The student population at Salem State University is 6,230 (4,867 undergraduate and 1,363 graduate students) . The number of students has decreased by 2,985 (32.39%) over the past decade.
- Class Level: The percentage of undergraduate students at Salem State is 78.12% which is decreased by 2,632 over last 10 years. The graduate student population decreased by 353 and it has been decreasing.
- Gender Breakdown: In 2025, there were 50 male students for every 100 female students, down from 58 in 2015.
- 836 students enrolled in online degree program exclusively and the number of online students has increased by 543.08% since 2015.
Student Population Changes
The average student population over the last 11 years is 7,634 where 6,230 students are attending the school for the academic year 2024-2025.
Total enrollment decreased every year from 2016 to 2025, falling from 9,215 to 6,230 students, a loss of 2,985 (32.4%).
The following table and chart illustrate the changes in student population by gender at Salem State University since 2015.
Undergraduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Undergraduate students over the last 11 years is 6,111 where 4,867 students are attending the Undergraduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Undergraduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Salem State University since 2015.
Graduate Enrollment Changes
The average number of Graduate students over the last 11 years is 1,524 where 1,363 students are attending the Graduate school for the academic year 2024-2025. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in Graduate enrollment by attending status and gender at Salem State University since 2015.
Enrollment by Race/Ethnicity Changes
The percentage of white students is 54.61%. The percentage was 68.29% 10 years ago and Salem State still has a high percentage of white students. 3.24% of enrolled students is Asian and 7.87% is black students. Hispanic students comprise 23.15% of the student body.
Over the past 10 years, the racial composition has shifted. The percentage of white students decreased from 68.29% to 54.61%. Asian enrollment grew from 3.02% to 3.24%. Black student enrollment increased from 7.70% to 7.87%. Hispanic student representation expanded from 11.23% to 23.15%.
The overall racial diversity, measured by the Census Bureau Diversity Index, is 0.6399 which indicates that moderately diverse. This increased from 0.5137 a decade ago, suggesting that racial diversity has improved.
The following table and chart illustrate the student population trends by race/ethnicity at Salem State University over the past 11 years (2015-2025).
Distance Learning (Online Courses) Enrollment Changes
836 students are enrolled in online degree programs exclusively for the academic year 2024-2025, which is 13% of total students. The number of online students has increased 543.08% since 2015. The following table and chart illustrate the changes in the online student population by enrolled type at Salem State University from 2015 to 2025.