Top 100 Private Non-Profit University President Compensation

“Pay at the Top” Private University President Compensation Among the 100 Largest Private Non-Profit Universities

October 9 2013

Steven Hall & Partners recently completed a study of compensation for Presidents of the 100 largest private non-profit universities in the United States, as determined by asset size. The group studied is referred to in this report as the 100 Universities. Our study found that:

Governance

  • All of the 100 Universities require Board/Committee approval in making pay determinations for their top executive
  • 95% utilize a separate Compensation Committee to assist in the executive pay determination process
  • Nearly all universities (97%) use compensation surveys or studies in making pay determinations, whereas only 50% state that they consider Form 990 disclosures of other organizations

Base Salary

  • Among the 100 Universities, median base salary was $503,730
  • Base salaries ranged from a low of $152,628 to a high of $1,242,806
  • Base salaries were highest among those universities located in the South followed by the Northeast

Annual Bonuses were paid by only 30 of the 100 Universities

  • Of the 30, the median bonus was $100,000 and ranged from a low of $500 to a high of $1,200,000

All Other Compensation

  • All Other Compensation ranged from $2,750 to $1,507,105
  • Regarding prevalence of Perquisites, 98% of the universities studied disclose offering some form of perquisites with housing allowance most commonly offered

Total Cash Compensation

  • Median total cash compensation was $726,580, ranging from a low of $190,664 to a high of $3,047,703
  • In general, we saw a correlation between asset size and total cash compensation; we saw the same trend with respect to revenues

Pay Mix

  • Base salary makes up the majority of the total pay to University Presidents
    • Among those universities paying bonuses, only 15% of total pay is reflected in bonus payments
  • All Other Compensation makes up about 28% of total pay regardless of whether or not bonuses are paid

PDF: Private University President Compensation Among the 100 Largest Private Non-Profit Universities