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Annual Surveys

Staff in Higher Education Survey Methodology, 2025-26

CUPA-HR has been collecting data on higher ed (primarily non-exempt) staff since 2014. The data collection period for CUPA-HR’s Staff in Higher Education Survey ran from November 3, 2025, to January 15, 2026. The survey was conducted through Surveys Online.[1]

Positions Surveyed

The survey collected data on 153 positions grouped into the following categories:[2]

Office/Clerical Staff

  • Examples: Administrative Assistant, Records Clerk, Student Services Coordinator

Service/Maintenance Staff

  • Examples: Construction Laborer, Custodian/Housekeeper, Food Server

Technical/Paraprofessional Staff

  • Examples: Paralegal, Medical Billing Specialist, IT Systems Specialist

Skilled Craft Staff

  • Examples: Electrician, Carpenter, Machinist

Data Collected

This year’s survey includes data for 233,739 staff. For each staff employee reported, the following data were collected:

  • Annualized base salary (effective date November 1, 2025)
  • H-1B status
  • Exempt/non-exempt status
  • Full-time/part-time status
  • Sex (optional)
  • Race/ethnicity (optional)
  • Year entered current position (required)
  • Birth year (optional)
  • State of residence

Participants uploaded a file containing this data.

Institutional Basics

Basic data on institutional characteristics were collected from all participants:

  • Total expenses reported to IPEDS in 2024-25
  • Student enrollment (effective date approximately October 15, 2025)
  • Faculty size (effective date November 1, 2025) and number of separations in the past year
  • Staff size (effective date November 1, 2025) and number of separations in the past year
  • Human resources staff size and number of separations in the past year
  • CHRO reporting relationship
  • Whether collective bargaining exists for the following groups:
    • Full-time faculty
    • Part-time or adjunct faculty
    • Full-time staff
    • Graduate students

Basic information on total expenses as well as student, faculty, and staff size were required questions. All other questions were optional.

Respondents

Respondents were largely human resources professionals from higher education institutions in the U.S. There were 833 institutions that completed the survey.

Citation Information

CUPA-HR. (2026). Staff in Higher Education Survey, 2025-26 [Data set].

Methodology – Printer-Friendly (PDF)

1 Surveys Online is a product of Peerfocus.

2 See the Faculty Survey Participation and Information Template for a complete list of all professional positions surveyed, instructions to participants, and more information on how data were collected.