Non-Tenured Adjunct Professors Get the Short End of the Stick

In U.S. higher education, tenure is often touted as being the greatest safeguard for academic freedom and job security. The American Association of University Professors states: “Tenure provides the conditions for faculty to pursue research and innovation and draw evidence-based conclusions free from corporate or political pressure.” However, in institutions across the nation, tenured professors and non-tenured adjuncts exist under drastically different conditions. This disparity raises an uncomfortable question: is the tenure system truly reflective of academic rigor?

What does it mean to have tenure? Academic tenure, at its most basic level, means to have job security, typically indefinitely. “[Tenure] provides faculty with the freedom to engage in teaching, scholarship and service while allowing a sufficient degree of employment security in those pursuits,” according to MSU’s “Statement on Tenure Policy.” Essentially, tenure grants faculty a greater degree of freedom. This freedom extends to job security, ensuring that professors have the ability to publish research and teach without the threat of losing their jobs. At institutions like MSU, the distinction between those who hold tenure and those who don’t is not just a matter of job title.

In order to get a better grasp of this, I interviewed an adjunct professor in the humanities who asked to remain anonymous out of concern for their position at MSU and their potential future employment. “There's no guarantee I'll be offered a job next fall,” they said.

Another discrepancy is in the number of credit hours that adjunct professors are required to take relative to their tenured counterparts. “What's considered full-time [for adjuncts] is a way heavier teaching load,” said the anonymous professor. “And at MSU right now, full-time is five courses, and I teach four. Full-time for tenure track is two courses. And not only is it a difference in teaching load, but they are typically smaller courses.”

This discrepancy in class load and class size means that full-time adjunct professors usually end up teaching more students in a given academic year than full-time tenured or tenure-track professors. In contrast, the amount that tenured professors get paid is also drastically different.

“I have four sections this semester. That's 360 students, and I get compensated before any deductions. My gross pay is right around $5,500 a section. So, for those four courses, I will gross $22,000,” the professor said.

This, they also informed me, is in addition to courses through online institutions that they — and many others in a similar position — teach. As for tenured professors, they added that “it wouldn't be surprising for a tenure track person here, who's been allowed to make six digits, to make over $100,000. You could say that's $25,000 a course.”

While tenure is framed as a necessary safeguard for intellectual freedom, its selective application and limited accessibility reveal a hierarchy that may ultimately undermine the quality and equity of education itself. The vast discrepancy in pay and job stability between tenured and adjunct faculty members compels one to ask whether the system is a fair measure of academic rigor. The reality is that adjunct professors are often just as good at teaching as tenured professors.

As with any business considering labor costs, it is beneficial for MSU to hire individuals that cost less. This is leading to a decrease in tenure density — the amount of faculty in tenured and tenure-track positions — around the nation. A 2022 article from Inside Higher Ed argues that the inordinate amount of stress that non-tenured faculty find themselves under is concerning, citing a report published by California State University which says that “inadequate tenure density may adversely affect educational quality.”

The declining tenure density across U.S. universities, including MSU, stems from a system that prioritizes financial efficiency over academic quality. This situation underscores a troubling paradox: Tenure is now frequently associated with stability and prestige rather than a direct measure of an educator’s teaching commitment or academic achievements.

The disparity between tenured and adjunct faculty is a systemic issue, not unique to MSU. Universities rely on the dedication of all educators, both tenured and adjunct, to maintain the quality and breadth of their academic offerings.

As students bear the brunt of these structural imbalances — facing larger class sizes, less individualized attention and a teaching force stretched thin — the stakes of this inequality become even more apparent. Recognizing the contributions of all professors and ensuring fair compensation is essential for the integrity and future of higher education.