As part of our annual workforce surveys, CUPA-HR collects information on turnover for higher ed staff and faculty, including voluntary separations, retirements and involuntary separations. This page, updated annually, features trends since CUPA-HR began collecting this data in 2017.
In the years prior to the pandemic (which began in March 2020), there was little year to year variability in voluntary turnover (voluntary separations not due to retirement). Voluntary turnover has always been highest for part-time non-exempt staff and lowest for tenure-track faculty. In the data collection period immediately following the pandemic’s onset (2020 in the figure below), there were slight dips in voluntary turnover for each category of staff and faculty, likely due to the economic uncertainty that characterized that year.
In the following two years, however, voluntary turnover saw notable increases, with rates peaking in 2022 for almost all employee groups. Following that, there was a general decrease in voluntary turnover in 2023, although turnover rates for part-time employees remained high. The most recent (2025) data shows that voluntary turnover rates have stabilized. Turnover rates for tenure-track faculty, non-tenure-track faculty and full-time exempt staff have now returned to pre-pandemic levels. However, voluntary turnover for part-time staff (both exempt and non-exempt) and full-time non-exempt staff remains above pre-pandemic levels.
Select “Overall,” “Retirements,” or “Involuntary Turnover” from the dropdown menu in the figure below to view trends in other types of turnover. One notable observation is the spike in involuntary turnover for all employee categories in 2024 (which reflects involuntary turnover between November 1, 2023, and November 1, 2024).
The figure below illustrates the most recent turnover data (2025), which can be explored by both institutional classification and turnover type. Both exempt and non-exempt part-time staff have notably higher — and in certain institutional classifications, more than double — voluntary turnover rates of full-time exempt and non-exempt staff. Using the dropdown menu to examine different classifications reveals additional nuances in turnover patterns.
- In comparison to other institutional classifications, baccalaureate institutions see lower voluntary turnover rates for tenure-track faculty (2.4%) and part-time exempt staff (13.8%), yet they have the highest rates for non-tenure-track faculty (7.7%) and full-time exempt staff (10.6%).
- Associate’s institutions maintain the lowest voluntary turnover among all institutional classifications for full-time exempt (7.6%) and non-exempt staff (9.2%). However, they report the highest rate in voluntary turnover for part-time exempt staff, where the rate reaches 23.9%.
- Doctoral institutions report the highest voluntary turnover rates for non-exempt staff among all classifications, with rates of 12.4% for full-time and 20.0% for part-time staff.
- Retirement rates are most pronounced among tenure-track faculty; however, these rates differ by institutional classification, ranging from a low of 2.3% at doctoral institutions to a high of 3.0% at associate’s institutions.
- Involuntary turnover is highest among full-time non-exempt staff, particularly at baccalaureate institutions (3.3%). Conversely, doctoral institutions are the only institutional classification to report notable involuntary turnover for part-time non-exempt staff (1.9%).
Methodology and Notes
CUPA-HR collects the number of separations for staff and full-time faculty in the Institutional Basics section of CUPA-HR’s annual signature workforce surveys. Annual Turnover Rates = (# of separations over past year/average # of employees reported last year and this year) x 100. The year calculated runs from November 1 to November 1, corresponding to the effective dates of data collection.
Data represent all institutions providing separation data in the Institutional Basics section of CUPA-HR’s Higher Education Workforce Surveys for both years of the calculated turnover statistic. The n for each data point varies but represents between 78 and 507 institutions.
To view turnover data for a custom comparison group, side-by-side with your institution’s turnover, for previous years, or with other statistics (including turnover at the 10th and 90th percentiles and specific n’s for each category), subscribe to DataOnDemand.
For each category of employees, median overall turnover will rarely equal the sum of median voluntary turnover, median retirement turnover, and median involuntary turnover. Each of these metrics are independently calculated to reflect the point at which half of institutions have higher turnover of a certain type, and half of institutions have lower turnover of a certain type.
Citation Information: CUPA-HR. (2026). Higher Education Workforce Surveys, 2016-17 to 2025-26 [Data set].
If you have a question about our methodology or analysis, write us at [email protected].
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