Postdoctoral Compensation Guidelines
Every year, the Office of Research reviews the minimum salary and stipend levels for Boston University postdoctoral scholars (postdocs), per our Postdoctoral Scholars Policy. As part of this process, we compare our practices to our peers in the Association of American Universities as well as regional benchmarks to ensure fair and competitive compensation for all the University’s postdocs.
Last year, BU and many of our local peers chose to depart from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award minimum stipend level as a minimum salary for postdoc compensation. BU will continue to proactively provide a supportive and competitive training environment for our postdocs.
Our new Postdoctoral Scholars Policy, effective April 16, 2024, allows us to establish salary and stipend structures based on postdoctoral years of experience, in addition to setting minimum levels.
Effective January 1, 2025, we will be increasing the salary and stipend minimum for all current BU postdocs as follows:
- 0-2 years of BU experience: $67,500
- More than 2 years of BU experience: $70,000
We are establishing a minimum of $70,000 for more experienced postdocs in recognition of recommendations from the NIH Advisory Committee to the Director on Re-envisioning NIH-Supported Postdoctoral Training.
To reach these salary and stipend levels, we recommend the following actions:
- Starting immediately, all new proposals submitted through Sponsored Programs will require postdoc salaries to be budgeted at the new institutional minimums of either $67,500 or $70,000, as appropriate.
- All new and current postdoc appointments as of January 1, 2025, must reflect the new salary and stipend minimums of either $67,500 or $70,000, as appropriate to the postdoc’s year(s) of service.
We recognize this is a significant increase that may be challenging to implement. Nevertheless, the success of our mission depends on recruiting, retaining, and supporting the most talented postdocs, which requires elevating minimum salaries to a level commensurate with nationwide recommendations. We expect existing funding sources to cover salary or stipend increases.
There may be some grants (e.g., individual postdoc fellowships, training grants) for which re-budgeting won’t be possible. If you have questions or require support, contact Sarah Hokanson, Assistant Vice President and Assistant Provost for Research Development and PhD & Postdoctoral Affairs, at sch1@bu.edu.