Private for-profit university in Appalachian West Virginia offering accelerated one-class-per-month degree programs.
Salem University offers associate, bachelor's, and master's degrees across disciplines including business, nursing, education, computer science, criminal justice, and health sciences. The university's signature accelerated format delivers courses in monthly blocks, allowing students to complete a bachelor's degree in 40 months or an MBA in 12 months or fewer. All programs, including distance education, follow this compressed schedule to serve non-traditional students with work and family obligations. The university is regionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and authorized by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission and Indiana Board for Proprietary Education.
The main campus spans 100 acres in Salem, West Virginia, nestled in the Appalachian Mountains. Facilities include the Benedum Learning Resource Center, Brewster All-Faiths Chapel, Carlson Hall of Science, and the T. Edward Davis Building & Gymnasium. Students have access to on-campus housing, dining, and traditional clubs and organizations. The university also operates athletic facilities including Catalano Stadium, Hope Softball Field, and partnerships with off-campus venues for baseball, aquatics, and other sports.
Salem's athletic teams, the Tigers, compete at the NCAA Division II level as independents in most sports, with select sports in the USCAA and associate memberships in the Mountain East Conference and Peach Belt Conference. The university fields 14 varsity sports (7 men's, 7 women's) including baseball, basketball, soccer, swimming, tennis, wrestling, water polo, softball, and volleyball, with women's rugby launching in 2026–27. Salem has won multiple USCAA national championships in recent years.
Established in 1888 as Salem College by the Seventh Day Baptist Church, the institution evolved through multiple transformations: Salem-Teikyo University (1989–2000) following a partnership with a Japanese university, Salem International University (2000–2017) after acquisition by Singapore-based investors, and finally Salem University (2017–present). Throughout its 136-year history, the university has maintained a commitment to accessible, innovative education while adapting to serve diverse student populations, from traditional undergraduates to working adults and international learners.