Faculty Pay Gap vs Clinical Nurses

Research shows a clear earnings gap between academic nursing faculty and nurses working in clinical or other nursing roles. According to a 2025 study using the 2022 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, the average unadjusted annual salary for nursing faculty was US $81,617, compared to US $90,435 for all other nurses — a difference of US $8,677. Lippincott Journals
When adjusted for years of experience, title, and other factors, the gap widened substantially: that same study found nursing faculty averaged US $18,346 less than staff nurses, US $19,863 less than charge nurses, and US $27,526 less than frontline nurse managers. PMC+1

This salary gap creates a strong financial disincentive for experienced nurses to enter or remain in academia — especially when clinical practice offers considerably higher earning potential.

Faculty Shortages, Unfilled Positions, and Denied Applicants

The compensation disparity helps drive a broader shortage of nursing faculty. A 2024 survey of current and former nursing educators identified “low compensation” as the most commonly cited reason for leaving academic positions (71.1% of current and 51.3% of former faculty). Lippincott Journals

This shortage directly impacts nursing education capacity: many schools are unable to hire or retain enough faculty, leading to denial of admission for qualified nursing students. HRSA+2AACN+2

According to national data, the vacancy rate for full-time nursing faculty is around 7.8%, and many programs report being unable to accept more students even though demand is high. AACN+1

This means that while students (and their families) are paying rising tuition costs to study nursing, there is a structural bottleneck: lack of adequately compensated faculty limiting access, class size, clinical instruction, and overall program quality.

Faculty Workload, Job Satisfaction, and Risk of Departure

Beyond salary, qualitative and quantitative research reveals additional pressures on nursing faculty that contribute to job dissatisfaction — exacerbated when pay does not reflect workload or responsibilities. A 2023 scoping review found that factors such as heavy workloads, lack of support, limited organizational resources, and poor work conditions significantly affect faculty effectiveness, engagement, and job satisfaction. PMC+1

In the 2024 study mentioned before, many faculty reported that low compensation was their primary reason to leave academic nursing, with others citing unrealistic workloads and lack of institutional appreciation. Lippincott Journals

In short, the undervaluing of nurse educators — financially and institutionally — threatens not only faculty retention but also the ability of nursing programs to provide high-quality education and training.

Impact on the Nursing Workforce & Public Health

The shortage of qualified nursing faculty and resulting limited capacity in nursing education programs contributes to broader workforce challenges. An insufficient influx of new nurses to replace those retiring or leaving clinical practice could worsen national and global nursing shortages. AACN+2HRSA+2

Given the growing demand for nurses in healthcare, especially with aging populations and increasing chronic disease burden, failing to sustainably support nurse educators undermines the ability to meet healthcare needs. High tuition paid by students — often with personal sacrifice — is not matched with institutional investment in educators, who are essential to prepare competent, safe, and compassionate nurses for the future.

High Tuition, Low Faculty Pay: The Unspoken Inequity in Nursing Education

The heart of our healthcare system is the academic preparation of the next generation of nurses, who will ultimately staff our hospitals, long-term care facilities, and community-based programs. But a growing financial imbalance endangers the quality and long-term viability of our academic programs. Nursing students across the country are paying more tuition than ever before—tens of thousands of dollars a semester, in some cases. Meanwhile, their professors—the same individuals who will be held accountable for the clinical competence and critical thinking of our students—are paid salaries that trail far behind their clinical counterparts. Why are students paying more while teachers’ salaries are stagnant?

Students pay and play their way through nursing school with high hopes, loans, grants, and the hard-earned dollars of the jobs they hold while they are in school. They assume that when they put those tuition dollars towards their education, they are getting top-notch faculty and the highest quality learning environment. The reality is many faculty members find it hard to rationalize remaining in academia with the amount they are paid for the work and level of dedication they are expected to have. The question as to why there is a disconnect between student and educator investment is complex. The decision about who gets what, when, and how—all factors that impact salaries—goes back to what an institution values, how a budget is distributed, and our country’s undervaluing of nursing education.

