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A brand new report from CUPA-HR reveals that adjuncts make up about 40% of the upper ed school workforce, however obtain low pay, restricted job safety and few advantages. Adjunct College within the Increased Training Workforce offers probably the most complete investigations into the present adjunct workforce so far. The report focuses on the demographic make-up of adjuncts, institutional insurance policies round adjunct instructing, and pay. Some key findings highlighted within the report:
Adjuncts Make Up Roughly 40% of the Total College Workforce Throughout Increased Ed
The make-up of adjunct school varies by establishment kind. At non-public establishments, adjunct school make up practically half (46%) of the college workforce. At public establishments, adjuncts account for 37%. Adjuncts are commonest at affiliate’s establishments (66% of the college workforce) and least frequent at doctoral establishments (33%).
Adjuncts Make Up a Small Proportion of STEM College
Fields with comparatively small percentages of adjunct school are Engineering (3%), Bodily Sciences (6%) and Organic/Biomedical Sciences (8%). Disciplines targeted on the humanities and public service have a higher proportion of adjuncts, together with Liberal Arts and Humanities (32%), Safety/Protecting Providers (25%), and Training (23%). Adjunct pay varies by self-discipline, with Structure, Engineering and Authorized Professions paying probably the most.
Adjuncts Are Offered Low Pay and Few Advantages
Regardless of their excessive ranges of schooling, adjuncts are paid considerably lower than their counterparts in common appointments. The median pay per credit score hour for adjuncts is $1,166. Adjuncts are additionally usually ineligible for healthcare advantages. In 2024-25, solely 37% of establishments provided well being advantages to adjunct school.
Pay Fairness Lags for Ladies and Black College
White ladies, Black ladies, and Black males are extra possible than different demographic teams to occupy adjunct positions. Ladies characterize greater than half (57%) of adjunct school. Black school have twice the illustration amongst adjuncts in comparison with their illustration amongst tenure-track school.
Insurance policies Round Programs Taught by Adjuncts Might Create Job Instability
At most establishments (70%), low enrollment ends in a course being canceled, and adjuncts scheduled to show these programs obtain no pay for the canceled course. For some establishments (13%), low enrollment might scale back pay charges for adjuncts.
Comparatively Few Adjuncts Educate as a Full-Time Occupation
We estimate that roughly 7% of adjuncts train as their foremost supply of revenue. Primarily based on the median pay per credit score hour, adjuncts who train 4 programs per semester 12 months spherical can be paid roughly $41,976, a lot decrease than the median annual revenue of full-time employees in america.
Read the 2026 Adjunct Faculty in the Higher Education Workforce Survey report and explore the interactive graphics.
About CUPA-HR
CUPA-HR is the acknowledged authority on compensation surveys for increased schooling, with its workforce surveys designed by increased ed HR professionals for increased ed HR professionals and different campus leaders. CUPA-HR has been amassing knowledge on the upper ed workforce for greater than 50 years, and we preserve one of many largest workforce databases in existence. CUPA-HR additionally publishes quite a few analysis publications and interactive graphics highlighting tendencies and points round increased ed workforce planning, honest pay, illustration of ladies and racial/ethnic minorities, and extra.
Learn more about CUPA-HR research.
CUPA-HR is increased ed HR. We serve increased schooling by offering the data, sources, advocacy, and connections to attain organizational and workforce excellence. Serving greater than 23,000 HR professionals and different campus leaders at practically 1,700 member establishments and organizations across the nation and overseas, the affiliation provides studying {and professional} growth packages, increased schooling wage and advantages knowledge, in depth on-line sources and just-in-time regulatory and legislative data.
