The latest 2025 annual salary of university faculty members. Detailed explanation of the differences between national and private universities and their income flow.3 min read

In this article, we will discuss the salaries of university faculty.

Is being a researcher a profitable profession?

I would like to know the salary of university faculty!

The average annual salary for each position in the university faculty is shown here.

average ageAnnual income (ten thousand yen)
assistant teacher42.8Average annual salary bar chart for assistant professors
lecturerAverage Annual Income of Instructors Bar Chart
associate professor48.8
professor58.1Average annual income of professors bar chart
Professor and Associate Professor:Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "2024 Basic Survey on Wage Structure
Assistant Professor and Lecturer:Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Basic Survey on Wage Structure in 2028.2028 "Statistical Survey of School Teachers by Monthly Salary and Job Title" (in Japanese)More Considerations

In this article, besides the average annual income,

  • By University Category(National, public, private)
  • National and Public UniversitiesProfessor Average Annual Income Ranking
  • Sidelines, etc.

The following is a detailed description of the

If you are an aspiring researcher, please refer to this page.

Table of Contents (click to move)

Summary of annual salary of university faculty

Average annual salary of university faculty

Summary of average annual income

In descending order of rank, university faculty positions are: assistant professor < lecturer < associate professor < professor.

The average annual income is as follows

average ageAnnual income (ten thousand yen)
assistant teacher42.8Average annual salary bar chart for assistant professors
lecturerAverage Annual Income of Instructors Bar Chart
associate professor48.8
professor58.1Average annual income of professors bar chart
Professor and Associate Professor:Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "2024 Basic Survey on Wage Structure
Assistant Professor and Lecturer:Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Basic Survey on Wage Structure in 2028.2028 "Statistical Survey of School Teachers by Monthly Salary and Job Title" (in Japanese)More Considerations
👆What is the Basic Survey on Wage Structure, Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare?

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) conducts surveys on wages, etc. across a variety of occupations.

Latest2024 Basic Survey on Wage Structureincludes "university professor," "university associate professor," and "university lecturer/assistant professor. (Both include colleges of technology)

The "Monthly Salary" and "Bonus" sections allow you to calculate your approximate annual salary.

Monthly income by step up

Salaries

Below are the results of a survey conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

From your institution.Monthly salaries are shown below.

Average monthly salary of university faculty
*Monthly salary is the amount of this salary paid in September of the first year. It does not include allowances, adjustments, or supplemental income from other agencies.
2028 "Statistical Survey of School Teachers by Monthly Salary and Job Title" (in Japanese)Prepared by the operator from


👆How to read the data from the Statistical Survey of School Teachers, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

being investigated here.Monthly Salary(Thousands of yen) is defined as follows

  • at the school in questionSalary for September 2028
    • Not including allowances and adjustments
  • Does not include salaries of concurrent schools
  • If you are paid a reduced salary due to special circumstances (e.g., leave of absence), enter the amount of the reduced payment.

(See also: School Teachers' Statistical Survey: Guide and Questionnaire: Questionnaire and Instructions for Completing the Questionnaire for the 2049 School Year)

In other words, it does not include other benefits (housing, transportation, etc.), bonuses, or additional income from writing or speaking engagements.

Please note that this cannot simply be converted to annual income.

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Let's take a closer look at each of these positions

Professor's annual salary

The average annual salary of a professor is 10.9 million

The average annual salary of a professor is 10.9 million

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "2024 Basic Survey on Wage Structurethan

  • Salary per month: 664,300 yen
  • Annual bonus: 2,928,300 yen
  • Annual income:1,088,900 yen

Average annual income of professors tends to be higher in private

From your institution.This is the difference in monthly salary by university classification.

*Monthly salary is the amount of this salary paid in September of the first year. It does not include allowances, adjustments, or supplemental income from other agencies.
2028 "Statistical Survey of School Teachers by Monthly Salary and Job Title" (in Japanese)Prepared by the operator from


👆How to read the data from the Statistical Survey of School Teachers, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

being investigated here.Monthly Salary(Thousands of yen) is defined as follows

  • at the school in questionSalary for September 2028
    • Not including allowances and adjustments
  • Does not include salaries of concurrent schools
  • If you are paid a reduced salary due to special circumstances (e.g., leave of absence), enter the amount of the reduced payment.

