More than 10,000 UK university staff now earn over £100,000

More than 10,000 UK university staff earned over £100,000 last year, a significant increase on previous tallies, according to new figures.

Freedom of Information requests submitted by the TaxPayers’ Alliance (TPA) pressure group found that at least 10,447 staff members across 105 institutions received in excess of £100,000 in total remuneration in 2023-24.

Of these, at least a quarter claimed more than £150,000 in total remuneration.

The TPA estimates that the total cost of the 10,447 staff receiving more than £100,000 in 2023-24 is estimated to be over £1.2 billion. The real figure is expected to be much higher because 59 institutions either denied the FOI request or failed to respond in time.

Among providers that responded to the FOIs in both 2024 and 2020 – when the TPA last conducted this research – the total number of high-paid staff increased by 69 per cent. And the number earning more than £150,000 swelled by 79 per cent.

The figures were revealed as universities embarked on a fresh round of cost-cutting measures, designed to mitigate the impact of the decline in international student numbers and the falling real-terms value of domestic tuition fees.

According to a tracker kept by the Queen Mary University of London branch of the University and College Union, about half of the sector has redundancy and restructuring programmes in place.

Imperial College London currently has the most high earners on its books (1,231), followed by King’s College London (574) and the University of Bristol (560).

The top of the list was dominated largely by research-intensive institutions in the Russell Group. With 375 salaries above £100,000, City, University of London had the most outside this group.

The TPA calculated that London Business School had the most top earners relative to its student population.

Shimeon Lee, a researcher at the TPA, said the number of “university fat cats” had gone through a “shocking surge” in recent years.

“In many institutions, students are being given an increasingly poor service, leaving them in significant debt but without the employment prospects expected, yet at the same time the top brass are benefiting from surging pay packets,” he said.

“University bosses need to get these taxpayer-subsidised salaries under control and focus on providing students with the quality education that they deserve.”

Previous analysis by Times Higher Education found that the average university vice-chancellor’s pay package increased by 5 per cent in 2022-23 to £325,000.

It was also recently revealed that a record number of providers have said they are unable to afford staff wage increases as a result of pressing financial issues.

Raj Jethwa, chief executive of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association, said the TPA data covers a four-year period that has seen pay levels increase across the economy.

“HEIs employ highly educated and skilled colleagues at all levels, and despite the sector’s financial challenges, they rightly aim to pay all employees at competitive salary levels.”

patrick.jack@timeshighereducation.com