WINSTON-SALEM STATE UNIVERSITY

Winston-Salem State University is a bold, vibrant and diverse academic community that fosters the creative thinking, analytical problem-solving, and depth of character graduates need to transform themselves and their world. These values embody our motto, “Enter to Learn. Depart to Serve."

Founded in 1892, WSSU enjoys a distinguished reputation as a historically black constituent institution of the University of North Carolina that offers a rich curriculum rooted in a high-quality, liberal education. Our undergraduate and graduate students can choose from many innovative areas of study designed to equip them with the skills and knowledge needed to develop creative solutions to today’s—and tomorrow’s—complex problems.

Winston-Salem State University was founded as the Slater Industrial Academy by Simon Green Atkins on September 28, 1892. Atkins had an audacious vision to create an institution where every student would meet the challenges of the day equipped with an education designed to intellectually prepare the “head, hand, and heart.” Twenty-five students attended classes in a one-room frame structure and were taught by a single instructor.

In 1925, the General Assembly of North Carolina recognized the school’s curriculum above high school, changed its name to Winston-Salem Teachers College, and empowered it under authority of the State Board of Education to confer appropriate degrees. Winston-Salem Teachers College thus became the first black institution in the nation to grant degrees for teaching the elementary grades.

In response to a growing medical community emerging in the Winston-Salem area, the School of Nursing was established in 1953, awarding graduates the degree of Bachelor of Science. In recognition of the university’s growing curriculum and expanding role, the North Carolina General Assembly of 1963 authorized changing the name from Winston-Salem Teachers College to Winston-Salem State College.

Since its founding in 1892, Winston-Salem State University has grown from a one-room frame structure to more than 39 buildings located on a picturesque 117-acre campus overlooking the woodlands of Salem Lake in the heart of Winston-Salem.

WSSU is nationally ranked for its affordability, value, and for helping our graduates achieve social mobility, which can be a change in a person's socio-economic situation throughout their lifetime.

 In 2023 and 2024 WSSU received multiple accolades for its affordability and positive impact on our graduates’ futures. The New York Times ranked WSSU as the #1 university in NC for economic mobility; U.S. News & World Report named WSSU as the #1 university in NC for social mobility; CollegeNET ranked WSSU the #1 HBCU in the nation for social mobility; Niche named WSSU the #1 HBCU in NC for value; and Washingtonian Magazine listed WSSU as the #1HBCU for Bang for the Buck in the Southeast.  

 With a student-to-faculty ratio of 14:1, the university enrolls 4,776 students and offers 39 bachelor's degree programs, 50 undergraduate minors, seven master's degree programs, two professional doctoral degree programs, and six post-baccalaureate certificate programs