Salisbury University: A Parent's Guide to Admissions, Cost & Outcomes
Wellesley, Maryland · Private nonprofit · Highly selective · CDS 2024-2025
Salisbury University is a private nonprofit university in Wellesley, Maryland that admits about 20% of applicants, making it a highly selective school. The average family pays about $38,876 a year after financial aid, which matters more than the published sticker price. It is best known for Business Administration, Management and Operations, its largest undergraduate programs by number of graduates. About 93% of students graduate within six years. Its most recent Clery Act report shows roughly 7.0 criminal offenses per 1,000 students.
Salisbury University is a private institution located in Wellesley, Maryland and one of the highly selective schools in the country. For the most recent reporting cycle, Salisbury University admits roughly one in four applicants, with an overall admission rate of 20%. Admitted students typically post an average SAT of 1435 and an ACT composite around 32. The average net price after grants and scholarships is $38,876 per year, which is the figure most families actually pay rather than the published sticker price. For parents weighing whether Salisbury University is realistic for their teenager, the most useful planning step is comparing your child's current GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against these admitted-student ranges — not the headline acceptance rate alone.
What GPA does my child need for Salisbury University?
Most admitted students at Salisbury University present unweighted GPAs in the 3.85–4.0 range with five or more AP or honors courses across high school. Parents tracking their child's GPA toward this tier of school can use Solyo's free calculator to see weighted, unweighted, and college-recalculated numbers side by side.
What does Salisbury University weight in admissions?
Salisbury University reports the following factor importance in its Common Data Set (2024-2025). These are the criteria the admissions committee weighs when reviewing applications.
- • Rigor of secondary school record
- • Class rank
- • Academic GPA
- • Standardized test scores
- • Application essay
- • Recommendations
- • Extracurricular activities
- • Character/personal qualities
- • Interview
- • Talent/ability
- • First generation status
- • Alumni/ae relation
- • Geographical residence
- • State residency
- • Volunteer work
- • Work experience
- • Level of applicant's interest
- • Religious affiliation/commitment
SAT and ACT scores Salisbury University typically admits
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 720–780, with an EBRW midpoint near 675. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 30–33. A score at or above this school's 75th percentile materially improves your child's odds, particularly when paired with a rigorous course load.
| 25th percentile | 1410 |
| 50th percentile | 1460 |
| 75th percentile | 1500 |
| % submitting SAT | 22% |
| 25th percentile | 31 |
| 50th percentile | 32 |
| 75th percentile | 34 |
| % submitting ACT | 3% |
- • Test-optional: Standardized test scores are not required, but may be submitted and considered.
- • Policy detail: Considered if submitted
How much does Salisbury University actually cost?
Published tuition is $56,032 for in-state students and $56,032 for out-of-state, before grants and scholarships. Room and board adds roughly $20,786 annually. After need-based and merit aid, the average family pays a net price of $38,876 per year — the number that actually matters for budgeting. Roughly 14% of students receive Pell Grants, a useful indicator of how much need-based aid the school distributes.
| In-state tuition | $58,560 |
| Room and board | $22,346 |
| Average net price (after aid) | $38,876 |
| Application fee | $75 (waivers available) |
Application deadlines and early decision data for Salisbury University
| Regular deadline | January 2 |
| Notification date | April 1 |
| Reply deadline | May 1 |
| Offers Early Decision | Yes |
| ED deadline | November 1 |
| ED acceptance rate | 28% |
| Offers Early Action | Yes |
| EA deadline | November 1 |
Will my child graduate from Salisbury University?
Retention and graduation rates are the most overlooked numbers in college planning, but they predict actual outcomes far better than acceptance rate. They tell you whether admitted students stay and finish on time.
Most popular majors at Salisbury University
The most popular undergraduate programs at Salisbury University, measured by the number of students who actually graduate each year, are Business Administration, Management and Operations. Across all programs, Salisbury University confers roughly 564 bachelor's degrees a year. Graduates of its Business Administration, Management and Operations program report a median income of about $110,754 five years after entering college. Major popularity is a practical signal of where a school concentrates its teaching strength and where your child will find the deepest course offerings and peer community.
| Major | Graduates / year | Median earnings (5 yrs out) |
|---|---|---|
| Business Administration, Management and Operations | 564 | $110,754 |
Is Salisbury University safe? Campus crime & safety
In its most recent Clery Act report (2024), Salisbury University disclosed 19 total criminal offenses across its campus and surrounding public property, about 7.0 per 1,000 students. That figure includes 4 violent offenses and 9 reported sexual assaults or VAWA offenses. Per-1,000-student rates matter more than raw counts when comparing schools, because larger universities mechanically report more incidents. Under the federal Clery Act, every college that receives federal aid must publish these numbers annually.
