(Kampala) – Uganda’s public university salary structure for the 2024/2025 fiscal year highlights significant pay differences across roles, especially for professors compared to other academic and administrative staff.
With monthly salaries almost doubling from lecturer to professor, the earnings for senior academic staff underscore the academic qualifications and expertise required at these ranks.
This salary structure, though clearly defined, reflects the notable disparity between academic and non-academic roles and between different academic ranks, particularly from Lecturer upwards. Despite the variations, this structure aims to balance qualifications, experience, and specialization, ensuring Uganda’s public universities attract and retain top-tier academic professionals in a competitive regional landscape.
Uganda’s Vice Chancellors, responsible for leading these institutions, earn the highest in the structure.
Here’s a detailed look at the full salary breakdown for each position.
Title/Level | Salary Scale | Monthly Salary FY 2024/2025 (UGX) | Annual Salary FY 2024/2025 (UGX) |
---|---|---|---|
Vice Chancellor | PU-1 | 20,000,000 | 240,000,000 |
Deputy Vice Chancellor | PU-2 | 17,400,000 | 208,800,000 |
Professor | PU-3 | 15,600,000 | 187,200,000 |
Associate Professor | PU-4 | 14,800,000 | 177,600,000 |
Senior Lecturer (Science) | PU-5 | 9,004,203 | 108,050,436 |
Lecturer (Science) | PU6.1 | 8,174,143 | 98,089,716 |
Assistant Lecturer (Science) | PU6.2 | 6,687,323 | 80,247,876 |
Teaching Assistant (Science) | PU-7 | 5,718,179 | 68,618,148 |
Senior Lecturer (Non-Science) | PU-5 | 8,296,772 | 99,561,264 |
Lecturer (Non-Science) | PU6.1 | 7,609,299 | 91,311,588 |
Assistant Lecturer (Non-Science) | PU6.2 | 5,974,643 | 71,695,716 |
Teaching Assistant (Non-Science) | PU-7 | 4,705,540 | 56,466,480 |
Director | PU-3 | 10,664,807 | 127,977,684 |
Deputy Director | PU-4 | 10,008,039 | 120,096,468 |
Assistant Director | PU-5 | 9,004,203 | 108,050,436 |
Senior Administrator | PU6.1 | 8,174,143 | 98,089,716 |
Administrator | PU6.2 | 6,687,323 | 80,247,876 |
Assistant Administrator | PU-7 | 5,718,179 | 68,618,148 |
Administrator (Non-Teaching) | PU-10 | 3,475,275 | 41,703,300 |
Administrator (PU-11) | PU-11 | 3,118,186 | 37,418,232 |
Administrator (PU-12) | PU-12 | 2,096,071 | 25,152,852 |
Administrator (PU-13) | PU-13 | 1,830,547 | 21,966,564 |
Administrator (PU-14) | PU-14 | 1,410,668 | 16,928,016 |
Administrator (PU-15) | PU-15 | 1,349,385 | 16,192,620 |
Administrator (PU-20) | PU-20 | 932,667 | 11,192,004 |
Administrator (PU-21) | PU-21 | 841,491 | 10,097,892 |
For the top ranking positions, the Vice Chancellor stands out with a monthly salary of UGX 20,000,000, equivalent to UGX 240 million annually. The Deputy Vice Chancellor follows closely, earning UGX 17.4 million monthly, summing up to UGX 208.8 million per year.
Professors, who typically hold PhDs and are often seen as the heart of academic leadership, earn UGX 15.6 million per month. This salary almost doubles that of Senior Lecturers and considerably outpaces lower academic ranks, highlighting the financial recognition of academic achievement and experience in these public universities. Associate Professors receive UGX 14.8 million monthly, positioning them slightly below the full Professors but still within the high paying bracket for Uganda’s public sector.
Title/Level | Salary Scale | Monthly (UGX) | Annual (UGX) |
---|---|---|---|
Vice Chancellor | PU-1 | 20,000,000 | 240,000,000 |
Deputy Vice Chancellor | PU-2 | 17,400,000 | 208,800,000 |
Professor | PU-3 | 15,600,000 | 187,200,000 |
Associate Professor | PU-4 | 14,800,000 | 177,600,000 |
From Senior Lecturer and below, the salary scale introduces a distinction between sciences and non-sciences, with science roles tending to command a bit more than their non-science counterparts. For instance, Science Lecturers earn UGX 8,174,143 monthly, while Non-Science Lecturers receive UGX 7,609,299 per month.
Assistant Lecturers, who hold a Master’s degree as their minimum qualification, earn less, with Science Assistant Lecturers at UGX 6.6 million and Non Science Assistant Lecturers at UGX 5.9 million monthly. This pay scale continues to decrease among Teaching Assistants and junior administrators, who earn UGX 5.7 million or less.
Teaching Level | Sciences Monthly (UGX) | Sciences Annual (UGX) | Arts Monthly (UGX) | Arts Annual (UGX) |
---|---|---|---|---|
Senior Lecturer | 9,004,203 | 108,050,436 | 8,296,772 | 99,561,264 |
Lecturer | 8,174,143 | 98,089,716 | 7,609,299 | 91,311,588 |
Assistant Lecturer | 6,687,323 | 80,247,876 | 5,974,643 | 71,695,716 |
Teaching Assistant | 5,718,179 | 68,618,148 | 4,705,540 | 56,466,480 |
Non teaching administrative roles follow a similar hierarchical pay structure. Directors earn UGX 10.6 million monthly or UGX 127.9 million per year, while Deputy Directors receive UGX 10 million per month (UGX 120 million annually). Senior administrative roles also exhibit salary variation, with PU-6.1 level administrators making UGX 8.1 million monthly, while those at PU-6.2 make UGX 6.6 million.
The differentiation in pay scales between teaching and administrative roles as well as across science and arts departments is consistent in Uganda’s public university salary structure. While professors earn more than double what assistant lecturers and teaching assistants make, the pay reflects the significant qualification requirements, including a PhD, for higher academic ranks.