Exeter vice-chancellor among the top 10 with the highest pay rise

This was the eighth-largest pay rise


According to financial records, Professor Lisa Roberts, the vice-chancellor of the University of Exeter, received a £15,000 pay rise effective at the start of the 2023-24 academic year.

The university’s financial statements show Professor Roberts’ salary increased from £290,000 to £305,000.

The Tab’s analysis found that this was the eighth-largest pay increase given to a current Russell Group university vice-chancellor last year.

Professor Roberts received a total of £361,000 in the 2023/2024 academic year, a decrease from the £405,000 she earned the previous year. This reduction occurred because she opted not to accept payment from the Executive Performance Reward Scheme.

The university’s Remuneration Committee is responsible for determining the president and vice-chancellor’s reward. The committee oversees the pay and performance of the University Executive Board, taking multiple factors into account during its decision-making process.

The Remuneration Committee increased Professor Roberts’ salary to £304,500 from 1 August 2023. This brings her pay closer to the median for vice-chancellors in the Russell Group and acknowledges her continued exceptional performance and significant achievements.

According to Times Higher Education, the average vice-chancellor salary has increased by 3.5 per cent this year, reaching salaries of £327,000.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge received the highest pay rise, totalling £36,000, while the Vice-Chancellor of Sheffield followed with the second-largest increase of £23,650.