Concerns have been raised that Oxford is loosing its competitive edge when in come to attracting quality researchers and lecturers.
Professors at Brown, an Ivy League University in the USA, are paid a base rate equivalent of £83,450, while their counterparts at Oxford are paid only £62,621, excluding collegiate benefits.
A recently advertised post for a Tutorial Fellowship at Merton contained details of a combined University and College salary of between £42,563 and £57,201.
Annual salaries given out by the University of Cambridge for professorships are also greater than those given out by Oxford.
The minimal professorial salary for a Professor in Cambridge is £64,379.
There is, however, a degree of ambiguity when it comes to salaries in Oxford, as both the University and colleges can contribute towards the salaries of academics.
A spokesperson for the University said, “the salary range for lecturers, which is the main career grade at Oxford University, does not include college salary and benefits on top.
“Most academics draw a salary from the University plus a salary from their college, the level of which will vary between colleges.
“College membership also brings various benefits such as use of college facilities. Other benefits include responsibility allowances for the heads of departments.”
Allowances for books and entertainment are often included in academics’ salaries.
The book grant for the advertised post at Merton is worth £814 per annum alone, and the tax-free entertainment allowance on top of that is worth £450.
There is also a remarkable difference in the amount paid to the heads of institutions. Oxford’s Vice Chancellor, Andrew Hamilton, is paid £382,000 per year, but his counterpart at Stanford in the USA is paid $702,000 in 2008, the equivalent of £435,500.
At Brown, the starting rate for a lecturer is the equivalent of £37,314, whereas in Oxford, faculty lecturers can be paid as little as £21,367.
Last term, several academics voiced their concern that Oxford was becoming a victim of the ‘brain drain’ as academics fled to other universities worldwide.
Brian Foster, Professor of Experimental Physics, noted that Oxford could suffer an exodus of academics as better funding became available elsewhere.
Despite the recent passing of legislation allowing universities to charge up to £9,000 a year, this is still a fraction of what students pay in the USA.
At Brown, the 2010-11 academic fee was £24,776 excluding accommodation and other costs.
