CUPA-HR’s signature surveys collect data on composition and pay equity on all higher ed administrator, faculty, professional, and staff positions. To explore trends in composition and pay equity for custom comparison groups or specific positions, subscribe to DataOnDemand.
Administrators are leaders who manage a higher ed institution or a division within it. These interactive graphics depict composition and pay equity by gender and race/ethnicity for higher ed administrators over time.
Composition of Administrators by Gender and Race/Ethnicity
Key Findings: One out of five (20%) higher ed administrators is a person of color in 2024-25. This is the highest proportion in representation of people of color since 2011-12 and also reflects a steady increase across the past 13 years. Over time, women of color account for slightly more growth than men of color. The representation of higher ed administrators of color is similar to the percentage of U.S. graduate degree holders who are people of color (27%).*
Overall, women represent more than half (54%) of all higher ed administrators, even though the proportion of White women has remained at 43% for the past six years.
Navigating the Chart: Click the labels in the legend to remove data from view, and then select a specific year or the “Animate All Years” button to see how percentages have changed over time. For example, to see the percentage of women in these positions, click “Men” in the legend to remove men from the graphic.
CUPA-HR members only: See this data for presidents, chief academic officers/provosts and chief HR officers.
Median Pay Ratios for Administrators by Gender and Race/Ethnicity
Key Findings: Pay disparities for women administrators of all races/ethnicities depicted persist in 2024-25 and do not show any indication of progress since 2011-12. All female administrators except for Asian women continue to receive lower salaries than White men (and Asian women are paid lower salaries than are Asian men). Among men, Black male administrators were the only racial/ethnic group to not reach pay equity in 2024-25, as they are paid $0.97 for every $1.00 White men are paid. Conversely, Asian men are paid $1.16 for every $1.00 White men are paid.
Navigating the Chart: Click the “Animate All Years” button to note the progress made in terms of pay equity for men of color (solid dots). Note as well the lack of progress in pay equity for women (open dots).
CUPA-HR members only: See this data for presidents, chief academic officers/provosts and chief HR officers.
Methodology
Data were collected in CUPA-HR’s Administrators in Higher Education Survey with an effective date of November 1 of each academic year. (For these charts, the academic year is denoted with the last part of the year, e.g., 2025 is academic year 2024-25). Analyses include only non-profit institutions of higher education; each year of data includes data from at least 818 colleges and universities and at least 39,019 administrators.
Median pay ratios control for position. Median salaries by race/ethnicity and sex for each administrator position were obtained; then the median of those medians was calculated by race/ethnicity and sex. Finally, each group’s median salary was divided by the median salary of White men to calculate the pay ratio. This controls for the fact that women and people of color may be represented differently in specific positions that pay higher or lower salaries, and it means that the wage gaps present are not explained by the fact that women or people of color may have greater representation in lower-paying positions.
Additional Resources
For more information and data on higher ed administrators, see our comprehensive report, Higher Ed Administrators: Trends in Diversity and Pay Equity From 2002 to 2022.
*Graduate degree comparative data obtained from IPUMS. Most administrator positions surveyed require a graduate degree.
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