10 Public Universities Run by Highest-Paid Presidents
Presidents with high salaries
The U.S. president makes $400,000 per year. Several university presidents make more than double that. At least 17 National University presidents earn twice what President Donald Trump does on a yearly basis, according to a 2017 report from The Chronicle of Higher Education. The report, which gathered the rankings of more than 1,200 chief executives of both private and public universities, list eight public university presidents who make more than $1 million. Here are the 10 National Universities where presidents had the highest salaries in 2015-16.
Updated Jan. 14, 2019: This slideshow has been updated to reflect ranks from the 2019 U.S. News Best Colleges rankings.
University of Alabama--Birmingham
President: Raymond Watts
Total pay: $890,000
Base salary: $469,572
U.S. News rank: 157 (tie)
Learn more about the University of Alabama--Birmingham.
University of Iowa
President: Jean E. Robillard
Total pay: $929,045 (partial-year compensation)
Base pay: $741,260 (partial-year compensation)
U.S. News rank: 89 (tie)
Learn more about the University of Iowa.
Texas A&M University--College Station
President: Michael K. Young
Total pay: $1,000,000
Base pay: $1,000,000
U.S. News rank: 66 (tie)
Learn more about Texas A&M University--College Station.
Ohio State University--Columbus
President: Michael V. Drake
Total pay: $1,034,574
Base pay: $813,334
U.S. News rank: 56 (tie)
Learn more about Ohio State University--Columbus.
Pennsylvania State University--University Park
President: Eric J. Barron
Total pay: $1,039,717
Base pay: $800,000
U.S. News rank: 59 (tie)
Learn more about Pennsylvania State University--University Park.
Indiana University System
President: Michael A. McRobbie
Total pay: $1,067,074
Base pay: $600,000
Number of schools in system: 9
University of Florida
President: W. Kent Fuchs
Total pay: $1,102,862
Base pay: $863,295
U.S. News rank: 35 (tie)
Learn more about the University of Florida.
Texas A&M University System
President: John Sharp
Total pay: $1,280,438
Base pay: $900,000
Number of schools in system: 11
University of Texas System
President: William H. McRaven
Total pay: $1,500,000
Base pay: $1,200,000
Number of schools in system: 14
Arizona State University--Tempe
President: Michael M. Crow
Total pay: $1,554,058
Base pay: $838,458
U.S. News rank: 115 (tie)
Learn more about Arizona State University--Tempe.
Find the right college for you.
Get more information about how to choose a college, and check out the complete rankings of the 2019 Best Colleges to find the school that's the right fit for you. For more advice and information on selecting a college, connect with U.S. News Education on Twitter and Facebook.
Universities with high president salaries
-- University of Alabama--Birmingham
-- University of Iowa
-- Texas A&M University--College Station
-- Ohio State University--Columbus
-- Pennsylvania State University--University Park
-- Indiana University System
-- University of Florida
-- Texas A&M University System
-- University of Texas System
-- Arizona State University--Tempe
Darian Somers is an associate social media editor at U.S. News. You can follow him on Twitter or email him at dsomers@usnews.com.
