A new American Association of University Professors analysis found that average salaries for full-time faculty fell 0.4% in real terms between fall 2024 and fall 2025—marking the first real-dollar decline in three years. The report estimates that real-dollar faculty salaries have not recovered from a cumulative 7.5% drop between fall 2019 and fall 2022 during the COVID-19 period. AAUP’s survey covers 360,000 full-time and more than 125,000 part-time faculty members across 780-plus institutions. Continuing faculty—those remaining at the same institution—saw an average real-dollar increase of 0.7%, while the report also details part-time pay rates per course section, with variation by institution type. The survey also shows roughly one-third of institutions contribute to retirement plans for some part-time faculty and that 30.6% cover part-time medical insurance premiums. The data raises renewed bargaining and budgeting questions for shared governance and academic compensation strategies as institutions balance staffing stability against persistent inflation-linked operating costs.