Salem College traces its history to April 1772, when the Moravian community of Salem, North Carolina, founded a school for girls and appointed Sister Elisabeth Oesterlein as its first teacher. Under the supervision of Salem's boards and thanks to the Single Sisters' teaching, the school flourished and provided the girls of late-eighteenth-century Salem with as rigorous an education as the boys of the town received.
As the oldest educational institution for girls and women in America, Salem Academy, and College has a proud history of fostering independence in women.
Today, situated in Winston-Salem, NC, Salem is an intimate learning community of 1,100 women from all over the world and is one of our nation's most distinguished private liberal arts colleges. Our students have the freedom to explore who they are and whom they want to become. They enjoy state-of-the-art facilities for the sciences, athletics, and the performing arts. They help manage student life on campus through a dynamic Student Government Association, and they participate in over fifty clubs and activities.
Grounded in our mission to prepare our students to change the world, we dedicate ourselves to the pursuit of excellence in everything we do. By joining Salem College and becoming a member of our sisterhood, you will not only benefit from the experiences of those women who have gone before you you will also have the opportunity to help shape the future of the city, state, country, and world in which you live. No dream is too big, and the results are up to you. So go out and make it happen.
Salem College, a liberal arts college for women, values its students as individuals, develops their unique potential, and prepares them to change the world.
We are a cozy community of students, faculty, and staff right in the middle of a working 18th-century village. We are a forward-thinking, liberal arts institution with real history – an urban residential campus with a twist.
Salem was founded in 1772 on the revolutionary idea that young women deserved the same level of education given to young men. Today, nearly 250 years later, it remains a revolutionary idea. Today, we empower our students not just as women, but as human beings. We empower them to be curious, be creative, be responsible, be involved, be discerning, be heard, be needed, and be known.
As a Salem College student, you can access several resources and services, all designed to empower you and enrich your life. The challenge for you will be deciding which activities and clubs you commit your time to as an academically driven, successful student.
Being socially active on campus is a great way to maintain a healthy lifestyle balance. We encourage you to seek opportunities for self-fulfillment that also are a means of giving back. By joining a club, playing a sport, or participating in one of our many community-oriented programs, you can take care of your health while contributing to the greater community.
In addition to taking advantage of the many local initiatives offered at Salem College, you have the option of completing an internship in Winston-Salem or the location of your choosing. Participating in an internship will provide you with useful work experience and help you decide whether your chosen career path is what you are looking for.
For cultural insights and development, you can spend a summer, a semester, or January Term studying abroad in a foreign country. Finally, master that foreign language you have been working on by immersing yourself in another culture or visit the historical sites you have been studying as part of your major.
The primary purpose of residence life is to create a sense of community within the residence halls by valuing, supporting, challenging, and empowering traditional students to discover their unique potential and celebrate human differences through their relationships with others by the Salem College mission.
The Salem College residential experience requires students to explore balancing their individual needs with those of a larger group and become aware of their role in the greater Salem College community. Residence halls will expose students to many different people from themselves, culturally, ethnically, and socially.
Salem College is a residential campus. All traditional undergraduate students must live in College residence halls on campus unless they make their home with members of their immediate families or legal guardians. Students living in College residence halls must be full-time students (registered for a minimum of three-course credits). Students must submit a residency requirement waiver to the Dean of Students (located in Shober House) to be approved to live off-campus.
The Office of Career and Professional Development prepares traditional students for success after Salem by encouraging the transformation of knowledge into action. We take a holistic approach to uncover each student's unique potential, cultivate leadership, and foster self-sufficiency in preparation for global citizenship and life-long professional development.
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