COLLEGES · 30-YEAR ROI · SALEM, MA

Is Salem State University worth the money?

Yes — at resident pricing. A Salem State University degree clears +$868K in 30-year projected net value over skipping college and investing the difference.

A public four-year school in Salem, Massachusetts, priced as a Massachusetts resident — earnings rolled up from 23 FREOPP-reported programs.

IPEDS 2023 cost · FREOPP 2021 earnings · BEA 2023 cost-of-living · same model as /worth-it · this school clears positive net value.

Salem State University · Salem, MA

30-year net value · resident pricing
+$868K
30-year net value · non-resident
+$631K
Median earnings · 10 yrs after entry
$56,018
Breaks even by age
—
Annual tuition · Massachusetts resident
$11,978
Annual tuition · out-of-state
$18,961
Total cost of attendance (4 years, sticker)
$113,424
Total cost of attendance · out-of-state
$141,356
FREOPP program coverage
23 programs

The out-of-state tax in Massachusetts, ranked

How this is computed (and what it isn’t)

Salem State University runs through the /worth-it model at its resident tuition rate, with the standard loan assumptions, a 30-year horizon, and Massachusetts’s own cost-of-living on the skip-college path. The “30-year net value” is the projected accumulated value of going vs. skipping and investing the difference, in real dollars.

What it isn’t: a verdict on every major. The school-level number averages across 23 FREOPP-reported programs — the field you pick swings it by over a million dollars on its own. We only publish school pages that clear positive net value at resident pricing; earnings roll up from at least three FREOPP programs (ADR-0032), so a single high-earning major can’t fake the number.

Questions

Is Salem State University worth the money?
At resident pricing, yes: Salem State University clears +$868K in 30-year projected net value versus skipping college and investing the difference. That is computed from a total cost of attendance of $113,424 and median earnings of $56,018 ten years after entry (IPEDS 2023 cost, FREOPP 2021 earnings, BEA 2023 cost-of-living — the same model as the LE TEEN calculator).
How much is tuition at Salem State University?
Salem State University's annual sticker tuition is $11,978 for Massachusetts residents and $18,961 for out-of-state students, before financial aid. Total cost of attendance over 4 years — tuition plus fees, housing, and living costs — is $113,424 (IPEDS 2023).
What is the total cost of Salem State University?
Over 4 years, Salem State University's sticker cost of attendance is $113,424 at resident pricing, or $141,356 out-of-state — tuition, fees, housing, and living costs at Massachusetts prices, before financial aid. Median earnings ten years after entry are $56,018.
What is out-of-state tuition at Salem State University?
Non-resident annual sticker tuition at Salem State University is $18,961, versus $11,978 for Massachusetts residents — a premium of $6,983 a year. Even at the non-resident rate, Salem State University clears positive 30-year net value.
How long until a Salem State University degree pays for itself?
Under our defaults the degree path finishes +$868K ahead at the 30-year horizon; the year-by-year crossover depends on your loan share and time horizon — run your own assumptions on the calculator.
What could change the number for Salem State University?
Two levers dominate. Residency: this page prices Salem State University as a Massachusetts resident; at non-resident tuition it still clears +$631K, but the gap is real money (see the out-of-state tax in Massachusetts). And the major: the field you pick swings lifetime ROI by over a million dollars on its own (see the majors pages).

Keep going

Cite this:

LE TEEN (2026). “Is Salem State University worth the money? 30-year ROI.” Data: IPEDS 2023 · FREOPP 2021 · BEA 2023. https://le-teen.com/colleges/salem-state-university