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Federal Street DistrictPhoto: Fletcher6 · CC BY-SA 3.0
Colleges in and near Salem

Salem is home to Salem State University

Salem State University (5,395 students on campus) is inside the city, and Endicott College (3,226) is 4.7 miles from the center, just over the line in Beverly. About 8% of Salem’s residents are enrolled in college, about the same as Massachusetts (8%).

Salem State UniversityEndicott College

From the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard, June 2026; IPEDS fall 2023 enrollment) and the Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2020–24. Straight-line distances from the center of Salem. Colleges are described, not graded.

Within 15 miles
29
178,487 students on campus
Nearest college
0.5 mi
Salem State
Residents in college
8%
About the same as MA (8%)
Nearest community college
7.2 mi
North Shore · $5,352 tuition
Nearest public university
0.5 mi
Salem State · $12,338 in-state
Median household income
$85K
prices below start here

What stands out about college in Salem

Facts about the town and its distance to campus; each college’s own figures follow.

Two colleges within 4.7 milesSalem State University admits 96% of applicants; Endicott College admits 71%. Together they have 8,621 students on campus.In-state price at Salem StateLiving in Massachusetts, Salem State University charges $12,338 in tuition and fees; from out of state, $19,531. State residency rules decide which a new arrival pays.A community college 7.2 miles awayNorth Shore Community College in Danvers: tuition and fees $5,352 a year for Massachusetts residents.Students are 8% of residentsAbout the same as Massachusetts (8%). The Census counts anyone enrolled, including part-time and online students.
Every college

Colleges within 15 miles of Salem

25 private colleges within 14.8 miles, two public colleges within 14.7 miles, and three community colleges.

5 mi10 mi15 miBoston UniversityNortheastern UniversityHarvard UniversitySalem
University or collegeCommunity college
Salem State UniversityUniversity or college · Public · 5,395 on campus · In Salem96%admitted$16knet price50%graduate$57kearningsMontserrat College of ArtUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 275 on campus · 3.7 mi · Beverly$33knet price53%graduate$33kearningsEndicott CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 3,226 on campus · 4.7 mi · Beverly71%admitted$41knet price76%graduate$58kearningsNorth Shore Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 3,919 on campus · 7.2 mi · Danvers$9knet price18%graduate$45kearningsTuition and fees: $5,352 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Gordon CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,403 on campus · 7.4 mi · Wenham69%admitted$25knet price69%graduate$52kearningsGordon-Conwell Theological SeminaryUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,081 on campus · 8.3 mi · South HamiltonGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.MGH Institute of Health ProfessionsUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,125 on campus · 11.7 mi · Boston$87kearningsLawrence Memorial Hospital School of NursingCommunity college · Private nonprofit · 195 on campus · 12 mi · Medford$101kearningsCambridge CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 758 on campus · 12.1 mi · Boston · mostly online$31knet price11%graduate$46kearnings61% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Bunker Hill Community CollegeCommunity college · Public · 5,800 on campus · 12.2 mi · Boston$8knet price13%graduate$48kearningsTuition and fees: $6,168 a year. The net price counts housing and food at full cost.Hult International Business SchoolUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,636 on campus · 12.5 mi · Cambridge60%admitted$45knet price67%graduateSuffolk UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 6,596 on campus · 12.8 mi · Boston82%admitted$30knet price61%graduate$68kearningsTufts UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 12,718 on campus · 12.9 mi · Medford11%admitted$40knet price94%graduate$83kearningsEmerson CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 4,965 on campus · 13.3 mi · Boston51%admitted$49knet price77%graduate$63kearningsNew England Law-BostonUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 1,083 on campus · 13.4 mi · BostonGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Fisher CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 737 on campus · 13.4 mi · Boston · mostly online71%admitted$27knet price28%graduate$50kearnings51% of its students study only online; price, graduation and earnings count them too.Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of TechnologyUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 512 on campus · 13.8 mi · Boston$15knet price46%graduate$58kearningsMassachusetts Institute of TechnologyUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 11,855 on campus · 13.9 mi · Cambridge5%admitted$20knet price96%graduate$143kearningsLesley UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 2,519 on campus · 13.9 mi · Cambridge97%admitted$31knet price58%graduate$51kearningsNew England College of OptometryUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 529 on campus · 14 mi · BostonGraduate students only; the Scorecard reports no undergraduate figures.Boston Architectural CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 410 on campus · 14.1 mi · Boston$26knet price32%graduate$62kearningsHarvard UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 22,636 on campus · 14.2 mi · Cambridge4%admitted$19knet price98%graduate$102kearningsLongy School of Music of Bard CollegeUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 277 on campus · 14.2 mi · Cambridge$39knet price78%graduate$47kearningsEarnings are reported for all 3 campuses that file with it.Berklee College of MusicUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 6,560 on campus · 14.4 mi · Boston44%admitted$49knet price67%graduate$34kearningsThe New England Conservatory of MusicUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 784 on campus · 14.5 mi · Boston41%admitted$47knet price73%graduate$34kearningsNortheastern UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 29,851 on campus · 14.7 mi · Boston5%admitted$31knet price91%graduate$93kearningsEarnings are reported for all 3 campuses that file with it.University of Massachusetts-BostonUniversity or college · Public · 14,204 on campus · 14.7 mi · Boston84%admitted$18knet price49%graduate$66kearningsNortheastern University Professional ProgramsUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 4,901 on campus · 14.7 mi · Boston$93kearningsEarnings are reported for all 3 campuses that file with it.Boston UniversityUniversity or college · Private nonprofit · 32,537 on campus · 14.8 mi · Boston11%admitted$24knet price89%graduate$83kearnings

