How Much Do College Professors Make in 2025?
January 28, 2025
Of course you鈥檝e entertained yourself through a lecture by imagining yourself in the place of your professor鈥攕pectacles perched on your nose, chalkboard filled with brilliant scribbles behind you, as you eloquently explain the universe鈥檚 most confounding ideas. But maybe that vision has become more than just a daydream for you. Whether you鈥檝e always wanted to teach at a university level or you鈥檝e found yourself considering a new career path, you鈥檒l need to start considering the job鈥檚 realities. One big factor is, of course, a professor’s salary. You鈥檒l need to ask, how much do college professors make? How much do full professors make? Then how much do associate professors make? Then how much do assistant professors make? Or how much do lecturers make? And how much do adjunct professors make? Let鈥檚 dive in!
How much do college professors make?
Before we get to how much college professors make, let’s go over the different roles someone hoping to become a college professor could encounter in the United States. I鈥檒l start with the roles that usually don鈥檛 include tenure or the eligibility for tenure. Keep in mind that all five of these descriptions are fairly general and bare-bones as the specifics of each role vary by institution.
Non-Tenure Track University-Level Teaching Roles
- Adjunct professors work part-time, sometimes for one school, or sometimes for several different schools. Typically, they teach one to two classes at each school they鈥檙e employed by. Many adjunct professors have a hard time making enough money to live off of when employed by only one school. Accordingly, they often pay the bills by piecing together courses at multiple schools. In addition to teaching, adjunct professors often need to hold office hours and grade assignments.
- Lecturers (sometimes referred to as instructors) work full-time for one school, teaching a full load of classes. They do not have tenure contracts. Instead, they have short-term contracts, typically renewed yearly. They design course outlines and deliver lectures, seminars, and/or workshops. However, they often do not have additional obligations beyond teaching.
Tenure Track University-Level Teaching Roles
Still, you鈥檙e wondering, how much do college professors make? But we鈥檙e not there yet! Next, I鈥檒l go over the roles that do include tenure or the eligibility for tenure.
- Assistant professor is an entry-level role and can be the first step on the tenure track. However, sometimes this role does not have the possibility of tenure. In other words, while an assistant professor does not have tenure either way, this role can sometimes lead to tenure if they move up to become an associate professor. Assistant professors can work part-time or full-time, depending on the school鈥檚 needs. They often teach introductory courses or courses with pre-designed curriculum. Also, they need to hold office hours and grade assignments.
- Mid-level between assistant and full, associate professors do have tenure. Associate professors carry out many of the same tasks as assistant professors. For example, both are expected to teach, hold office hours, and grade assignments. However, associate professors often have more control over which classes they teach and how they teach them. Also, they have the option to go on a sabbatical every seventh year.
Professor Salary (Continued)
- Full professors have risen to senior level. Like associate professors, full professors have tenure and the option to go on sabbaticals. In addition to regular teaching duties, they also focus on expanding their research and/or body of work. They usually have more flexible schedules and more say in how or when they teach. They can even sometimes create entirely new classes for the university. Finally, they often have a say in hiring decisions for the department.
So, how much do college professors make?
Finally, we鈥檙e ready to take a look at average full-time salaries across the United States according to the . Drum roll, please….in 2023-24, full-time college professors made an average salary of $112,300. However, this number can fluctuate considerably depending on type of teaching role and institution:
| Average across all institution types | Public institutions | Private or independent institutions | Religiously affiliated institutions | |
| Lecturers | $75,900 | $71,000 | $95,500 | $67,400 |
| Assistant professors | $92,200 | $90,400 | $105,700 | $83,300 |
| Associate professors | $106,400 | $104,300 | $120,800 | $97,900 |
| Full professors | $155,500 | $145,400 | $196,600 | $137,800 |
As shown, professors who work at private institutions tend to rake in the highest salary, followed by public and or religiously affiliated institutions. Additionally, professors who teach at any of these three types of institutions would make more than professors who teach at community colleges or similar institutions.
How much do adjunct professors make?
