Fun Facts
- Our freshman class in fall 2004 was 151, bringing Salem's total enrollment to 1,120 -- the highest in our 231-year history.
- The number of applications we have received has increased 25 percent since 1993.
- We are the 13th oldest college in the United States, according to the American Council on Education in Washington, D.C., and the oldest women's college by founding date (1772).
- Money magazine has named Salem one of the top 10 "best buys" among women's colleges seven years in a row! (We were also ranked in the top 150 "best buys" for all colleges and universities in the U.S.) Salem has also been named one of the top 25 best buys among liberal arts colleges in the Southeast.
- Salem is the first college in N.C. to add a master's degree program in which students can earn licensure to teach children from birth to kindergarten.
- Our faculty/student ratio is 13:1; average class size is 13 students.
- Salem is probably the only college in the nation where all students complete both community service and an internship before they graduate! They do this as part of the Salem Signature, a four-year leadership program. In large part because of this program, Salem was recently named one of the top "character-building colleges" in the nation by the John Templeton Foundation.
- Women who attend women's colleges are twice as likely as their peers in co-ed institutions to pursue careers and advanced degrees in the sciences. At Salem, our science programs are among our most popular. Salem's Women in Science program is designed to provide academic and career support for students interested in pursuing careers in science or mathematics. This program was developed in response to the difficulty women still face when trying to enter these traditionally male dominated fields.
- Since 1980, 87 percent of students in Salem's pre-med program have been accepted to medical school.
- Salem's Center for Women Writers, Lecture Series, and School of Music continue to invite nationally known figures to campus each year to give lectures, concerts and readings. Past visiting speakers have included programs featuring Gail Godwin, Doug Marlette, Naomi Shihab Nye, Joyce Carol Oates and Sonia Sanchez. These events are free and open to the public.
- Salem works with the Woodrow Wilson National Fellowship Foundation, which twice each year sends leaders in their fields to selected liberal arts colleges for a week of classes and informal discussions with students and faculty.
- Salem students take special courses on campus, do internships off campus, or travel abroad during our special January Term.
- Salem is deeply committed to its honor code and our system of self-scheduled exams.
- Salem's very active system of student government provides our students with numerous leadership opportunities.