Seoul National University Introduces Performance-Based Salary System for Professors

Seoul National University (서울대학교) has recently developed a performance-based salary system that differentiates pay according to professors' achievements, marking the first implementation of such a system since the university's incorporation 14 years ago. Previously, the university operated on a fixed salary scale that increased uniformly with years of service, regardless of performance. However, due to a decade-long stagnation in professors' salaries following the government's tuition freeze policy in 2012, there has been a significant outflow of talent, with many prominent faculty members in both the sciences and humanities moving abroad.

The university has shared a 13-page document outlining the 'Seoul National University Faculty Performance-Based Salary System Guidelines.' According to this document, professors will be categorized into four performance tiers based on their research and teaching outcomes. Approximately 1,400 tenured professors, including full professors and some associate professors, will be eligible for performance bonuses. The top 5% of these professors, around 70 individuals, are expected to receive the highest bonuses, while those who fail to meet performance standards or have issues such as plagiarism will not receive bonuses.

To enhance research competitiveness, the university plans to adopt a cumulative performance salary system, where bonuses from the previous year will be added to the following year's salary. The Ministry of Education had previously implemented a non-cumulative performance salary system for all national university professors in 2016, but Seoul National University was excluded due to its status as a national university corporation. The new performance-based salary system is set to be announced and implemented after a review by the university's council in September.

Additionally, it is reported that the base salary for tenured professors will be increased by approximately 3 million KRW annually. Between 2021 and May 2025, 56 professors left Seoul National University for positions at overseas institutions, representing 2% of the total faculty. Concerns have been raised that without a competitive compensation structure, the trend of talent leaving the country will continue to accelerate.

Starting this fall, professors will be evaluated on a scale of S (Satisfactory), N1 (Normal 1), N2 (Normal 2), and U (Unsatisfactory). The S grade, representing the top 5%, will receive 200% of the base performance bonus (amount to be determined). A university representative indicated that top-tier professors could potentially earn bonuses exceeding 10 million KRW. The N1 grade will cover the top 45% (150% of the base bonus), while N2 will encompass around 50% (100% of the base bonus). Professors receiving a U grade, which includes those facing disciplinary actions or plagiarism allegations, will not receive bonuses. To facilitate this, the university has amended its internal regulations to state that tenured professors will be compensated under the new salary system.

Furthermore, the university aims to raise the base salary of tenured professors by nearly 3 million KRW to address the disparity between average salaries at Seoul National University and those at private universities both domestically and internationally. The university has already secured budget allocations from the Ministry of Economy and Finance for the implementation of the performance-based salary system. However, it remains uncertain whether the budget will continue next year, especially with the current administration's educational pledge to create ten additional Seoul National Universities.

To oversee the implementation of the performance-based salary system, a new 'Salary Review Committee' will be established, comprising the university's vice president for education, deans, and eight professors appointed by the president.

There are still significant challenges to overcome for the effective implementation of the performance-based salary system. Evaluations will be divided into 'research performance' and 'teaching and service performance,' with specific criteria for research achievements, such as publications in prestigious journals, to be developed by each college's dean. One professor expressed concerns about the difficulty of quantifying research performance due to varying research environments across disciplines, suggesting that even with established criteria, dissatisfaction may arise. Some critics argue that the limited differences in performance bonuses and the four-tier grading system may not sufficiently encourage genuine competition among faculty members.