The number of big earners in higher education has fallen sharply in recent years. In 2016, 112 professors, deans and directors received a top income, but by 2024 that number had fallen to just 39. At TU Delft, the number fell from 11 to 3 during the same period, all of whom were full professors.
Dies Natalis 2026. (Photo: Thijs van Reeuwijk)
Since the introduction of the Law on Top Salaries in 2013, (semi-)public institutions, including universities of aplied sciences and universities, are no longer allowed to pay exorbitant salaries to their executive boards. The maximum income is determined annually. In 2024, the limit was €233,000.
Employees other than Executive Board members, such as full professors, are allowed to earn more than the threshold amount. Educational institutions are required to disclose these salaries, without mentioning names.
Declined, even for the frontrunner
An analysis of DUO data shows that the number of big earners in higher education has fallen sharply in recent years. According to the oldest available figures, in 2016 there were still 112 non-board members with salaries above the norm. In 2020, this number had fallen to 64, and four years later to 39.
The top salaries are mainly found at Erasmus University Rotterdam. According to a spokesperson, the university simply adheres to the collective labour agreement, but sometimes there are additional benefits on top of the salary, such as a “labour market allowance” and “compensation” for retirement. Some employees are also paid for days off that they do not take.
It is not entirely clear why the decline is taking place
However, the number of high earners has also declined at Erasmus University. In 2016, 27 full professors and deans had top salaries; by 2024, that number had more than halved.
Three TU Delft professors earned more than the Executive Board
TU Delft has also seen a decline for years: from 11 high earners in 2016 to 3 in 2024, even though that is one more than in 2023. The Delft high earners in 2024 were all three full professors, according to the annual report (in Dutch).
Two of them earned exactly the same: €234,202. This is said to be related to how they applied the Individual Terms and Conditions of Employment Options Scheme (IKA). Number three earned considerably more, with an income of almost €249,000. This is said to be related to past salary agreements and compensation for the capping of pensions.
The three thus earned more than the Executive Board. In 2024, Rector Magnificus and Executive Board Chair Tim van der Hagen and the third Executive Board member, Marien van der Meer, received exactly the maximum amount allowed of €233,000. Vice-Rector and Vice-Chair Rob Mudde was €9,000 below the maximum.
Highest salary for a professor in Tilburg
The highest salary in 2024 went to a professor in Tilburg. He or she earned more than €340,000, partly because of his or her “special contribution to science”, according to an explanation.
Since 2016, the number of big earners has been falling by an average of ten people per year. If this trend continues, by around 2027 there will be no professors, deans or directors earning more than the minister.
It is not entirely clear why this decline is taking place: after all, these employees are allowed to earn more, and that used to happen frequently. Now that the salaries of administrators have been capped, there seems to be a cultural shift, with older professors with top salaries being succeeded after their retirement by, as the education union AOb calls them, ‘people with more normal salaries’.
HOP, Naomi Bergshoeff/Delta, Saskia Bonger
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