Degree-granting colleges with 100 or more students on campus (fall 2023 enrollment, minus students who study only online). Admitted: share of applicants offered a place. Net price: the average a year after grants, for students on federal aid. Graduate: within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting.

What it costs

What would your family pay?

The average a year after grants, for families on federal aid, at the colleges within 15 miles. Pick your family’s income.

Family income

Starts at $75–110k, where Salem’s median household income ($85,153) falls.

Harvard University14.2 mi · Cambridge · sticker $85,540$9,941a year
North Shore Community College7.2 mi · Danvers · sticker $15,896 · tuition $5,352$9,966a year
Bunker Hill Community College12.2 mi · Boston · sticker $14,899 · tuition $6,168$10,091a year
Massachusetts Institute of Technology13.9 mi · Cambridge · sticker $82,730$11,555a year
Northeastern University14.7 mi · Boston · sticker $84,641$16,241a year
Salem State UniversityIn Salem · sticker $28,291$17,590a year
Benjamin Franklin Cummings Institute of Technology13.8 mi · Boston · sticker $30,406$19,321a year
University of Massachusetts-Boston14.7 mi · Boston · sticker $30,544$20,885a year
Boston University14.8 mi · Boston · sticker $86,285$22,517a year
Tufts University12.9 mi · Medford · sticker $88,300$23,311a year
Gordon College7.4 mi · Wenham · sticker $42,446$24,380a year
Fisher College13.4 mi · Boston · mostly online · sticker $53,921$26,511a year
Suffolk University12.8 mi · Boston · sticker $65,281$29,654a year
Lesley University13.9 mi · Cambridge · sticker $51,538$33,201a year
Boston Architectural College14.1 mi · Boston · sticker $40,343$34,343a year
Endicott College4.7 mi · Beverly · sticker $59,328$36,925a year
Montserrat College of Art3.7 mi · Beverly · sticker $58,616$37,366a year
The New England Conservatory of Music14.5 mi · Boston · sticker $81,277$45,608a year
Emerson College13.3 mi · Boston · sticker $80,399$46,252a year
Berklee College of Music14.4 mi · Boston · sticker $72,700$46,801a year
Hult International Business School12.5 mi · Cambridge · sticker $79,075$52,658a year
Cambridge College12.1 mi · Boston · mostly online · sticker $34,072—a year
Longy School of Music of Bard College14.2 mi · Cambridge · sticker $72,450—a year

The average a year after grants and scholarships, for first-time, full-time students on federal aid, from the College Scorecard. Your own price depends on your aid package; every college has a net price calculator. For community colleges the net price counts housing and food at full cost, so tuition is shown beside it. “—”: not reported for that income.

