Winston-Salem State University Rankings & Recognition

Winston-Salem State University appears in 7 of CollegesRef's value rankings by major. Its best placement is #262 of 379 for criminal justice, and #8 of 17 ranked colleges in North Carolina.

Winston-Salem State University rankings by major

Source: CollegesRef value rankings from U.S. College Scorecard data, 2025

Each ranking compares bachelor's programs in one field. A college's value score is the weighted average of four percentiles among the ranked colleges: graduate earnings, average net price, debt compared with earnings, and graduation rate. Percentiles here are 100 for the best figure in the field. How the rankings work

Criminal justice

Ranked #262 of 379 for value

Criminal Justice and Corrections · 36 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $52,130; Ranked-college median: $55,481
Median debt: $24,000; Ranked-college median: $21,500

Value score 40.2 of 100 · #8 of 17 in North Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 32th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 71th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 22th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 36th percentile

Average net price $12,817 (median $16,222) · graduation rate 47.3% · debt is 46% of earnings

Ranked just above: Kutztown University of Pennsylvania (#261)
Ranked just below: Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania (#263)

Best colleges for criminal justice

Nursing

Ranked #279 of 686 for value

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · 139 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $84,952; Ranked-college median: $85,171
Median debt: $20,000; Ranked-college median: $20,938

Value score 54.5 of 100 · #10 of 20 in North Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 49th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 77th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 58th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 28th percentile

Average net price $12,817 (median $18,014) · graduation rate 47.3% · debt is 24% of earnings

Ranked just above: James Madison University (#278)
Ranked just below: Wayne State University-Michigan (#280)

Best colleges for nursing

Communications

Ranked #363 of 388 for value

Communication and Media Studies · 33 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $34,786; Ranked-college median: $56,130
Median debt: $22,264; Ranked-college median: $19,593

Value score 22.3 of 100 · #15 of 16 in North Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 0th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 77th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 2th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 17th percentile

Average net price $12,817 (median $17,285) · graduation rate 47.3% · debt is 64% of earnings

Ranked just above: Curry College (#362)
Ranked just below: University of South Carolina-Upstate (#364)

Best colleges for communications

Kinesiology and exercise science

Ranked #395 of 459 for value

Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness · 41 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $43,313; Ranked-college median: $53,707
Median debt: $25,000; Ranked-college median: $21,500

Value score 27.2 of 100 · #16 of 26 in North Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 6th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 81th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 5th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 23th percentile

Average net price $12,817 (median $18,314) · graduation rate 47.3% · debt is 58% of earnings

Ranked just above: University of Mobile (#394)
Ranked just below: Grace College and Theological Seminary-Indiana (#396)

Best colleges for kinesiology and exercise science

Biology

Ranked #600 of 680 for value

Biology, General · 59 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $47,527; Ranked-college median: $58,001
Median debt: $27,000; Ranked-college median: $20,717

Value score 27.4 of 100 · #22 of 23 in North Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 10th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 80th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 3th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 19th percentile

Average net price $12,817 (median $18,049) · graduation rate 47.3% · debt is 57% of earnings

Ranked just above: Calvin University (#599)
Ranked just below: California Baptist University (#601)

Best colleges for biology

Psychology

Ranked #721 of 814 for value

Psychology, General · 60 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $40,797; Ranked-college median: $51,007
Median debt: $22,000; Ranked-college median: $21,000

Value score 28.5 of 100 · #17 of 22 in North Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 6th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 81th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 12th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 23th percentile

Average net price $12,817 (median $18,874) · graduation rate 47.3% · debt is 54% of earnings

Ranked just above: Texas A & M University-Corpus Christi (#720)
Ranked just below: Rochester University-Michigan (#722)

Best colleges for psychology

Business

Ranked #902 of 986 for value

Business Administration, Management and Operations · 73 graduates

Earnings 4 yrs after: $43,292; Ranked-college median: $64,860
Median debt: $25,500; Ranked-college median: $21,375

Value score 25.2 of 100 · #28 of 34 in North Carolina

Graduate earnings · 40% of score: 1th percentile
Average net price (lower is better) · 25% of score: 79th percentile
Debt compared with earnings (lower is better) · 20% of score: 2th percentile
Graduation rate · 15% of score: 31th percentile

Average net price $12,817 (median $19,132) · graduation rate 47.3% · debt is 59% of earnings

Ranked just above: Central State University (#901)
Ranked just below: Louisiana State University-Alexandria (#903)

Best colleges for business

Quick facts

Admit rate: 78.3%
Avg. net price: $12,817
Graduation: 47.3%
Students: 4,170

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Official classifications we track, alongside the rankings by major above.

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Carnegie Classification

Doctoral/professional university

A Doctoral and Professional Degree University (which undergraduates attend)

Athletics

NCAA Division II

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