10-YEAR PAYOFF CURVECumulative economic payoff after graduation
−$128,436at year 10Net gainInvestment not yet recovered
NET GAIN$0UNRECOVERED
Public · COLLEGE PAYOFF
Winston-Salem State University
Winston-Salem, NC · 24 field-and-degree records
Earnings reported for 23 · Federal debt reported for 16
Based onObserved earnings + college priceEstimate10-year payoff
Estimated 10-year payoff
Negative payoff
−$128,436 over 10 years
Modeled from observed year-5 institution earnings and the institution-wide average net price over four years.
22.2 yrsTime to earn back the modeled cost
−55%Estimated return after 10 years
$55,548Observed earnings · year 5
Not reachedHighest annual price before payoff reaches $0
Start with your question
What do you want to understand?
ECONOMIC INVESTMENT → PAYBACK
Estimated payoff over ten years.
The scenario counts direct price and earnings forgone upfront, then applies the reported annual earnings premium.
FEDERAL COST DATA
Four ways to read college price.
Annual college-wide figures from the current College Scorecard release. Average net price covers full-time, first-time undergraduates receiving federal aid; public-college figures use in-state students. Program tuition and individual aid offers may differ.
PUBLISHED STUDENT BUDGET · 2024–25
What makes up the annual price?
Sticker-price components reported to IPEDS. Grants and scholarships are not subtracted here.
Living off campus: $10,800 housing and food allowance plus $4,831 in other expenses.
Do not confuse this with net price. Net price subtracts average grants and scholarships. DegreeVerdict continues to use the separately labeled average net price in its standard college ROI scenario.
PRICE SENSITIVITY
The price can change the verdict.
Hold observed earnings constant and see how the modeled ten-year payoff changes as annual price rises.
← Negative payoff$0Positive payoff →
$0Annual price−$74,520
$8,000Annual price−$106,520
$13,000Current college-wide context−$126,520
$16,000Annual price−$138,520
$24,000Annual price−$170,520
$32,000Annual price−$202,520
$40,000Annual price−$234,520
HOW STUDENTS ATTEND · 2023-24
Most students take at least some classes online.
IPEDS enrollment counts show course delivery across the whole institution. They do not indicate whether a specific degree can be completed online.
Institution-level attendance context from IPEDS. Program delivery is reported separately on degree pages and in the program directory. These figures do not enter ROI.
College identity and local contextAccreditation, institution type, dual enrollment and state prices
COLLEGE AT A GLANCE
Institution details
Current federal characteristics describing the college, not the outcomes of a specific program.
- Accreditor
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
- Main award level
- Bachelor’s degrees
- Campus setting
- City
- Admissions
- Selective admission
- Delivery
- Campus or mixed delivery
- Federal designation
- Historically Black college or university
STATE PRICE CONTEXT · 2024
Prices in North Carolina run 6% below the U.S. level.
BEA Regional Price Parities compare price levels across states. A value of 100 equals the national average.
What it costs and what graduates earn
$13,479Average net price / year
$23,147Cost of attendance
$25,000Median federal student debt · completer borrowers
$265/moPublished 10-year payment estimate
$55,548Median earnings · year 5 after completion
46.7%Completion rate
78.3%Admission rate
945Average SAT score
17ACT midpoint
4,170Student size
Debt covers federal student-loan borrowers who completed. It does not include Parent PLUS or private loans. We show admissions scores only when a valid federal value is available.
What the numbers say about Winston-Salem State University
What does Winston-Salem State University cost?
Winston-Salem State University reports an average annual net price of $13,479 after grants and scholarships. This is an institution-wide average, not an individual aid offer.
What do Winston-Salem State University graduates earn?
The observed median earnings figure is $55,548 5 years after completion. It describes a federal cohort, not a guaranteed starting salary.
How much federal debt do Winston-Salem State University graduates have?
Completer borrowers report median cumulative federal student debt of $25,000. Parent PLUS and private loans are not included.
Is every degree at Winston-Salem State University worth the same?
