College professors have varying levels of rank. This article explores the salary of full professors. The distinction between a full and associate professor is often arbitrary and looks at the full body of work from publishing to teaching and service. The salary is comparable in Australia and New Zealand at AU$159,324 ($121,426) and NZ$145,951 ($106,077). In the United States, a college professor salary stands at $114,134, while in South Africa the salary stands at R792,000 ($62,816).
A college professor career guide needs to specify the type of professor described. The salary can vary significantly based on job title and classification. This article explores the salaries of professors in 7 countries. In addition, we will touch on the impact of industry and experience. Finally, job benefits, outlook, and working schedule are covered.
How Much Does a College Professor Make per Year by Country?
| College Professor Salary | US | Canada | UK | Australia | New Zealand | India | South Africa |
| Hourly Pay | $54.87* | C$55.53 *($41.98) | £36.32* ($40.67) | AU$76.59* ($58.37) | NZ$70.16* ($50.99) | Rs 301.15* ($9,725) | $280.76* ($21.91) |
| Annual Pay | $114,134 | C$115,513 ($87,330) | £75,548 ($84,594) | AU$159,324 ($121,426) | NZ$145,951 ($106,077) | Rs 626,400 ($9,727) | R792,000 ($62,816) |
Pay information denoted with a (*) indicates the hourly pay was correlated from the annual salary.
College Professor Salary Influencing Factors
The salary information included below comes from a variety of sources. This includes Monash University in Australia, Academia Stack Exchange for New Zealand, Quora for India, and Glassdoor for the United States. Also, Times survey for the United Kingdom, The IOL for South Africa, and Maclean’s in Canada.
In general, the countries that pay the most comparatively are Canada, Italy, South Africa, India, the United States, and Saudi Arabia. While countries with the lowest comparative pay are Armenia, Russia, China, Ethiopia, and Kazakhstan.
1. Location
How Much Does a College Professor Make in the US?
| College Professor Salary USA | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | $55,000 | $26.44 |
| Maximum | $207,000 | $99.51 |
| Bonus/Tip | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Total Pay | $55,000 to $207,000 |
How Much Does a College Professor Make in Canada?
| College Professor Salary Canada | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | C$67,229 | C$32.32 |
| Maximum | C$136,483 | C$65.61 |
| Bonus/Tip | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Total Pay | C$67,229 to C$136,483 |
How Much Does a College Professor make in the UK?
| College Professor Salary UK | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | £60,000 | £28.84 |
| Maximum | £114,000 | £54.80 |
| Bonus/Tip | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Total Pay | £60,000 to £114,000 |
How Much Does a College Professor Make in Australia?
| College Professor Salary Australia | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | AU$73,597 | AU$35.38 |
| Maximum | AU$191,509 | AU$92.07 |
| Bonus/Tip | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Total Pay | AU74,597 to AU$191,509 |
How Much Does a College Professor make in New Zealand?
| College Professor Salary New Zealand | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | NZ$67,000 | NZ$32.21 |
| Maximum | NZ$107,000 | NZ$51.44 |
| Bonus/Tip | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Total Pay | NZ$67,000 to NZ$107,000 |
How Much Does a College Professor make in India?
| College Professor Salary India | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | Rs 187,200 | Rs 90.00 |
| Maximum | Rs 948,000 | Rs 455.76 |
| Bonus/Tip | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Total Pay | Rs 187,200 to Rs 948,000 |
How Much Does a College Professor Make in South Africa?
| College Professor Salary South Africa | Per Year | Per Hour |
| Minimum | R300,000 | R144.23 |
| Maximum | R978,000 | R470.19 |
| Bonus/Tip | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Overtime | No additional pay | No additional pay |
| Total Pay | R300,000 to R978,000 |
2. Experience
In the US the experience level of professors advances from assistant all the way to full, and occasionally, emeritus professor. Assistant professors are typically professors with less than 7 years of experience. At 7 years, the professor undergoes a tenure review. Professors who have been determined to make satisfactory process then advance to associate professor. The difference between associate and a full professor is not as significant, however, it does indicate a higher level of pay. When looking across all institutions, the salary for a full college professor was $95,224, for an associate professor was $74,473, and for an assistant professor was $64,414 , according to a survey from 2012-2013.
3. Industry
All college professors work in higher education. However, there are significant differences between schools and between individual colleges within one school. In general, professors who work for R1 institutions earn more than those who work for teaching colleges who, in turn, earn more than those working in community colleges. Between different departments at an R1 institution, professors who work in business and computer science tend to earn more than those who work in social sciences or the humanities. The exception to this is in state schools where unions are more prevalent and the salary is uniform across departments.
- Mean salary for a full professor at a Research Institution: $98,564 per year
- The median salary for a full professor at an Institution with only Master’s degree: $87,008 per year
- Median salary for a full professor working in Agricultural sciences: $74,386 per year
- The mean salary for a full professor working in Engineering: $91,707 per year
Schedule & Working Hours
College professors are considered faculty and typically have a very flexible working schedule. The three pillars of faculty status at a university revolve around teaching, research, and service. As long as the professor is meeting these three criteria, they are generally free to work when and where they want to. This means that they can take extended lunches, workout during the day, and set their own office hours. There are department meetings and committee events that the professor needs to be present for.
Bonuses & Benefits
The benefits of a college professor are numerous. Perhaps the largest benefit is that there is significant tuition reimbursement. The actual percentage varies by college. While other benefits include extreme flexibility in the workday, excellent healthcare and retirement benefits, flexible spending accounts, tenure, relative job security, and a supportive and inclusive workplace.
Career Outlook
The job outlook for college professors is positive as it will grow 13 percent through the year 2024. While this represents growth across all positions, it is expected that universities will look to increase the number of tenure-line positions. However, the job market for these positions is extremely competitive.
There will be various institutions that actually have to reduce their workforce, or potentially close their school. This is contingent on varying enrollments and demographic shifts. Areas that are particularly hard hit include those in liberal arts type degrees as students look for applied fields and majors.
Conclusion
A college professor career is often the pinnacle of the Ph.D. student’s career goals. Tenured professors have a very nice job with relatively low stress and a high salary. However, the competition to achieve this position is intense and until tenure is achieved, productivity levels are expected to be extremely high. If interested in a career in teaching, you can also read about the high school teacher salary.