As mentioned above, many adjunct professors struggle to make the money they need. In a 2022 report by the , only 20% of the adjunct faculty who responded said they can live comfortably with what they earn teaching.
In the same report, 25% said they earn less than $25,000 annually, which is below the federal poverty line for families of four. 33% said they earn less than $50,000 annually. And 38% said they use government assistance.
Additionally, many adjunct professors end up having to piece together a schedule by working for several different schools. Almost 50% of the adjunct faculty who responded said they earn less than $3,500 per entire course they teach. No matter how much extra time and energy they put into supporting their students鈥 learning, they will still only get paid this small, fixed rate. As such, having to piece together their schedule can cost them a lot of extra time and effort, without adequate compensation in return.
Professor Salary (Continued)
On top of struggling with monthly expenses, 63.7% said they鈥檝e postponed dental care due to lack of insurance or unaffordable copays. 43.3% said they鈥檝e postponed medical or mental healthcare services for the same reason, and another 43.3% said they didn鈥檛 go to a healthcare professional at all when they couldn鈥檛 afford to. Of those who did eventually see a healthcare professional when needed, 17.6% cut costs by not filling their prescription. And 27.2% cut costs by declining the medical test or treatment their doctor recommended.
On top of struggling with monthly and medical expenses, 36.5% said they cannot imagine how they will ever afford retirement. So, how much do adjunct professors make? Usually, not nearly enough.
But can you easily find a tenure track position?
Truthfully, no. According to the by the AFT, tenure has become increasingly rare. Forty years ago, tenured or tenure-track positions belonged to 70% of academic employees. Now, 75% of academic employees are not eligible for tenure. And 47% are only employed part-time. Institutions rely on these underpaid positions to make up most of their teaching staff, leaving much fewer opportunities to gain tenure and the job security tenure allows. As a result, competition for these types of positions has grown significantly.
How much do college professors make in relation to rising costs?
As for students, and as institution executives , compensation for teaching faculty has gotten worse. Between the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 school years, the average salaries for academic faculty rose by only about 4%. But inflation rose too. According to the (CPI-U), average prices rose 2.9% in this time period. And when inflation gets taken into account, that actually becomes less than a one percent increase.
Prior to this recent increase鈥攖he first since the pandemic鈥攕alaries were .
While institutions still have the opportunity to adjust faculty wages to meet inflation, so far, they鈥檝e mostly dropped the ball.
Additional Salary Factors To Consider
You鈥檝e asked, how much do college professors make? and how much do adjunct professors make? Although we鈥檝e gone over averages, which can give you general salary expectations, several additional factors can impact the money that professors bring home.
- Location. The state and city you live in can affect your income. However, when you factor location into your job search, just remember to always factor in the local cost of living as well.
- Field. The field you specialize in and the subject you teach can greatly affect teaching salary. For example, a professor teaching law courses will likely earn more than a professor teaching humanities courses.
- Experience. Ample experience in your field and experience teaching can often affect the salary offered to you. Additionally, you can often use your experience to negotiate a higher salary.
- Terminal degree. The terminal degree that you complete can affect your income. For example, professors who鈥檝e earned a Ph.D. may earn more than those with a 尘补蝉迟别谤鈥檚.
- Relevant supplemental income. If you specialize in a certain field, you may have additional income from your research, publications, patents, conference presentations, etc.
So if you鈥檙e worried about salary, these factors may work in your favor. But they may also work against you. And if that鈥檚 the case, there鈥檚 a solution: simply plan to use your brilliance to win the Nobel Peace Prize and stack those winnings on top of your existing salary. This would make you a competitive candidate and give you better financial security. Perfect!
How Much Do College Professors Make? 鈥 Final Thoughts
In conclusion, a college professor’s salary is dependent on a number of factors. And how much do adjunct professors make? Well, that depends even more. There are many factors for you to consider as you take your next steps, including how to become a college professor and where to earn your terminal degree. While this career path will undoubtedly challenge you, teaching at a university level can be a wonderfully rewarding experience. If your daydreams always take place at the front of a classroom, don鈥檛 give up on making that your reality.
Looking for additional career-related resources? Consider checking out the following:
