Modest Raises for Senior Administrators

Senior administrators saw only modest salary gains in 2015-16, according to a survey being released today by the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources.

The survey found that the median base salary increase this academic year for senior administrators for all institutions was 2.1 percent. Last year that figure was 2.4 percent. (A full report may be ordered from CUPA-HR here.)

The median raises differed by institution type. At private colleges and universities, the median gain was 2.2 percent, while the figure was 2 percent at public institutions. This is a reversal from the previous two years, when public gains outpaced those of privates.

Senior administrators at doctoral institutions also saw a larger median salary increase (2.5 percent) than those at bachelor's institutions (2.3 percent) or master's institutions and community colleges (both 2 percent).

Other findings of the survey:

• The median base salary for a CEO at a single institution ranged from $190,000 at community colleges to $452,370 at research universities.
• The median base salary for a chief academic officer ranged from $132,940 at community colleges to $353,796 at research institutions.
• In many job titles, there is a significant public-private salary gap (with administrators earning more at private institutions). The gap is $50,000 for college and university presidencies.
• In most senior administrator positions, men occupy the overwhelming majority of jobs. The only job title for which women occupy a substantial majority is chief human resources officer, where women hold about 75 percent of positions.
• The highest-paid deans were in medicine, dentistry, law, public health and engineering.

The following table has survey data for many key senior administrative positions.

Median Salary by Institution Type, 2015-16