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Calcimator

Adjunct vs Full-Time Faculty Cost Calculator

Compare cost per credit-hour between adjunct and full-time faculty including benefits.

Cheaper Option

Adjunct

Inputs

$
$

Comparison

Adjunct Cost / Course

$3,675.00

Full-Time Cost / Course

$12,187.50

Adjunct Cost / Credit Hr

$1,225.00

Full-Time Cost / Credit Hr

$4,062.50

Adjunct Annual Cost

$22,050.00

Full-Time Annual Cost

$97,500.00

Savings / Course (FT vs Adj)

$8,512.50

Adjuncts to Replace 1 FT

2

Cost Comparison: Adjunct vs Full-Time ($)

How to Use This Calculator
  1. Enter the Adjunct Pay / Course (typical range: $2,000–$5,000) and the number of Adjunct Courses / Year they teach.
  2. Set Adjunct Benefits (%) — adjuncts rarely receive benefits, so 0–5% is common.
  3. Enter Full-Time Salary and Full-Time Benefits (%) — benefits often add 25–35% on top of salary.
  4. Set Full-Time Courses / Year (typically 6–8 for a standard teaching load) and Credits per Course.
  5. Review the Cheaper Option, Cost / Course, and Cost / Credit Hr for both staffing types to inform budget decisions.
  6. Check Adjuncts to Replace 1 FT to understand how many adjunct contracts cover one full-time position's teaching load.

What each input means

Adjunct Pay / Course
Payment per course for an adjunct instructor.
Adjunct Courses / Year
Courses an adjunct typically teaches per year.
Adjunct Benefits (%)
Benefits cost as percentage of adjunct pay (usually low).
Full-Time Salary
Annual salary for a full-time faculty member.
Full-Time Benefits (%)
Benefits cost as percentage of salary (health, retirement, etc.).
Full-Time Courses / Year
Courses a full-time faculty member teaches per year.
Credits per Course
Credit hours per course.

How this is calculated

Worked example, using the default values

  1. Identify Input Parameters
    4 parameters
    Adjunct Pay / Course = 3500, Adjunct Courses / Year = 6, Adjunct Benefits (%) = 5, Full-Time Salary = 75000 = 7 input(s) provided
  2. Calculate Cheaper Option
    Cheaper Option
    Adjunct = Adjunct
  3. Calculate Adjunct Cost / Course
    Adjunct Cost / Course
    3675 = $3,675
  4. Calculate Full-Time Cost / Course
    Full-Time Cost / Course
    12187.5 = $12,187.5

Engine last updated .

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