Prevailing Wage for Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary
Prevailing wage requirements for Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary (SOC 25-1066) apply to H-1B, E-3, and green card sponsorship. Whether your title is Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, or Adjunct Instructor, DOL sets four experience-based wage levels and the floor shifts significantly by city and institution type.
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Entry-level postsecondary psychology instructors with limited independent teaching experience, typically new to U.S. academic positions. Work is performed under close supervision with defined syllabi and limited research or curriculum-design responsibilities.
Qualified instructors with demonstrated teaching experience in psychology coursework and some independent course development. Level 2 is the most common filing level for Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary, covering faculty with established classroom records but not yet senior standing.
Experienced faculty who independently design curriculum, supervise graduate students, or carry active research portfolios. May hold clinical supervisory roles or lead departmental program areas with limited need for day-to-day oversight.
Fully competent senior faculty, typically tenured or tenure-track professors, who lead research programs, direct graduate training, and set departmental academic standards. Scope includes mentoring junior faculty and shaping institutional psychology curriculum.
Prevailing Wage for Psychology 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
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See which U.S. employers are actively hiring for Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary and sponsoring H-1B, OPT, and green card visas at or above the prevailing wage.
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Confirm your level against teaching scope not title
Many psychology faculty positions use the same title across levels. DOL level is determined by supervision, curriculum autonomy, and research scope, not whether your contract says Instructor or Assistant Professor. A mismatched level can trigger a wage compliance problem at LCA certification.
Watch the California metro wage gap closely
Psychology teacher prevailing wages in California metros like Riverside and Sacramento run significantly above national medians, while Iowa metros sit near the lowest floors. If your offer is from a California campus, the worksite city on your LCA must match where you teach, not where HR is based.
Check whether adjunct roles qualify as specialty occupation
Adjunct Instructor positions often carry part-time or per-course contracts that USCIS scrutinizes for specialty occupation status. Ensure the offer letter specifies a degree requirement in psychology and that the position is not interchangeable with a non-degree instructor role.
Use Migrate Mate to find sponsors with postsecondary psychology history
Universities and colleges that have previously sponsored Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary appear on Migrate Mate with verified sponsorship counts by employer. Filtering by this occupation narrows your search to institutions with an actual H-1B filing track record for psychology faculty roles.
Jobs for Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary are hiring across the US. Find yours.
Find Jobs for this rolePrevailing Wage by Reported Job Title
DOL classifies these titles under SOC 25-1066.00 alongside Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary, so the same four-tier wage schedule applies to each. Tap a title to see the full breakdown.
Adjunct Instructor Prevailing Wage
Adjunct Instructor Prevailing Wage
Adjunct Instructor positions fall under SOC 25-1066.00 (Psychology 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.
Assistant Professor Prevailing Wage
Assistant Professor Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Assistant Professor for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 25-1066.00 (Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Associate Professor Prevailing Wage
Associate Professor Prevailing Wage
Associate Professor is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 25-1066.00 (Psychology 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.
Clinical Psychology Professor Prevailing Wage
Clinical Psychology Professor Prevailing Wage
Clinical Psychology Professor positions fall under SOC 25-1066.00 (Psychology 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.
Faculty Member Prevailing Wage
Faculty Member Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Faculty Member for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 25-1066.00 (Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Instructor Prevailing Wage
Instructor Prevailing Wage
Instructor is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 25-1066.00 (Psychology 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.
Lecturer Prevailing Wage
Lecturer Prevailing Wage
Lecturer positions fall under SOC 25-1066.00 (Psychology 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.
Professor Prevailing Wage
Professor Prevailing Wage
When a U.S. employer sponsors a Professor for a work visa or green card, DOL applies the prevailing wage schedule for SOC 25-1066.00 (Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary). Wage level reflects the role's experience and responsibility, not the title itself.
Psychology Instructor Prevailing Wage
Psychology Instructor Prevailing Wage
Psychology Instructor is an O*NET-reported job title within SOC 25-1066.00 (Psychology 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.
Psychology Professor Prevailing Wage
Psychology Professor Prevailing Wage
Psychology Professor positions fall under SOC 25-1066.00 (Psychology 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 Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary?
DOL calculates prevailing wages using Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics data collected by the Bureau of Labor Statistics across metropolitan and nonmetropolitan areas. For SOC 25-1066, the agency identifies the wage distribution for postsecondary psychology instructors in each area and assigns four levels based on percentile cutoffs. Employers file a Labor Condition Application through OFLC and must offer at least the prevailing wage for the applicable level and worksite location.
What do the four wage levels mean and how do I know which applies to my offer?
DOL's four levels reflect experience and job complexity. Level 1 covers entry-level instructors under close supervision. Level 2, the most common filing level for postsecondary psychology positions, covers qualified faculty with independent teaching experience. Level 3 applies to experienced faculty with research or supervisory duties. Level 4 covers senior faculty directing programs or holding tenured-equivalent scope. Your level should match the actual duties in your offer, not simply your years in academia.
Why does the prevailing wage for the same psychology faculty role vary so much by city?
DOL uses regional Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics surveys, so prevailing wages reflect local labor market conditions. High-cost metros like San Francisco and Riverside have larger concentrations of research universities and higher local salary norms, pushing the floor up. Lower-cost metros like Des Moines reflect a different employer mix and cost structure. The LCA must list the actual worksite city, so a remote or multi-campus appointment requires careful classification of where you will physically teach.
What happens if an employer offers below the prevailing wage for a sponsored psychology faculty position?
An offer below the DOL prevailing wage for the applicable level and location cannot support a valid LCA certification. OFLC will not certify an LCA where the offered wage is below the floor, blocking the H-1B or other sponsored petition entirely. If a petition is already filed and a wage deficiency is later found, USCIS may issue a Request for Evidence or deny the petition. Employers can address the gap by adjusting the offered salary or, in some cases, by revisiting the wage level classification.
How do I find and verify the prevailing wage for a Psychology Teachers, Postsecondary position in a specific U.S. city?
Use the OFLC Wage Search tool, which lets you look up prevailing wages by SOC code, experience level, and metropolitan area. Enter SOC 25-1066 and select your worksite area to see the four level wages. You can also cross-reference the O*NET occupation profile for role context. Migrate Mate lists employers who have previously sponsored psychology faculty, letting you compare offer salaries against the sponsorship history of specific institutions before applying.
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