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Faculty Compensation Study

California State University employs over 29,000 faculty members, whose intellectual, social, and cultural influences benefit our students and help advance the academic mission. The CSU is committed to attracting, developing and retaining talented faculty at our 23 campuses throughout California.

As evidence of that commitment, a project task force was established in late 2021 to issue a Request for Proposal (RFP) and select a compensation consultant with the capacity and expertise to conduct a comprehensive compensation study and provide input to the consultant throughout the study. The task force includes members of the Board of Trustees, CSU and campus Leadership and the California Faculty Association (CFA).

Earlier this year, Mercer, a leading global human resources firm, was selected to oversee and manage this project. Mercer will gather input from faculty and administrators to inform a thorough analysis of CSU faculty salaries and structures and then provide recommendations. Implementing any proposed recommendations will require negotiations with CFA and approval of CSU's Board of Trustees. All parties share a common interest to attract, motivate and retain outstanding faculty.

As part of the study, Mercer will:

  • Evaluate and assess current faculty base salaries by conducting a market analysis of base salary for all faculty ranks and disciplines, including lecturers, as well as coaches, counselors and librarians.
  • Evaluate and assess the effectiveness, relevancy and competitiveness of CSU's faculty compensation system: job classifications, salary structure, compensation policies, pay practices and mechanisms utilized to advance pay and reward performance of faculty employees.

​Communications and Updates

Focus Groups for faculty and administrators will be held from November 4 - 10: Check your CSU email to obtain a link to participate.


Faculty Definitions

Reference some of the common faculty and compensation study terms.

Go to the Fac​ulty Definitions

Frequently Asked Questions

Here’s some feedback to frequently asked questions about the Faculty Salary Study.

Focus Group Questions
Frequently Asked Questions