Professor salaries rank third nationally

annual report rose from fourth to third

Full professors at Harvard are the nation’s highest paid, earning an average of $192,600 per year. Full professors at Stanford came in second, with an average of $181,900. Yale’s full professors earn an average of $174,700 per year, putting the New Haven, Conn., institution fourth on the list.

The report, which examines faculty salaries at universities across the country, found that Princeton’s associate professors earn $114,300 annually, while assistant professors earn $85,800 and instructors earn $65,300.

Examination of the average salary of all levels shows Princeton to be fourth in the national rankings, falling behind Stanford, Harvard and the California Institute of Technology.

These findings place full and associate Princeton professors’ salaries above the 95th percentile for income in that category. Assistant professors and instructor’s incomes are above the 80th percentile.

The report found a continued discrepancy between the salaries of female and male faculty members. The authors suggest that some of this discrepancy may be the result of past discrimination in hiring, as a professor’s rank is the strongest determinant of his or her income.

If gender inequalities had been eliminated from hiring in higher education, female and male faculty would rise in rank at an equal rate, according to the report, which stated that “higher education as a social institution has not succeeded in achieving gender equity over the last three decades.”

On average, male full professors at Princeton earn $182,800 annually, while their female counterparts earn $169,900.

The salaries of full professors at Princeton have increased by 4.7 percent on average since the 2007-08 report, a number that matches closely with the national average. This value surpasses the current rate of inflation. At the time of the report’s publication, the rate of inflation was 0.1 percent, resulting in an increase in real income of 4.6 percent. Assistant and associate professors’ incomes have risen by 8.3 and 8.6 percent, respectively.

In the report, AAUP notes that professors’ salaries “vary tremendously” within and between institutions. The faculty at private universities earn more than those at public universities, for example.

Professors at doctoral universities such as Princeton have the highest incomes on average. Scholars’ disciplines are also correlated to their incomes: Business professors have the highest average incomes while humanities professors have the lowest.

Get the best of the ‘Prince’ delivered straight to your inbox. Subscribe now »

Calling the current downturn an “economic tsunami for academia,” the report noted that the economic climate has had a significant impact on academia. The report also noted that universities typically enjoy some benefits during times of economic hardship due to increased enrollment without sharp declines in other sources of revenue.

Though many institutions have laid off faculty in light of the downturn, the University has not yet undertaken such measures. President Tilghman noted in her January letter addressing the University’s economic situation that “the maximum [salary] increases for tenured faculty and the highest compensated staff will be capped at $2,000” for the coming fiscal year.

The University may also have to scale back the number of visiting faculty who are invited to teach and research here, and Dean of the Faculty David Dobkin said he will now review requests to open new faculty positions.