-21%
Undergraduate enrollment
Undergraduate enrollment fell 21% at Salem State University vs the 2018–2022 baseline (4.3k vs 5.4k).
Massachusetts · Public · Predominantly bachelor's
Salem State University
Salem, Massachusetts. 4,286 undergraduate students. 112 programs in the federal Field-of-Study dataset.
ANOMALY ENGINE · NOTABLE SIGNALS
Earnings, completion, debt, and enrollment anomalies at Salem State University
Short-arc shifts (recent 3-year window), peer outliers, earnings trend breaks, completion drops, enrollment cliffs, and debt-to-earnings warnings — surfaced deterministically from the federal record. Multi-decade shifts are reported separately in the Long Arc section, since 25-year tuition drift isn't really an anomaly.
-15%
Undergraduate enrollment
Undergraduate enrollment at Salem State University fell 15% between 2021 and 2024 (5.0k → 4.3k).
-14%
100%-time completion
100%-time completion at Salem State University fell 14% between 2021 and 2024 (41.8% → 36.0%).
-12%
150%-time completion
150%-time completion at Salem State University fell 12% between 2021 and 2024 (56.8% → 49.8%).
SECTION 01 · OUTCOMES SNAPSHOT
Salem State University earnings, debt, and completion vs. the Massachusetts median
Each tile compares this institution to the Massachusetts median for the same metric. Sub-line shows the comparison value, not an interpretation. Sparklines trace the federally available history.
$56,662+18% · 6→10y
Massachusetts median $56,022$48,209
Treasury earnings · 6y post-entry55.0%+92% · '97→'24
Massachusetts median 66.5%$19,500+308% · '97→'20
At program completion4,286-36% · '96→'24
latest IPEDS73.7%-2% · '04→'09
first-time, full-time95.6%+41% · '01→'24
latest cohort$11,978+298% · '00→'24
out-of-state $18,961SECTION 02 · EARNINGS HORIZONS
How Salem State University earnings spread, 4 to 10 years after entry
Treasury tax-record earnings for federally aided students who first enrolled at this institution. Each point is a horizon from the most-recent vintage. Single median per horizon (no p25/p75 publishing).
Earnings widen with time post-entry. Selection: federal-aid recipients only — not all graduates.Methodology →
SECTION 03 · DEBT-TO-EARNINGS
What loans cost relative to earnings at Salem State University
Annual debt service as a share of median earnings 10 years after entry, computed under federal Direct loan terms (10-year fixed at 6%). The 8% line is the gainful-employment threshold from federal regulation; above 12% has historically been considered “failing” under prior rule cycles.
Institution-wide
4.6%Median federal debt $19,500 amortized over 10 years vs. median earnings $56,662 (10y after entry).
SECTION 04 · LONG ARC
Salem State University enrollment, completion, and debt over time
Federally available history. Coverage varies by metric — IPEDS publishes some series only after 2009 and others only before.
Undergraduate enrollment.
150%-time completion rate.
Median federal student debt at exit.
+92%
Salem State University · completion · 150% rose
25.9% → 49.8%
+271%
Salem State University · completion · 100% rose
9.7% → 36.0%
-36%
Salem State University · undergrad enrollment fell
6,658 → 4,291
+298%
Salem State University · in-state tuition rose
$3,098 → $12,338
+113%
Salem State University · out-of-state tuition rose
$9,178 → $19,531
+308%
Salem State University · median debt rose
$6,125 → $25,000
-100%
Salem State University · cohort default rate fell
10.2% → 0.0%
+35%
Salem State University · earnings_median_8yr rose
$40,500 → $54,540
+31%
Salem State University · earnings_median_6yr rose
$36,800 → $48,209
SECTION 05 · PROGRAMS
Salem State University programs ranked by 5-year earnings
Each row is one (CIP × credential) program reported by the institution in College Scorecard's Field-of-Study data. Cohort floor is 30 students; below this, federal data is suppressed.
Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$94,497Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing$89,918Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas$74,213Biology, General$73,807Special Education and Teaching$71,472History$69,278Student Counseling and Personnel Services$66,161Social Work$65,680Business Administration, Management and Operations$65,310Clinical, Counseling and Applied Psychology$65,094Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$62,440Educational Administration and Supervision$61,144Criminal Justice and Corrections$59,192Sociology$55,337History$54,844Health and Physical Education/Fitness$53,920Communication and Media Studies$53,766Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities$53,648Social Work$53,211Psychology, General$52,718Geography and Cartography$50,774Education, General$46,529English Language and Literature, General$44,760Fine and Studio Arts$44,271
Showing top 24 of 25 ranked programs.
SECTION 06 · BY CIP FAMILY
25 Salem State University programs with earnings, grouped by field
Programs are grouped by 2-digit CIP family. Programs without reported earnings are hidden to keep the list focused.
EDUCATION · CIP 13
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas$74,213Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods$62,440Special Education and Teaching$71,472Educational Administration and Supervision$61,144Student Counseling and Personnel Services$66,161Education, General$46,529
ENGLISH LANGUAGE & LITERATURE · CIP 23
LIBERAL ARTS & GENERAL STUDIES · CIP 24
BIOLOGICAL & BIOMEDICAL SCIENCES · CIP 26
PARKS, RECREATION & FITNESS · CIP 31
PSYCHOLOGY · CIP 42
HOMELAND SECURITY & PROTECTIVE SERVICES · CIP 43
PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION & SOCIAL SERVICES · CIP 44
SOCIAL SCIENCES · CIP 45
VISUAL & PERFORMING ARTS · CIP 50
HEALTH PROFESSIONS · CIP 51
BUSINESS, MANAGEMENT & MARKETING · CIP 52
HISTORY · CIP 54
COMMUNICATION & JOURNALISM · CIP 09
FINANCIAL OUTCOME · ILLUSTRATION
Estimate the financial outcome at Salem State University
Pick a program. Cost from Scorecard net price by family income; earnings from Treasury 5-year-post-completion median, projected forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve. The selection-bias toggle applies the Dale-Krueger shrinkage. Outcomes illustration, not a forecast — see methodology.
Shrinks the earnings premium toward the matched-applicant mean. STEM <15%, business ~40%, arts & education ~60%.
NET PRESENT VALUE
$808,493
Over 40 years, discounted 5.0%
BREAKEVEN
Year 6
First year cumulative discounted earnings cross zero
- Cost per year
- $17,712
- HS-only baseline · MA
- $42,600
- Years to complete
- 4
- CIP family
- 51
Outcomes illustration · not a forecast. Projects observed Scorecard earnings forward with a Mincer age-earnings curve under your assumptions. See methodology for the math.
SECTION 07 · SIMILAR INSTITUTIONS
Institutions similar to Salem State University in Massachusetts
Picked by Carnegie sector × predominant credential level. These are not rankings — just nearest-neighbour surfaces for comparison.
CAUSAL DISCIPLINE
“Salem State University graduates earn $X” — not “Salem State University makes you earn $X”
Median earnings describe what cohorts earned. They do not describe what attending Salem State University caused. Selection effects (who admits, who enrolls, who completes) are real. We publish federal data with strict descriptive phrasing — and link the methodology where you can read about the limitations directly.