Overall Rating Gold - expired
Overall Score 66.40
Liaison Austin Sutherland
Submission Date Feb. 21, 2018
Executive Letter Download

STARS v2.1

University of Pennsylvania
PA-11: Employee Compensation

Status Score Responsible Party
Complete 1.05 / 3.00
"---" indicates that no data was submitted for this field

The local living wage (based on a family of four and expressed as an hourly wage):
15.33 US/Canadian $

Percentage of all employees (regular full-time, regular part-time, and temporary workers) that receive a living wage (benefits excluded):
100

Does the institution have employees of contractors that work on-site as part of regular and ongoing campus operations?:
Yes

Percentage of employees of contractors that work on-site as part of regular and ongoing campus operations that the institution has verified as receiving a living wage (benefits excluded) (0-100; enter ‘0’ if unknown):
0

The total compensation provided to the institution’s lowest paid regular (i.e., permanent) employee or pay grade meets or exceeds what percentage of the living wage?:
100 percent

A brief description of the minimum total compensation provided to the institution’s lowest paid employee or pay grade, including any in-kind benefits included as part of the total compensation figure :

Minimum total compensation includes base pay and benefits. Base pay is reviewed and set to be internally equitable and market competitive at the 50th and 75th percentiles. Benefit plans include health, prescription, dental, and vision, 3 retirement plans including a matching plan, tuition benefits for employees and eligible dependents, life and disability insurances, paid time off and a Work-life program.


Has the institution made a formal commitment to pay a living wage?:
---

A copy or brief description of the institution’s written policy stating its commitment to a living wage:

The University has a market pricing job classification system to evaluate jobs consistently throughout the University. Salaries are set to be internally equitable and market competitive. The University’s staff jobs are market priced annually to assure that staff compensation is market competitive at the 50th and 75th percentiles. Penn has a library of over 20 third-party salary surveys that are used to price jobs. Data is referenced for the local, regional and national markets to establish competitive compensation.


Has the institution made a formal commitment to provide a living wage to its student employees and/or graduate teaching/research assistants (e.g. by adopting a student bill-of-rights)?:
---

A brief description of the institution’s commitment to a student living wage:
---

The website URL where information about the programs or initiatives is available:
Additional documentation to support the submission:
---

Data source(s) and notes about the submission:

The University’s minimum hourly rate is 63% above both the state and federal minimum wage. There are a limited number of union contracts. The contractual wages are competitive with other labor contracts and the Philadelphia job market. Temporary employees are hired through an agency that partners with the University. Hourly rates are highly competitive.

Penn has conducted a University-wide review of pay equity. Pay equity is maintained on an ongoing basis as part of day-to-day salary administration. All salaries are set by the Compensation department to ensure that internal equity at competitive market wages for new hires and current employees is achieved.

Annual merit increase budgets have been very competitive with the local and national markets and have outpaced the cost of living. In order to keep this competitiveness, the University has awarded merit increases every year, even during the economic downturn in 2008 and 2009.


The University’s minimum hourly rate is 63% above both the state and federal minimum wage. There are a limited number of union contracts. The contractual wages are competitive with other labor contracts and the Philadelphia job market. Temporary employees are hired through an agency that partners with the University. Hourly rates are highly competitive.

Penn has conducted a University-wide review of pay equity. Pay equity is maintained on an ongoing basis as part of day-to-day salary administration. All salaries are set by the Compensation department to ensure that internal equity at competitive market wages for new hires and current employees is achieved.

Annual merit increase budgets have been very competitive with the local and national markets and have outpaced the cost of living. In order to keep this competitiveness, the University has awarded merit increases every year, even during the economic downturn in 2008 and 2009.

The information presented here is self-reported. While AASHE staff review portions of all STARS reports and institutions are welcome to seek additional forms of review, the data in STARS reports are not verified by AASHE. If you believe any of this information is erroneous or inconsistent with credit criteria, please review the process for inquiring about the information reported by an institution or simply email your inquiry to stars@aashe.org.