Comparison tool
Rankings across 8 publishers plus admissions, cost, debt and outcome data for Winston-Salem State University, Fayetteville State University, Norfolk State University. Every figure is sourced and dated.
| Metric | Winston SalemWinston-Salem, NC | Fayetteville StateFayetteville, NC | Norfolk StateNorfolk, VA |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acceptance rate | 78.3% | 82.2% | 87.8% |
| SAT middle 50% | 830–1020 | 890–1090 | 823–1030 |
| Average net price | $13,47964.9% on Pell grants | $7,89256.6% on Pell grants | $15,28265.0% on Pell grants |
| Published tuition & fees | $6,126 in-state · $16,782 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $4,353 in-state · $8,353 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release | $10,180 in-state · $21,682 outMost recent reported academic year, College Scorecard June 2026 release |
| 6-year graduation rate | 46.7% | 38.5% | 38.5% |
| First-year retention | 77.3% | 75.3% | 72.6% |
| Undergraduates on Pell grants | 64.9% | 56.6% | 65.0% |
| Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry | $45,344 | $40,144 | $44,666 |
| Median federal debt at graduation | $25,000 | $22,987 | $29,000 |
| Student-faculty ratio | 16:1 | 19:1 | 18:1 |
| Undergraduate enrollment | 4,170 | 5,762 | 5,392 |
| Consensus percentile | 29Lower is better | 27Lower is better | 38Lower is better |
| Methodology sensitivity | 39 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 30 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points | 7 ptsHow far published lists disagree, in percentile points |
Highlighted cells mark the most favourable value in that row where a direction is meaningful. No highlight appears for metrics like enrollment or SAT range, where “better” depends entirely on what you want.
“Not ranked by this source” means that publisher’s list does not include the school — not missing data and not a poor rank.
| Source | Winston Salem | Fayetteville State | Norfolk State |
|---|---|---|---|
| US News | #232 of 436National universitiesNational Universities · 2026 | #62 of 135Regional univ. (South)Regional Universities (South) · 2026 | #55 of 135Regional univ. (South)Regional Universities (South) · 2026 |
| Forbes | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
| Washington Monthly | #311 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #297 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 | #594 of 1,504Tuition & tax value (WM)Best Colleges for Your Tuition (and Tax) Dollars · 2026 |
| WSJ | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
| Niche | #374 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #414 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 | #875 of 2,605Overall (Niche)Best Colleges (Overall) · 2026 |
| Money | Listed | Listed | Listed |
| Princeton Review | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
| QS | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source | Not ranked by this source |
Students comparing Winston-Salem State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Fayetteville State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
Full profileStudents comparing Norfolk State University on federal cost, completion, and earnings data who will layer in fit, location, and program strength separately.
This school may not appear on every publisher list we track; an empty rankings table means no tracked publisher ranked it, not missing federal data.
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