Higher Education Salary Report 2026: India
Salary report and benchmark
Higher education salary benchmark for India.
How academic pay works in India
Academic Jobs, the higher education salary benchmark, based on 379 university job posts since January 1, 2026, drawn from millions of historical job posts.
Staff and faculty pay in India 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 INR as of 22 October 2026.
Academic Jobs is the salary benchmark for 379 roles in India since January 1, 2026.
The institutions with the most open roles include Indian Institute of Science, IIT Delhi, and IIT Bombay.
| O papel | Pay now | What this is |
|---|---|---|
| Research Fellow | ₹444,000 | 71 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Research | ₹444,000 | 60 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Research Assistant | ₹342,000 | 58 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Scientist/Associate | ₹510,000 | 51 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Assistant Professor | ₹580,000 | 14 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Post-Doc | ₹780,000 | 12 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Professor | ₹672,000 | 11 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Associate Professor | ₹672,000 | 9 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Faculty Researcher | ₹444,000 | 9 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Lecturer/Instructor | ₹600,000 | 7 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Research Technician | ₹336,000 | 7 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Post Doc Research Fellow | ₹864,000 | 6 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Research Professor | ₹444,000 | 5 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Adjunct Faculty | ₹600,000 | 3 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Sessional Lecturer | ₹538,500 | 2 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
6 more roles
| O papel | Pay now | What this is |
|---|---|---|
| Teaching Assistant | ₹570,000 | 2 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Clinical Professor/Prof of Practice | ₹2,400,000 | 1 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Director/Manager | ₹3,600,000 | 1 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Program Coordinator | ₹50,000 | 1 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Senior Research Assistant | ₹1,063,260 | 1 posts since January 1, 2026. No change from last year. |
| Visiting Professor | ₹45,000 | 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.
Cidade
The same national scale can carry a capital-city weighting.
Campo
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.

