More than 650,000 adjunct faculty members teach at U.S. colleges and universities, comprising about 40% of the higher education faculty workforce, but face significant pay disparities and job insecurity despite high levels of education, according to a new report released by CUPA-HR.
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"Despite being highly educated professionals, with 88% holding an advanced degree, adjuncts receive low compensation that does not reflect their expertise," said Dr. Brielle Johnson, survey researcher at CUPA-HR and co-author of the report.
The proportion of faculty working as adjuncts has remained steady at around 40% for the past decade, following an earlier period of growth from the 1980s through the early 2000s, the report found.
The makeup of adjunct faculty varies significantly by institution type. At associate's institutions, adjuncts comprise 66% of the faculty workforce, while doctoral institutions employ the smallest proportion at 33%. Private institutions rely more heavily on adjuncts (46%) compared to public institutions (37%).
Despite this difference, public institutions employ nearly twice as many adjuncts overall due to their larger size, accounting for 64% of all adjuncts reported in the 2024-25 academic year.
Pay rates also vary by institution classification. Doctoral institutions pay the highest median rate at $1,265 per credit hour, while associate's institutions pay $1,028—a difference of $711 for a standard three-credit course.
The report reveals stark differences in adjunct representation and compensation across academic disciplines. STEM fields employ relatively few adjuncts: just 3% of engineering faculty, 6% of physical sciences faculty, and 8% of biological and biomedical sciences faculty hold adjunct positions.
In contrast, disciplines in the arts and public service show much higher adjunct employment: 32% in liberal arts and humanities, 25% in security and protective services, and 23% in education.
These employment patterns correlate with compensation differences. Adjuncts teaching architecture, engineering, and legal professions receive the highest pay, while those in recreation and fitness, security and protective services, and education earn some of the lowest rates—often below the overall median.
Beyond low pay, adjuncts face limited benefits and uncertain employment prospects. Only 37% of institutions offered health benefits to adjunct faculty in 2024-25, and most adjuncts are ineligible for retirement savings plans through their institutions.
At 70% of institutions, courses with low enrollment are canceled entirely, leaving adjuncts without compensation for courses they were scheduled to teach. Another 13% of institutions reduce adjunct pay rates when enrollment falls below set thresholds.
Additionally, 67% of institutions do not expect adjuncts to perform work beyond teaching responsibilities, while 22% expect or encourage additional activities such as mentoring or committee work but provide no compensation for these duties.
The data suggests that most adjuncts do not rely solely on teaching for income. Only 7% teach 12 or more credit hours per term—roughly equivalent to a full-time teaching load of four courses. However, this figure may underestimate the number teaching full-time, as some adjuncts work at multiple institutions.
The report highlights concerning disparities in both representation and compensation. Women comprise 57% of adjunct faculty compared to just 44% of tenure-track faculty. Black faculty members are twice as well represented among adjuncts (10%) as among tenure-track faculty (5%).
Pay equity analysis reveals persistent gaps. White women, Black men and women, and Hispanic men earn $0.95 for every dollar paid to white men in adjunct positions. These racial pay disparities are not present among full-time faculty, the report found.
Asian men and women are paid $1.11 and $1.10 respectively for every dollar White men earn, likely reflecting their concentration in higher-paid disciplines and higher rates of doctoral degree attainment.
The report urges institutions to recognize adjuncts' value and review pay structures. "Adjuncts are highly educated professionals," Johnson said. "Many have careers outside academia and can offer valuable industry insights and professional connections that benefit students."
Co-author Dr. Melissa Fuesting, associate director of research at CUPA-HR, noted the need for fair compensation regardless of whether adjuncts depend on teaching as their primary income source.
The report analyzed data from 263 institutions on 43,279 adjunct faculty members, making it one of the largest studies of current adjunct compensation by discipline. CUPA-HR began collecting adjunct data at the individual level in 2024-25, enabling more detailed analysis of pay equity and demographic patterns.
