Higher Education Salary Report 2026: China
Salary report and benchmark
Higher education salary benchmark for China.
How academic pay works in China
Academic Jobs, the higher education salary benchmark, based on 1,110 university job posts since January 1, 2026, drawn from millions of historical job posts.
Staff and faculty pay in China follows the local higher education system.
Where a cited figure exists, this report shows it with the source. Posted job averages are not used in its place.
Pay is quoted in CNY as of 22 October 2026.
Academic Jobs is the salary benchmark for 1,110 roles in China since January 1, 2026.
The institutions with the most open roles include Tsinghua University, Peking University, and Fudan University.
| Rôle | Pay now | What this is |
|---|---|---|
| Tenure-track | ¥165,000 | 853 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Lecturer/Instructor | ¥150,000 | 634 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Assistant Professor | ¥900,000 | 156 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Associate Professor | ¥900,000 | 142 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Professor | ¥900,000 | 120 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Post-Doc | ¥272,606 | 51 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year ¥269,906. |
| Research Fellow | ¥269,906 | 33 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| PhD Researcher | ¥74,000 | 29 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Research | ¥500,000 | 28 posts since January 1, 2026. Last year ¥900,000. |
| Post Doc Research Fellow | ¥269,906 | 23 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Tenure | ¥900,000 | 18 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Tutor | ¥418,052 | 10 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Adjunct Faculty | ¥15,000 | 5 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Research Professor | ¥900,000 | 5 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Senior Lecturer | ¥485,000 | 5 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
9 more roles
| Rôle | Pay now | What this is |
|---|---|---|
| Director/Manager | ¥125,350 | 4 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Faculty Researcher | ¥500,000 | 3 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Research Assistant | ¥139,236 | 3 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Scientist/Associate | ¥500,000 | 3 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Visiting Fellow | ¥15,000 | 2 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Senior Professor | ¥900,000 | 1 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Senior Research Assistant | ¥900,000 | 1 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Sessional Lecturer | ¥96,000 | 1 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Visiting Professor | ¥77,500 | 1 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
What changes pay
Public or private
Public universities often publish a scale. Private campuses may not.
Agreement
Enterprise agreements and collective contracts set the band before an offer is made.
ville
The same national scale can carry a capital-city weighting.
champs
Clinical, executive, and professional staff are not paid on the faculty scale.
Compare a real offer
Use this salary report when you negotiate, or compare professor salaries and university salaries.