Winston-Salem State University

Admissions at Winston-Salem State University are accessible, while its national ranking has improved over recent cycles. In the US News Best Colleges rankings, the institution climbed from 285th in 2023 to 232nd in 2026. For the 2025 admissions cycle, the school recorded an overall acceptance rate of 78.3 percent, placing its selectivity near the median of all public comprehensive universities. Female applicants saw an acceptance rate of 80.1 percent, compared to 73.2 percent for male applicants. However, admitted students rarely choose to enroll. The university posted a yield rate of 13.1 percent in 2025, which is higher than only 11 percent of peer schools. These metrics indicate that while obtaining admission is relatively straightforward, the university faces substantial competition when seeking to attract admitted students to enroll on its campus.

Standardized test results for Winston-Salem State University reflect an accessible threshold for incoming undergraduates. In 2025, the middle 50 percent of enrolled students achieved an ACT composite score between 15 and 20, with SAT section scores largely falling in the four-hundreds. The institutional median SAT score was 930, placing it higher than only 2 percent of peer schools among all public comprehensive universities. Standardized testing participation has dropped sharply over the last decade, with only 4 percent of freshmen submitting SAT results and 11 percent submitting ACT results in 2025. For prospective applicants assessing their admissibility, these metrics demonstrate that the academic entry bar is modest compared to peer public institutions, with admissions decisions based on student profiles that do not require high testing benchmarks.

Undergraduate degrees at Winston-Salem State University are heavily concentrated in health and business fields, with the top three bachelor programs accounting for 33.9 percent of all bachelor degree recipients in 2025. Registered Nursing was by far the largest undergraduate program, conferring 161 degrees, followed by General Business Administration and Health Care Administration. In terms of early career earnings, nursing graduates led all fields, posting a median salary of $77,296 one year after graduation according to 2023 data. Clinical and medical laboratory science graduates also showed strong compensation, recording median first-year earnings of $69,439 in 2023. While the school's undergraduate programs are broadly ranked, its graduate health departments show distinct national standing. In the 2026 US News rankings, the graduate program in Rehabilitation Counseling ranked 15th nationally, and Occupational Therapy placed 98th. International students represented under one percent of bachelor degree recipients in 2025, concentrating primarily in graduate and doctoral cohorts.

Winston-Salem State University maintains an enrollment heavily concentrated in domestic populations, with international and Asian students representing a very small share of campus life. In 2025, the institution recorded a total student body of 4,782 across all academic levels. This modest representation is evident within the undergraduate ranks. Among continuing undergraduates, the university enrolled 20 international students, accounting for 0.7% of the cohort. Asian representation within the same group is similarly limited, comprising 22 students, or 0.8% of the total. Graduate cohorts also reflect these patterns, where international scholars and Asian candidates constitute minor fractions of advanced degree enrollment. For families and prospective applicants, these figures show that international and Asian students represent a small segment of the student body, which is an important factor to weigh when assessing peer diversity during the college selection process.

Undergraduate education at Winston-Salem State University centers primarily around traditional college ages, while the graduate division serves a broad adult demographic. In 2025, students aged 18 to 19 made up 39.2% of the undergraduate population, and those aged 20 to 21 accounted for 30.3%. Together, these cohorts indicate that undergraduate residential life is tailored predominantly to students continuing directly from secondary education. Conversely, graduate enrollment is distributed across early-career professionals and older students, with the 22 to 24 age bracket comprising 26.1% of graduate students, alongside a noticeable cohort of mid-career individuals in their forties.

International student enrollment at Winston-Salem State University is modest and has trended downward over the past decade. In 2025, international students comprised 0.7% of the undergraduate body, a share higher than 6% of peer schools in the all public comprehensive universities group. That proportion has dropped from 1.9% in 2016. At the graduate level, international enrollment stood at 2.5% in 2025. Across graduating cohorts, international representation is virtually absent among bachelor degree recipients, accounting for only 0.8% of graduates in 2025. Instead, international scholars concentrate primarily in advanced clinical health fields, specifically doctorate programs such as Physical Therapy/Therapist, where international students represented 12.5% of doctoral graduates. Prospective international applicants should recognize that undergraduate support cohorts remain small, with global peers concentrated mostly in specialized health doctoral studies.

Applicants considering Winston-Salem State University can explore several neighboring institutions across central North Carolina. Located just 4.2 kilometers away, Wake Forest University is a national university holding the 34th position in US News. Further east in Greensboro, students can find public alternatives including University of North Carolina at Greensboro, ranked 208th and situated 23.3 kilometers away, and North Carolina A & T State University, located 25.2 kilometers away with a rank of 219th. Additionally, Elon University provides a private national university option 40.3 kilometers away, ranked 100th. These institutions offer varied campus environments within easy traveling distance.

Campus safety records at Winston-Salem State University indicate that documented offenses consist largely of substance policy infractions managed through disciplinary referrals. In 2025, the university recorded a crime rate per 1,000 students of 23.4. Over the three-year period from 2023 to 2025, disciplinary referrals for drug violations represented the largest overall category with 212 incidents, alongside 94 disciplinary referrals for alcohol violations. Other reported incidents across these three years included dating violence, domestic violence, theft, and drug arrests in smaller volumes. These reports show that university housing and administrative oversight focus heavily on alcohol and drug enforcement rather than responding to widespread property theft. For incoming students and families assessing daily life on campus, understanding campus behavioral expectations and residence hall substance regulations provides important context for navigating the university environment safely.