Salem College sees surge in enrollment after national recruitment push

In four years, Salem College has gone from one of its smallest incoming classes to one of its largest. 

The class of seniors who just graduated were among about 40 students who arrived on campus in the fall of 2021.For this fall, more than 200 are expected, making it one of the biggest incoming classes in Salem’s history.

President Summer McGee says four years ago, the college began a national recruitment and branding effort. It paid off.

“What we hear from students and their families is that they are looking for a place that is distinctive,” she says.”That has something unique to offer them and that can give them an experience that is unlike any other. And that’s what we’ve been really focused on at Salem with our health leadership focus.”

McGee, who is leaving Salem College to take over as president of Lenoir-Rhyne University, says the incoming class is also more geographically diverse.

In 2021, more than 80 percent of the freshman class were from North Carolina. This fall’s class comes from about 20 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico.