Prevailing Wage for English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary
The prevailing wage for Assistant Professor positions is set by DOL at four experience levels, and the floor shifts significantly depending on where the job is located. Whether you're applying as an English Professor, a Creative Writing Professor, or an Associate Professor, your offer must clear the DOL threshold for your worksite city before an employer can file a visa petition.
See all jobs for Assistant ProfessorLook up your work address
Level 1 covers entry-level postsecondary teaching appointments where work is performed under close supervision. Typical candidates hold a terminal degree but have limited independent teaching or research experience at the collegiate level.
Level 2 is the most common filing level for this occupation. It applies to instructors and assistant professors who work independently, carry a standard course load, and may contribute to departmental service or scholarship without leading major research programs.
Level 3 applies to experienced faculty who exercise significant academic judgment, supervise graduate students or junior instructors, and contribute meaningfully to curriculum development, research, or departmental leadership beyond routine teaching duties.
Level 4 covers senior faculty with full professional autonomy, including those directing programs, holding named chairs, or functioning as lead scholars whose expertise shapes departmental or institutional direction.
Prevailing Wage for English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary by OES area
Each shape is a DOL OES area, the unit prevailing wage is published for.
What’s an OES area?
The Department of Labor publishes prevailing wages for geographic zones called OES areas. Every U.S. county belongs to exactly one, and the wage floor applies across the whole area. A worker in Oakland gets the San Francisco metro wage, not a separate Oakland wage.
Top 10 cities · Level 1
See all jobs for Assistant Professor
See which U.S. employers are actively hiring for Assistant Professor and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
Search visa-sponsored jobsPrevailing Wage Guide for English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary
Confirm your worksite before comparing wages
For postsecondary teaching roles, the LCA worksite is the campus where you deliver instruction, not the university's administrative headquarters. A satellite campus or community college extension site can fall under a different OES metro with a materially different prevailing wage floor.
Watch how summer compensation is classified
Many academic employers structure base salary over nine or ten months, then offer separate summer teaching or research stipends. DOL prevailing wage compliance is measured against the annualized base; summer pay is typically excluded and does not substitute for a below-floor base salary.
Distinguish assistant professor filings from lecturer SOC codes
Employers sometimes file postsecondary English teaching roles under a general adult education or secondary teacher SOC code, which carries a different prevailing wage floor. Verify that the LCA lists SOC 25-1123 specifically, not a substitute code that may undercount your wage requirement.
Search Migrate Mate for sponsors of postsecondary English roles
Migrate Mate shows which universities and colleges have historically sponsored H-1B or green card petitions for English faculty, so you can prioritize institutions with an established track record before investing time in an application.
Jobs for English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for Assistant ProfessorPrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 25-1123.00 alongside English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Assistant Professor Prevailing Wage
Assistant Professor Prevailing Wage
Assistant Professor positions fall under SOC 25-1123.00 (English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Associate Professor Prevailing Wage
Associate Professor Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Associate Professor for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 25-1123.00 (English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Creative Writing Professor Prevailing Wage
Creative Writing Professor Prevailing Wage
Creative Writing Professor is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 25-1123.00 (English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
English Instructor Prevailing Wage
English Instructor Prevailing Wage
English Instructor positions fall under SOC 25-1123.00 (English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
English Professor Prevailing Wage
English Professor Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a English Professor for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 25-1123.00 (English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Humanities Professor Prevailing Wage
Humanities Professor Prevailing Wage
Humanities Professor is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 25-1123.00 (English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Instructor Prevailing Wage
Instructor Prevailing Wage
Instructor positions fall under SOC 25-1123.00 (English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Lecturer Prevailing Wage
Lecturer Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Lecturer for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 25-1123.00 (English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Literature Professor Prevailing Wage
Literature Professor Prevailing Wage
Literature Professor is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 25-1123.00 (English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary). All roles in this SOC share the same prevailing wage tiers. The level an employer files at depends on what the role requires, not which title is used.
Professor Prevailing Wage
Professor Prevailing Wage
Professor positions fall under SOC 25-1123.00 (English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary). DOL OFLC publishes one four-tier prevailing wage schedule for the entire classification; employers filing H-1B, E-3, or PERM petitions for this title use the levels below.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does DOL set the prevailing wage for an Assistant Professor position?
DOL uses Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics survey data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics to establish four wage levels for each SOC code and metropolitan area. For SOC 25-1123, the agency calculates what employers in the same metro pay at each experience tier, then sets that figure as the minimum an employer must offer to obtain a certified Labor Condition Application.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which one applies to my offer?
Level 1 is for entry-level appointments with close supervision. Level 2, the most common for this occupation, covers instructors and assistant professors working independently. Level 3 reflects experienced faculty with supervisory or research leadership scope. Level 4 covers senior scholars with full autonomy. Your employer selects the level based on the actual duties in the job description, not your personal credentials or years of experience alone.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same faculty role vary so much between cities?
DOL calculates the wage floor from regional OES surveys, so local labor market conditions drive each metro's figures. California metros, where public university pay scales are high, set floors well above the national median, while smaller metros in Alabama or Kansas cluster near the national minimum. The worksite address on the LCA determines which metro's wage applies, so a position at a California State campus carries a different floor than the same title at a Kansas institution.
What happens if a job offer for a sponsored English faculty position falls below the prevailing wage?
USCIS will deny the visa petition if the certified LCA shows a wage below the applicable prevailing wage level. DOL will also reject the LCA at certification if the offered wage is insufficient. For green card cases filed under PERM, an offer below the OFLC-determined prevailing wage invalidates the labor certification. The employer must correct the offered wage before refiling; an attorney referral is advisable for petitions already in process.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for an Assistant Professor role in a specific U.S. city?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool on DOL's website, select SOC 25-1123, and enter the metropolitan area matching your worksite. The tool returns the current Level 1 through Level 4 wage floors for that location. To see which employers have actually sponsored English faculty positions in the past, Migrate Mate filters visa-sponsoring institutions by role and location so you can compare offers against employers with a documented sponsorship history.
See which employers are hiring and sponsoring visas for English Language and Literature Teachers, Postsecondary right now.
Search Jobs for Assistant Professor