The pay increases were revealed in a survey for Times Higher Education.
The survey revealed that university heads took home an average salary of £193,970 in 2007-08 and that, whilst British workers received a pay increase of just 4 per cent on the previous year, Vice-chancellors' pay packets increased by nine per cent. In total, the higher education sector paid its vice-chancellors more than £30 million.
“It is obscene for vice-chancellors to be lining their pockets with such huge pay increases while calling for students to be charged even higher fees. Earlier this week, they were fantasising about charging fees of £7,000 a year and plunging students into over £32,000 of debt. With their six-figure salaries, many vice-chancellors are obviously divorced from the stark reality that faces most of us in this country as we enter a recession," says NUS President Wes Streeting.
“Yesterday, hundreds of students from across England went to Westminster to tell their MPs that they want an alternative to fees, so that the greed of individual vice-chancellors is no longer a factor in the funding of our higher education system," he added.
“The current recession is a stark reminder that excessive levels of debt are unhealthy, both for individuals and the economy. We believe that higher education should be free at the point of use for all students, with graduates making a contribution according to how much they are benefitting financially from their own use of the system.
“We need a proper debate about higher education funding, so that we can make the system fairer for students, graduates and their families.”
Information provided by Times Higher Education