(See also: School Teachers' Statistical Survey: Guide and Questionnaire: Questionnaire and Instructions for Completing the Questionnaire for the 2049 School Year)

In other words, it does not include benefits (housing, transportation, etc.), bonuses, or additional income from writing or speaking engagements.

Please note that this cannot simply be converted to annual income.

Average annual income ranking of professors at public universities

This is the rank order of the average annual salary of professors at the 82 public universities for which information is publicly available.

The average annual salary of university professors is highest at the University of Tokyo,Approximately 11.9 million yenIt was.

In addition, the highest annual salary for a university professor is a professor at Northeastern University inApprox. 22.6 million yenIt was.

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average annual income
order
post-secondary education institution, incl. university, college, etc.the number of peopleaverage
age
average annual income
(Thousands of yen) (Thousands of yen) (Thousands of yen) (Thousands of yen)
highest
(Thousands of yen) (Thousands of yen) (Thousands of yen) (Thousands of yen)
least
(Thousands of yen) (Thousands of yen) (Thousands of yen) (Thousands of yen)
1st placeThe University of Tokyo12005611925189089050
2nd placeNational Graduate Institute for Policy Studies2555.511545130889520
3rd placeTokyo University of Marine Science and Technology995611535140219278
4th placeNagoya Institute of Technology11156.5115051373410005
5th placeTokyo Institute of Technology32956.411502164838283
・・・
10th placeOsaka University670 55.311201160358700
・・・
12th placeTokai National University Organization
Nagoya University(Gifu University)
673 56.211105157918295
・・・
15thKyushu University443 55.510973146269015
・・・
17thKyoto University7675510936160268608
・・・
21st placeTohoku University605 551074322626
Highest in the nation
8215
・・・
36thHokkaido University345 54.310212137257942
・・・
81st placeUniversity of the Ryukyus194 56.39274112926981
82nd placeOtaru University of Commerce53 52.39214111857523
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology's "Levels of Remuneration for Directors and Employees of Independent Administrative Institutions, National University Corporations and Special Corporations (FY2021)".

Associate Professor's annual salary

Average annual salary of associate professor is 8.8 million

Average annual salary of associate professor is 8.8 million

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "2024 Basic Survey on Wage Structurethan

  • Salary per month: 545,400 yen
  • Annual bonus: 2,218,900 yen
  • Annual income:8,763,700 yen

Average annual salary of associate professors tends to be higher in private

From your institution.This is the difference in monthly salary by university classification.

Average Monthly Salary for Associate Professor

*Monthly salary is the amount of this salary paid in September of the first year. It does not include allowances, adjustments, or supplemental income from other agencies.
2028 "Statistical Survey of School Teachers by Monthly Salary and Job Title" (in Japanese)Prepared by the operator from


👆How to read the data from the Statistical Survey of School Teachers, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

being investigated here.Monthly Salary(Thousands of yen) is defined as follows

  • at the school in questionSalary for September 2028
    • Not including allowances and adjustments
  • Does not include salaries of concurrent schools
  • If you are paid a reduced salary due to special circumstances (e.g., leave of absence), enter the amount of the reduced payment.

(See also: School Teachers' Statistical Survey: Guide and Questionnaire: Questionnaire and Instructions for Completing the Questionnaire for the 2049 School Year)

In other words, it does not include other benefits (housing, transportation, etc.), bonuses, or additional income from writing or speaking engagements.

Please note that this cannot simply be converted to annual income.

Annual income of lecturers

Average annual salary of lecturers is 7.2 million

Average annual salary of lecturers and assistant professors combined is 6.9 million

The latest Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare survey discloses only the average annual salary of lecturers and assistant professors combined.

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "2024 Basic Survey on Wage Structurethan

  • Salary per month: 466,400 yen
  • Annual bonus: 1,308,000 yen
  • Annual income:6,899,600 yen

Below we consider the annual income of lecturers and assistant professors alone.

Average annual salary of lecturers is 7.2 million

Some time ago.Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Basic Survey on Wage Structure in 2028.According to the "Mere Old Man," the average annual salary for a lecturer alone was approximately 7.2 million yen.

