year.

Students per faculty member vs. every college12 to 1
12 to 1
← Fewer students per facultyfewer students per faculty member than 59% of 1,892More students per faculty →

The college also reports 11 to 1 in its Common Data Set.

Not the average class size: faculty also teach graduate students and do research, and large lectures can sit alongside small seminars.

Class sizes

54%

of classes have fewer than 20 students; 0% have 50 or more

Under 20 students 20 or moreStudents per class section
Undergraduate class sections by number of students
StudentssectionsShare
2–913013%
10–1941641%
20–2939339%
30–39646%
40–4940%
50–9910%
100+00%

This counts class sections, not students: a lecture of 300 is one section, so a student is more likely to sit in a large class than the share of sections suggests. Labs and discussion sections are counted separately and left out here.

Programs & curriculum

  • Accelerated program
  • Cross-registration
  • Distance learning
  • Double major
  • Dual enrollment
  • English as a Second Language
  • Domestic exchange program
  • Independent study
  • Student-designed major
  • Study abroad

Requires coursework in English composition, humanities, and social science.

Full-time faculty100%
National median: 67%Above typical
Average faculty salary

$96,243

9-month equated, all ranks combined. Pay tracks local cost of living as much as a college's generosity.

Spending and endowment

Fiscal 2023–24. Compared only against other public colleges: public and private colleges report finances on different accounting forms that aren't comparable. Many public universities' endowments sit mostly in a separate foundation this survey doesn't count, so this likely understates what's actually available.

Instruction spending per student$10,571
$10,571
← Lessmore than 49% of 557More →
Endowment per student$13,203
$13,203
← Lessmore than 53% of 537More →

Sources:IPEDS Completions survey (degrees awarded by field), 2024–25 graduates;College Scorecard Field of Study data, most recent release;IPEDS Fall Enrollment survey (part D), Fall 2024;IPEDS Salaries survey (SAL, instructional staff, all ranks), Fall 2024;College Scorecard, Fall 2024;IPEDS Finance survey, derived per-student figures, 2023–24;Salem State University Common Data Set 2025–26, Fall 2025;Salem State University Common Data Set 2025–26, 2025–26;IPEDS Institutional Characteristics survey (athletics, programs, services, religious affiliation), 2025–26About the data(retrieved 2026-10-12)