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Tenure Status of Full-Time and Part-Time Faculty Members, Fall 2016

Almanac 2018 August 19, 2018

More than 80 percent of faculty members at four-year for-profit institutions worked part time, compared with less than a third at four-year public institutions. Among sectors, four-year public institutions had the highest share of faculty members — just over 44 percent — who were either tenured or on the tenure track.

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More than 80 percent of faculty members at four-year for-profit institutions worked part time, compared with less than a third at four-year public institutions. Among sectors, four-year public institutions had the highest share of faculty members — just over 44 percent — who were either tenured or on the tenure track.


Return to the Almanac home page, or go to the Profession, Students, Finance, or States section. To purchase a copy of the Almanac in print or as a downloadable interactive PDF, visit the Chronicle Store. Help guide us to give you the data you need by taking our 10-minute online Almanac survey.


SectorEmployment statusTenuredPercent
tenured
On tenure trackPercent on
tenure track
Not on
tenure track
Percent
not on
tenure
track
All with
faculty status
Percent with
faculty status
4-year public full-time 189,546 30.7% 76,619 12.4% 161,514 26.2% 427,679 69.2%
4-year public part-time 4,825 0.8% 1,304 0.2% 183,833 29.8% 189,962 30.8%
4-year public total 194,371 31.5% 77,923 12.6% 345,347 55.9% 617,641 100.0%
4-year private nonprofit full-time 90,877 23.3% 43,821 11.2% 110,118 28.2% 244,816 62.7%
4-year private nonprofit part-time 1,433 0.4% 551 0.1% 143,947 36.8% 145,931 37.3%
4-year private nonprofit total 92,310 23.6% 44,372 11.4% 254,065 65.0% 390,747 100.0%
4-year for-profit full-time 94 0.1% 42 0.1% 12,380 17.8% 12,516 18.0%
4-year for-profit part-time 1 0.0% 0 0.0% 56,948 82.0% 56,949 82.0%
4-year for-profit total 95 0.1% 42 0.1% 69,328 99.8% 69,465 100.0%
2-year public full-time 41,403 14.5% 14,925 5.2% 53,371 18.8% 109,699 38.5%
2-year public part-time 167 0.1% 73 0.0% 174,678 61.4% 174,918 61.5%
2-year public total 41,570 14.6% 14,998 5.3% 228,049 80.1% 284,617 100.0%
2-year private nonprofit full-time 80 3.2% 37 1.5% 1,301 52.1% 1,418 56.8%
2-year private nonprofit part-time 0 0.0% 1 0.0% 1,077 43.1% 1,078 43.2%
2-year private nonprofit total 80 3.2% 38 1.5% 2,378 95.3% 2,496 100.0%
2-year for-profit full-time 3 0.0% 0 0.0% 5,226 43.1% 5,229 43.1%
2-year for-profit part-time 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 6,897 56.9% 6,897 56.9%
2-year for-profit total 3 0.0% 0 0.0% 12,123 100.0% 12,126 100.0%
All institutions full-time 322,003 23.4% 135,444 9.8% 343,910 25.0% 801,357 58.2%
All institutions part-time 6,426 0.5% 1,929 0.1% 567,380 41.2% 575,735 41.8%
All institutions total 328,429 23.8% 137,373 10.0% 911,290 66.2% 1,377,092 100.0%

Note: The data cover medical and nonmedical staff who perform faculty duties like instruction, research, and/or public service at 4,367 degree-granting institutions in the United States that are eligible to participate in the Title IV federal student-aid program. Medical schools are counted in the data. Employees listed as “not on tenure track” include those who work at colleges with no tenure system. Non-tenure-track faculty members include adjuncts. Percentage columns show the percentage of faculty members with a particular status within the indicated sector. More data are available here. Questions or comments on the Almanac should be sent to the Almanac editor.

Source: Chronicle analysis of U.S. Department of Education data</small></p>

A version of this article appeared in the August 24, 2018, issue.
Read other items in The Profession: Almanac 2018.
We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
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