Winston-Salem State University

Winston-Salem State University (WSSU) is a historically black public university in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It is part of the University of North Carolina system.

Winston-Salem State University was founded as "Slater Industrial Academy" on September 28, 1892. In 1925, the North Carolina General Assembly renamed the school "Winston-Salem Teachers College" and the North Carolina State Board of Education allowed the college to award elementary teacher education degrees, making it the first black institution to provide this specialized training.

In 2020, MacKenzie Scott donated $30 million to Winston-Salem State which is the second largest single gift in the university's history. In 2025, she donated an additional $50 million which is the largest single gift in the university's history.

Winston-Salem State offers over 40 academic majors and 10 graduate degrees. The school enrolls approximately 5,200 students and employs 400 faculty and over 550 staff members.

Winston-Salem State University was ranked the #7 top college in the United States by the Social Mobility Index college rankings.

Winston-Salem State has been ranked #27 by U.S. News & World Report in the Top Public Comprehensive Baccalaureate Colleges of the South category between 2001 and 2009. By 2016, the university had fallen to a ranking of #84 in the same category.

In 2024, Washington Monthly ranked Winston-Salem State 96th among 438 national universities in the U.S. based on Winston-Salem State's contribution to the public good, as measured by social mobility, research, and promoting public service. Washington Monthly also ranked Winston Salem State 24th in Social Mobility.

C. G. O’Kelly Library is the main academic library on the campus of Winston-Salem State University, which was originally the Slater Industrial Academy. The original library was housed in Blair Hall until 1967 when the new library was built and O’Kelly Library has gone through two additions and one renovation within the past forty years.