The Tuition–Salary Gap: Who’s to Blame?

It’s important to note that there is no one person to blame for this issue. However, there are numerous people and institutions at various levels of education and health care that have failed to successfully advocate for and implement policies to support nursing educators. Colleges and universities tend to spend a high percentage of tuition on administration, campus life, and other costs not directly associated with teaching, so less funding is available to support professors. State cuts to higher education funding have also placed pressure on institutions to increase tuition, but with little movement to raise educator salaries in proportion. Federal workforce policies have long favored physicians and hospital systems over nursing education, which has meant few incentives or funding mechanisms for nurse faculty. Hospitals have also become more aggressive in their compensation, which has outpaced what many universities can offer, making it more difficult to recruit experienced nurses to academia. While accrediting bodies such as CCNE and ACEN have been strong in their requirements for faculty credentials, simulation, and evaluation, they have been slow to develop any quality checks for faculty pay. The result is that students are paying more than ever while nursing professors, who are some of the most experienced, capable, and overworked, remain grossly underpaid.

Impact on Professional Identity of Nursing Essay

The ongoing challenge of mismatched tuition and low faculty pay also puts the very identity of nursing as a profession at risk. After all, if the people who teach, develop, and research the next generation of nursing professionals are undervalued, underpaid, and overworked, why should current or prospective nurses view nursing expertise as a worthy investment? The longer this devaluation continues, the more the academic and intellectual base of nursing erodes from a profession grounded in science, scholarship, ethics, and leadership into a task-oriented labor force. If nursing faculty do not get paid competitive wages, then there is no incentive for nurses with experience in the field to go back and earn advanced degrees or to teach in an academic setting, slowly diminishing the flow of leaders, mentors, and scholars into the field who understand and advocate for the identity of professional nursing. As faculty burn out or leave the field and academic rigor declines, student nurses may be able to graduate with very little, if any, exposure to research, critical thinking, and other aspects of professional development, effectively losing what differentiates a profession from a technical trade. If this cycle continues, we run the risk of nursing no longer being a profession, which would seriously damage the credibility, autonomy, and future of the whole discipline.

References

1. Salary Gap Between Nursing Faculty and Clinical Nurses

Bittner, N. P., Whedbee, S., & Marquez, L. (2025). Exploring the pay disparity between nursing faculty and other registered nurses. Nurse Educator. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000001786

2. Nursing Faculty Leaving Due to Low Compensation

Coffey, L., Plante, K., Chirico, P., & Freeman, E. (2024). Understanding factors influencing nursing faculty attrition and retention. Nurse Educator, 49(4), 213–219. https://doi.org/10.1097/NNE.0000000000001716

3. National Nursing Faculty Shortage & Capacity Limits

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2024). Nursing faculty shortage fact sheet. https://www.aacnnursing.org/news-data/fact-sheets/nursing-faculty-shortage

4. Denied Student Applicants Due to Limited Faculty

National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice. (2021). COVID-19 nursing workforce report. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration. https://www.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/advisory-committees/nursing/reports/nacnep-17report-2021.pdf

5. Impact of Workload, Job Satisfaction, and Faculty Stress

Williams, M. G., Jones, S., & Peters, K. (2023). Factors influencing the effectiveness and engagement of nursing faculty: A scoping review. Journal of Nursing Management, 31(5), 1220–1234. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.13769

6. Nursing Workforce & Professional Identity Concerns

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2024). Nursing shortage fact sheet. https://www.aacnnursing.org/news-data/fact-sheets/nursing-shortage

7. Professionalism and the Role of Nurse Educators

Benner, P., Sutphen, M., Leonard, V., & Day, L. (2010). Educating nurses: A call for radical transformation. Jossey-Bass.

8. Importance of Faculty in Professional Formation

Institute of Medicine. (2011). The future of nursing: Leading change, advancing health. The National Academies Press. https://doi.org/10.17226/12956

Written By

Juram Gorriceta MPA, BSN RB, LSSP, Nurse Educator, and Simulationist.