Outcomes

Do students finish, and does it pay?

Each dot is a college within 15 miles of Salem: across is the share who graduate, up is what they earn ten years after starting.

$0$20k$40k$60k$80k$100k$120k$140k$160k0%25%50%75%100%Graduate →Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyUniversity of Massachusetts-BostonBoston University
Boston University89% graduate$83k earnings$23k typical debt
Northeastern University91% graduate$93k earnings*$24k typical debt
Harvard University98% graduate$102k earnings$14k typical debt
University of Massachusetts-Boston49% graduate$66k earnings$22k typical debt
Tufts University94% graduate$83k earnings$16k typical debt
Massachusetts Institute of Technology96% graduate$143k earnings$15k typical debt
Suffolk University61% graduate$68k earnings$27k typical debt
Berklee College of Music67% graduate$34k earnings$25k typical debt
Bunker Hill Community College13% graduate$48k earnings$10k typical debt
Salem State University50% graduate$57k earnings$25k typical debt
Emerson College77% graduate$63k earnings$23k typical debt
North Shore Community College18% graduate$45k earnings$9k typical debt

Graduation: first-time, full-time students within 6 years (4-year colleges) or 3 years (2-year). Earnings: median, 10 years after starting, for students who got federal aid. *Reported for all the campuses that file together: Longy School of Music of Bard College (3); Northeastern University (3).

Majors

What students study in Salem

Share of bachelor’s and associate degrees by field at Salem State University, weighted by undergraduates; then the biggest programs.

Health professions 18%Business 17%Psychology 10%Public safety 8%Education 8%Biology 7%Everything else 32%

Biggest programs

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing163 graduates a year
$96k4 yrs out
Psychology, General138 graduates a year
$55k4 yrs out
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Levels and Methods74 graduates a year
$57k4 yrs out
Criminal Justice and Corrections74 graduates a year
$60k4 yrs out
Biology, General67 graduates a year
$68k4 yrs out
Business Administration, Management and Operations50 graduates a year
$68k4 yrs out
Health and Medical Administrative Services38 graduates a year
$55k4 yrs out
Social Work31 graduates a year
$60k4 yrs out

College Scorecard: degree shares (PCIP; each college’s six largest fields are kept, the rest count as everything else) and the field-of-study file, median earnings 4 years after graduating.

Questions about college in Salem

Is Salem a college town?

No. About 8 of every 100 Salem residents are enrolled in college (Census, 2020–24), about the same as Massachusetts (8). The largest campus in the city, Salem State University, has 5,395 students on campus.

What colleges are in Salem?

Salem State University is inside the city. Endicott College is 4.7 miles from the center, in Beverly, and North Shore Community College is 7.2 miles away in Danvers.

What is the closest community college to Salem, and what does it cost?

North Shore Community College in Danvers, 7.2 miles away. Tuition and fees are $5,352 a year for Massachusetts residents; the federal net price, $9,000, counts housing and food at full cost.

How much does Salem State University cost if we live in Massachusetts?

Tuition and fees are $12,338 a year in-state and $19,531 from out of state. After grants, families on federal aid paid an average of $10,516 (under $30,000 income) to $23,223 (over $110,000), housing and food included.

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Colleges: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS (Scorecard 06/10/2026 · IPEDS 2024 · fall 2023 enrollment). “On campus” is fall enrollment minus students who study only online. Distances are straight-line from the center of Salem. Residents in college, age, rent and poverty (including poverty without college students, table B14006): U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020–24. Colleges are described, not graded; the College town label marks towns where 15% or more of residents are enrolled. How TownRatings describes colleges →