Among Association of American University member institutions, Northwestern ranks ninth in average faculty salary, yet salary raises have recently lagged behind U.S. inflation rates, according to data collected by the nonprofit American Association of University Professors.
The Daily took a closer look at the trends of faculty salaries over the years at NU and other AAU members. The AAU, which invites top universities across the U.S. and Canada to join as members, acts as a forum and data exchange for participating institutions.
Universities typically exhibit a consistent increase in faculty salaries, showing fairly linear growth trajectories from the 2014 academic year onwards. Notably, for some universities like Dartmouth College and Stanford University, there is a dip in salary from the 2019-20 academic year to the 2020-21 academic year, when the COVID-19 pandemic struck.
Northwestern faculty salaries have also remained competitive. Among AAU institutions, average faculty salaries for the 2023-24 academic year at NU are the ninth highest, and only around $20,000 below the school with the highest average faculty salary, Columbia University.
Between 2015 and 2023, NU faculty have seen raises at rates below the annual inflation rate. From 2019 to 2022, NU’s faculty raises lagged behind, only changing by more than the inflation rate in 2023. The university has not released 2024 data yet.
According to a Jan. 15 presentation to the Faculty Senate, individual deans decide salary changes in collaboration with the Office of the Provost, using percentage increases from the previous year as a benchmark.
In addition to Northwestern, universities like Stanford (7.67%) and the University of Pennsylvania (4.67%) also saw solid growth in 2023, while University of California Berkeley faced a decline of 5.90%, highlighting significant variations in outcomes.
Among NU salaries, three ranks of professorship — professor, associate professor and assistant professor — all experienced steady salary growth from 2014-15 to 2023-24. Professors saw the greatest increase, rising by 31.9% over the period, from an average salary of $187,400 to $247,100. Associate professors saw a 29.8% increase, while assistant professors’ salaries grew by 22.4% over the same period.
As organizations continue to recover from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, faculty salary trends at NU and other AAU institutions will likely continue to be impacted by new economic factors and budget priorities.
Email: brianhan2028@u.northwestern.edu
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