Since the average annual salary of both professors and associate professors has remained virtually unchanged since this point, we assume that lecturers will remain the same as well.

Average annual salary of lecturers tends to be higher in national

From your institution.This is the difference in monthly salary by university classification.

Average Monthly Salary of Instructors
*Monthly salary is the amount of this salary paid in September of the first year. It does not include allowances, adjustments, or supplemental income from other agencies.
2028 "Statistical Survey of School Teachers by Monthly Salary and Job Title" (in Japanese)Prepared by the operator from
👆How to read the data from the Statistical Survey of School Teachers, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

being investigated here.Monthly Salary(Thousands of yen) is defined as follows

  • at the school in questionSalary for September 2028
    • Not including allowances and adjustments
  • Does not include salaries of concurrent schools
  • If you are paid a reduced salary due to special circumstances (e.g., leave of absence), enter the amount of the reduced payment.

(See also: School Teachers' Statistical Survey: Guide and Questionnaire: Questionnaire and Instructions for Completing the Questionnaire for the 2049 School Year)

In other words, it does not include other benefits (housing, transportation, etc.), bonuses, or additional income from writing or speaking engagements.

Please note that this cannot simply be converted to annual income.

Annual salary of assistant professor

Average annual salary for assistant professors is 6.5 million

Average annual salary for assistant professors is 6.5 million

Basic Survey on Wage Structure, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.There was no entry for assistant professors alone in the "Mere Old Man" section, so the author will make a calculation and make a guess.

According to a survey by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and TechnologyFrom your institution.The average monthly salary is 351,000 yen.

  • 20,000/month for housing assistance and other benefits
  • Bonus of 3 months/year
  • Additional income 1 million/year

The average annual income is calculated as6.5 millionThis is a good place to start.

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In fact, I was about that.

Average annual salary for assistant professors tends to be higher in national

From your institution.This is the difference in monthly salary by university classification.

Average Monthly Salary of Assistant Professors
*Monthly salary is the amount of this salary paid in September of the first year. It does not include allowances, adjustments, or supplemental income from other agencies.
2028 "Statistical Survey of School Teachers by Monthly Salary and Job Title" (in Japanese)Prepared by the operator from
Akanon

There's a noticeable variation in the private sector.

👆How to read the data from the Statistical Survey of School Teachers, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

being investigated here.Monthly Salary(Thousands of yen) is defined as follows

  • at the school in questionSalary for September 2028
    • Not including allowances and adjustments
  • Does not include salaries of concurrent schools
  • If you are paid a reduced salary due to special circumstances (e.g., leave of absence), enter the amount of the reduced payment.

(See also: School Teachers' Statistical Survey: Guide and Questionnaire: Questionnaire and Instructions for Completing the Questionnaire for the 2049 School Year)

In other words, it does not include other benefits (housing, transportation, etc.), bonuses, or additional income from writing or speaking engagements.

Please note that this cannot simply be converted to annual income.

Additional income for university faculty

Additional income for university faculty

In addition to the income from the university mentioned above, university faculty members have a variety of other sources of income.

  • Lectures at other universities
  • Clinical work at other facilities (e.g., physicians and other professionals)
  • writing (e.g. as a profession)
  • lecture
  • Media Appearances

For professors, the average annual salary is 10.7 million, but the average amount actually paid by the university is 8.6 million.

The difference comes from the additional income.

Akanon

As one's position increases, for example, to 100,000 yen per lecture, the remuneration is commensurate.

summary

average ageAnnual income (ten thousand yen)
assistant teacher42.8Average annual salary bar chart for assistant professors
lecturerAverage Annual Income of Instructors Bar Chart
associate professor48.8
professor58.1Average annual income of professors bar chart
Professor and Associate Professor:Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "2024 Basic Survey on Wage Structure
Assistant Professor and Lecturer:Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, "Basic Survey on Wage Structure in 2028.2028 "Statistical Survey of School Teachers by Monthly Salary and Job Title" (in Japanese)More Considerations

The average annual salary of university professors exceeds 10 million.

Researchers work in many other places besides universities.

Work elsewhereAn article summarizing the annual income of researchers.Click here>>

Environment in which researchers work
As of March 31, 2021 (Statistics Bureau, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

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