What is campus life like at Salisbury University?
About 76% of undergraduates at Salisbury University live in campus housing, making it a largely residential campus. In Greek life, 11% of men join a fraternity. Residential rate and Greek participation shape day-to-day social life and are worth weighing alongside academics and cost.
Other colleges in Maryland parents ask about
- University of Maryland-College Park45% acceptance
- Johns Hopkins University74% acceptance
- University of Maryland-Baltimore County
- Loyola University Maryland83% acceptance
- Towson University83% acceptance
- Montgomery College87% acceptance
- Community College of Baltimore County76% acceptance
- St John's College83% acceptance
How parents track GPA toward selective schools like Salisbury University
Solyo helps parents track grades pulled directly from school emails, calculate GPA the same way colleges like Salisbury University recalculate it, and ask an AI college counselor specific questions about their teen's odds. The platform is built for parents — not students — and turns what's usually a fragmented planning process into a single dashboard.
Common questions parents ask about Salisbury University
What GPA do I need for Salisbury University?
Most admitted students at Salisbury University present unweighted GPAs in the 3.85–4.0 range with five or more AP or honors courses across high school.
What SAT or ACT score does Salisbury University typically admit?
The middle-50 SAT Math range is 720–780, with an EBRW midpoint near 675. The middle-50 ACT composite range is 30–33.
How much does Salisbury University actually cost after financial aid?
The average net price at Salisbury University after grants and scholarships is $38,876 per year. That figure is more useful for budgeting than the published sticker price, because it reflects what families actually pay after aid is applied.
Is Salisbury University realistic for my child?
Compare your teen's current unweighted GPA and most recent SAT or ACT against the ranges above. If both numbers fall inside the school's middle-50, Salisbury University is a target school. If both fall below the 25th-percentile mark, treat it as a reach and balance the application list accordingly.
What is the acceptance rate at Salisbury University?
Salisbury University accepts about 20% of applicants out of roughly 9,381 who apply each year. That makes it a highly selective school.
Is Salisbury University test-optional?
Yes. Salisbury University is test-optional, so SAT and ACT scores are not required, but strong scores can still be submitted and will be considered.
What is the graduation rate at Salisbury University?
About 93% of students at Salisbury University graduate within six years, and 84% finish in four years. 95% of freshmen return for sophomore year. Graduation rate predicts real outcomes better than acceptance rate.
Does applying Early Decision improve my chances at Salisbury University?
Salisbury University's Early Decision acceptance rate is about 28%, compared with its overall rate of 20%. Applying ED can meaningfully improve admission odds, but it is a binding commitment to enroll if accepted.
What does Salisbury University look for in applicants?
Salisbury University rates course rigor, class rank, GPA and test scores as "very important" in its Common Data Set. These are the factors the admissions committee weighs most heavily when reviewing an application.
Is Salisbury University a public or private school, and where is it located?
Salisbury University is a private nonprofit institution located in Wellesley, Maryland.
What are the most popular majors at Salisbury University?
The largest undergraduate majors at Salisbury University by annual graduates are Business Administration, Management and Operations. The school awards about 564 bachelor's degrees a year in total. These figures come from federal IPEDS completion data.
Is Salisbury University safe? What is its campus crime rate?
Salisbury University reported 19 total criminal offenses in its most recent Clery Act disclosure (2024), roughly 7.0 per 1,000 students. Compare the per-1,000 rate rather than the raw total, since larger schools report more incidents.
What is campus life like at Salisbury University?
At Salisbury University, 76% of undergraduates live on campus, 11% of men are in fraternities, according to its most recent Common Data Set.
Data sourced from the 2024-2025 Common Data Set submitted by Salisbury University, the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard and IPEDS, and Clery Act campus safety disclosures. Solyo extracts admissions data from official Common Data Set publications and refreshes it annually.