No. The current release contains 24 field-and-degree records for Winston-Salem State University; 23 report year-4 earnings and 16 report federal debt. Outcomes can differ substantially by field and degree level.
DEBT AFTER COLLEGE
Are borrowers making progress?
Repayment progress, default and debt at exit describe different federal borrower cohorts. They are shown separately and do not change the ROI estimate.
Source: College Scorecard. Repayment progress is the share of borrowers who reduced principal by at least $1 at the stated measurement point. Debt covers federal student loans; Parent PLUS and private loans are excluded. Cohorts and reporting periods differ across measures.
Who studied here during the year
5,322Students enrolled at any point
4,626Undergraduate students
696Graduate students
Unduplicated students enrolled at any point from July 1, 2024 through June 30, 2025. This full-year measure is different from a fall headcount and does not enter ROI.
More student and earnings detailPrice by family income, retention, equity and common industries
WHO PAYS, WHO FINISHES, WHO EARNS
Outcomes are not the same for every family.
These federal cohorts add context that a single college average can hide. Missing figures remain unreported rather than estimated.
Complete within 150% of the expected time
53% received a Pell Grant within eight yearsMedian Parent PLUS debt
888 parent borrowers in the reported cohortMedian federal student debt
35% making progress in repayment after three yearsStudent family incomeMedian earnings after 10 yearsObserved federal cohorts
Lower income$41,328Earnings are not a guarantee
Middle income$49,953Earnings are not a guarantee
Higher income$51,896Earnings are not a guarantee
Three-year repayment progress
Lower income30%
Middle income35%
Higher income46%
Undergraduate student composition
White5%
Black83%
Hispanic5%
Asian1%
Source: College Scorecard, June 2026 release. Parent PLUS debt belongs to parents; student-debt measures exclude Parent PLUS and private loans. Cohort definitions differ by measure.
INDEPENDENT CENSUS EARNINGS VIEW
How earnings develop by field
Privacy-protected Census employment records follow graduate cohorts one, five and ten years after completion. This source is kept separate from College Scorecard because its population and methodology differ.
Field and credentialYear 1Year 5Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 51
$69,418Year 1
$87,958Year 5
$100,222Year 10
Computer Programming.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 11
$45,751Year 1
$70,012Year 5
$97,592Year 10
Advanced/Graduate Dentistry and Oral Sciences.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 51
$67,311Year 1
$79,008Year 5
$95,256Year 10
Accounting and Related Services.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 52
$64,402Year 1
$81,843Year 5
$95,189Year 10
Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 26
$35,940Year 1
$51,223Year 5
$77,631Year 10
Bilingual, Multilingual, and Multicultural Education.Master’s degree · Broad federal field 13
$54,404Year 1
$62,224Year 5
$74,210Year 10
Astronomy and Astrophysics.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 40
Not availableYear 1
$63,874Year 5
$64,402Year 10
Accounting and Related Services.Bachelor’s degree · Broad federal field 52
$38,350Year 1
$54,522Year 5
$62,510Year 10
Median annual earnings in 2023 dollars. Each time point may use a different pooled graduation cohort. Coverage is limited to institutions participating in the Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes program.
NATIONAL CONTEXT
How this college compares
Percentiles compare this institution with currently operating colleges that report the same federal measure.
WHAT STANDS OUT
A faster read on this college
These summaries use every reportable field-and-credential record at this institution. They do not fill privacy-suppressed outcomes.
EARNINGS OVER TIME
What graduates earned in later years
$41,957Year 1
$56,396Year 4
$55,548Year 5
Each year can represent a different federal cohort, so the points do not track the same people over time.
Your choice of degree can change the payoff.
Graduate earnings differ by field and credential, even within the same college.
1Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Master's Degree$119,6022Computer Science · Bachelor's Degree$94,2983Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing · Bachelor's Degree$84,9524Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions · Doctoral Degree$79,1445Health and Medical Administrative Services · Master's Degree$76,3476Accounting and Related Services · Bachelor's Degree$70,9417Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions · Bachelor's Degree$70,4508Computer and Information Sciences, General · Bachelor's Degree$63,562Observed year-4 earnings · compare the same field and credential across colleges
Programs that stand out against the same-degree benchmark
This view rewards performance relative to the same field and credential, not simply majors that pay more everywhere.
1Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and MethodsBachelor's Degree · $51,520 reported+9%vs same-degree national median$30,000federal debt2Social WorkBachelor's Degree · $53,028 reported+2%vs same-degree national median$28,537federal debt3Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingMaster's Degree · $119,602 reported-0%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt4Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical NursingBachelor's Degree · $84,952 reported-4%vs same-degree national median$24,082federal debt5Rehabilitation and Therapeutic ProfessionsDoctoral Degree · $79,144 reported-5%vs same-degree national medianNot availablefederal debt6Criminal Justice and CorrectionsBachelor's Degree · $52,130 reported-6%vs same-degree national median$27,000federal debt
Comparable colleges in NC
Currently operating public institutions with the closest combination of annual net price and observed year-5 earnings. Similarity is descriptive, not a quality ranking.
Greenville, NC
East Carolina University
- Annual net price
- $15,739
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $56,743
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -52%
Western Carolina University
- Annual net price
- $13,315
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $51,153
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -74%
University of North Carolina at Charlotte
- Annual net price
- $15,435
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $60,262
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -37%
Appalachian State University
- Annual net price
- $16,836
- Observed earnings · year 5
- $51,728
- Modeled 10-year ROI
- -73%
Compare fields and degree levels
Showing all 24 field-and-degree records in the current release.
| Major or field | Degree level | Earnings, year 4 | Federal debt | 2024–25 graduates |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Master's Degree | $119,602 | Not available | 4 |
| Computer Science | Bachelor's Degree | $94,298 | $30,721 | Not reported |
| Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing | Bachelor's Degree | $84,952 | $24,082 | 0 |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | Doctoral Degree | $79,144 | Not available | 42 |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | Master's Degree | $76,347 | Not available | Not reported |
| Accounting and Related Services | Bachelor's Degree | $70,941 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions | Bachelor's Degree | $70,450 | $25,361 | Not reported |
| Computer and Information Sciences, General | Bachelor's Degree | $63,562 | Not available | Not reported |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | Master's Degree | $58,006 | Not available | Not reported |
| Social Work | Bachelor's Degree | $53,028 | $28,537 | Not reported |
| Finance and Financial Management Services | Bachelor's Degree | $52,895 | Not available | Not reported |
| Criminal Justice and Corrections | Bachelor's Degree | $52,130 | $27,000 | Not reported |
| Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods | Bachelor's Degree | $51,520 | $30,000 | Not reported |
| Biology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $47,527 | $27,446 | Not reported |
| Marketing | Bachelor's Degree | $45,930 | Not available | Not reported |
| Health and Medical Administrative Services | Bachelor's Degree | $45,182 | $30,500 | Not reported |
| Sports, Kinesiology, and Physical Education/Fitness | Bachelor's Degree | $43,313 | $26,000 | Not reported |
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | Bachelor's Degree | $43,292 | $28,805 | Not reported |
| Rehabilitation and Therapeutic Professions | Bachelor's Degree | $42,179 | $28,000 | Not reported |
| Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities | Bachelor's Degree | $42,020 | $28,524 | Not reported |
| Psychology, General | Bachelor's Degree | $40,797 | $27,375 | Not reported |
| Sociology | Bachelor's Degree | $38,245 | Not available | Not reported |
| Communication and Media Studies | Bachelor's Degree | $34,786 | $27,096 | Not reported |
| Political Science and Government | Bachelor's Degree | Not available | $26,000 | Not reported |
Graduate counts come from IPEDS and group related majors into the same federal field. Missing earnings or debt values remain labeled as unavailable.
Earnings, price, completion and enrollment are observed federal measures. ROI, payoff and break-even are modeled scenarios built from those measures and fixed assumptions. College payoff is not the payoff of every degree at this school; use the program table for a more precise comparison.