Higher Education Salary Report 2026: Australia
Salary report and benchmark
Professors in Australia are paid from A$225,458–A$247,295 (University of Queensland and UNSW, from 1 July 2026).
How academic pay works in Australia
Higher education salary report 2026
Academic Jobs, the higher education salary benchmark, based on 11,235 university job posts since January 1, 2026, drawn from millions of historical job posts.
Australian academic salaries follow each university's enterprise agreement, using Levels A to E: Level A (associate lecturer), B (lecturer), C (senior lecturer), D (associate professor) and E (professor).
Employer superannuation of up to 17% is paid on top of base salary at many universities, which makes total packages higher than headline figures suggest.
Pay is published openly in agreements at universities such as University of Melbourne, University of Sydney, and UNSW Sydney.
Academic Jobs tracks 11,235 Australian higher education roles since January 1, 2026.
| Role | Current salaries | What this is |
|---|---|---|
| Lecturer/Instructor | $129,524 | 1,512 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Research Fellow | $116,586 | 1,170 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $117,000. |
| Senior Lecturer | $151,980 | 930 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $152,060. |
| Post-Doc | $113,400 | 776 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $113,190. |
| Post Doc Research Fellow | $106,904 | 504 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $107,265. |
| Associate Professor | $177,144 | 464 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $177,084. |
| Clinical Educator | $128,981 | 302 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $129,252. |
| Research | $117,936 | 249 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $118,467. |
| Professor | $202,365 | 243 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $201,350. |
| Scientist/Associate | $116,586 | 203 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Research Assistant | $97,935 | 132 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $98,365. |
| Tenure-track | $140,935 | 129 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Tenure | $145,488 | 105 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Director/Manager | $183,258 | 104 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Academic Coordinator | $143,373 | 94 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $145,804. |
33 more roles
| Role | Current salaries | What this is |
|---|---|---|
| Program Coordinator | $143,820 | 82 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $145,791. |
| Assistant Professor | $134,792 | 55 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $132,533. |
| Curriculum Developer | $127,945 | 53 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $128,191. |
| Clinical Professor/Prof of Practice | $164,380 | 47 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $164,533. |
| Research Coordinator | $115,159 | 47 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $122,831. |
| PhD Researcher | $37,145 | 45 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Program Director | $183,671 | 44 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Sessional Academic | $116,480 | 43 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $117,062. |
| Research Manager | $137,718 | 34 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $144,543. |
| Sessional Lecturer | $149,760 | 31 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Senior Research Assistant | $122,960 | 29 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Tutor | $116,480 | 27 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $116,740. |
| Research Professor | $210,239 | 26 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Learning Specialist | $119,669 | 16 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Faculty Development Specialist | $131,094 | 14 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $135,000. |
| Academic Advisor | $153,924 | 13 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Lecturer | $142,714 | 12 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $138,500. |
| Research Technician | $101,001 | 12 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Teaching Assistant | $115,700 | 12 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Faculty Researcher | $123,938 | 10 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Instructional Designer | $121,315 | 10 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $122,960. |
| Assistant Director | $170,008 | 8 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $166,243. |
| Educational Technologist | $128,980 | 8 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Adjunct Faculty | $117,151 | 6 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Research Associate | $117,000 | 5 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Academic Coach | $116,480 | 4 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Adjunct Professor | $120,716 | 4 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Endowed | $227,350 | 4 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Clinical Chair | $342,370 | 2 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Librarian | $108,308 | 2 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Senior Professor | $207,391 | 2 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year $205,415. |
| Exam Supervisor | $83,200 | 1 posts since January 1, 2026. |
| Research Scientist/Associate | $103,748 | 1 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
Sources
Academic pay
Professor (Level E)
A$225,458–A$247,295
Professor scale minimum, from 1 July 2026
What changes pay
Rank
A professor scale sits above a lecturer or assistant professor scale.
Institution
Research universities and teaching-focused colleges do not use the same bands.
Contract
Nine-month, twelve-month, and casual contracts are not the same annual pay.
Location
Capital-city loadings and regional scales change the same title.
University salaries in Australia
Western Sydney University pays the highest professor salary in Australia, at $234,411.
Compare a real offer
Use this salary report when you negotiate, or compare professor salaries and university salaries.