Boston University president salary and executive pay
Boston University paid its president, MELISSA L GILLIAM, $1,704,300 for the fiscal year ending June 2025. On the return for the fiscal year ending June 2024, the president was ROBERT A BROWN, paid $3,292,292. Boston University ranks 47th of 100 universities on this site by president's pay. Boston University has 4 Form 990 returns on record, for fiscal years ending 2022 to 2025.
Last updated from IRS e-file data. EIN 04-2103547, Boston, MA.
President, fiscal year ending June 2025
$1,704,300
- Total revenue
- $3,513,830,353
- Pay vs. peers
- Higher than 15%
Source: Form 990, fiscal year ending June 2025, IRS object ID 202611339349301666.View the filing
Peers: the 94 other universities on this site. Ranked 80th of 95 by top pay as a share of revenue. Pay is 0.05% of revenue, our calculation from the same return. Revenue is Part I, line 12; peers are compared on their latest full-year returns.
Highest-paid people on the latest return
On the latest return, 16 people were paid more than $500,000, 9 of them more than $1 million.
| Name and title | Total |
|---|---|
| MELISSA L GILLIAM President PRESIDENT (AS OF 7/1/24) | $1,704,300 |
| PUSHKAR MEHRAPROFESSOR & ORAL SURGEON | $1,591,755 |
| CLARISSA C HUNNEWELLCHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER | $1,584,339 |
| CHADI TANNOURYPROFESSOR & PHYSICIAN | $1,437,390 |
| XINNING LIPROFESSOR & PHYSICIAN | $1,398,885 |
President's pay by year
Each row is the president on that year's return.
| Fiscal year ending | Name and title | Total | Revenue | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jun 2025 | MELISSA L GILLIAM President PRESIDENT (AS OF 7/1/24) | $1,704,300 | $3,513,830,353 | Filing |
| Jun 2024 | ROBERT A BROWN President PRESIDENT (UNTIL 7/31/23) | $3,292,292 | $3,257,563,350 | Filing |
| Jun 2023 | ROBERT A BROWN President PRESIDENT | $2,618,817 | $3,310,909,056 | Filing |
| Jun 2022 | ROBERT A BROWN President PRESIDENT | $2,032,448 | $3,129,652,283 | Filing |
How this pay was reported
The parts of each total, as reported on the return for the fiscal year ending June 2025.
Source: Form 990, fiscal year ending June 2025, IRS object ID 202611339349301666.View the filing
| Part VII | Schedule J | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Name and title | From org | Related | Other | Base | Bonus | Other | Deferred | Nontaxable | Total |
| MELISSA L GILLIAMPRESIDENT (AS OF 7/1/24) | $1,350,089 | $0 | $354,211 | $1,135,549 | $0 | $214,540 | $0 | $354,211 | $1,704,300 |
| Schedule J, from related orgs | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |||
| PUSHKAR MEHRAPROFESSOR & ORAL SURGEON | $1,517,272 | $0 | $74,483 | $546,952 | $890,044 | $80,276 | $40,022 | $34,461 | $1,591,755 |
| Schedule J, from related orgs | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |||
| CLARISSA C HUNNEWELLCHIEF INVESTMENT OFFICER | $1,521,326 | $0 | $63,013 | $902,169 | $612,358 | $6,799 | $40,022 | $22,991 | $1,584,339 |
| Schedule J, from related orgs | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | |||
| CHADI TANNOURY*PROFESSOR & PHYSICIAN | $0 | $1,376,064 | $61,326 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Schedule J, from related orgs | $1,374,354 | $0 | $1,710 | $29,672 | $31,654 | $1,437,390 | |||
| XINNING LI*PROFESSOR & PHYSICIAN | $0 | $1,330,643 | $68,242 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Schedule J, from related orgs | $1,205,144 | $0 | $125,499 | $36,572 | $31,670 | $1,398,885 | |||
These figures come from Boston University's Form 990 returns, as the IRS publishes them. The methodology page explains how they're chosen. To report an error, email corrections@ceopaycheck.com.
How Boston University compares
Ranked 47th of 100 universities by president's pay.
Closest in revenue among the universities on this site:
Caltech$1,753,140 (President), fiscal year ending Sep 2025
University of Pittsburgh$1,241,200 (Chancellor), fiscal year ending Jun 2025
University of Notre Dame$1,017,760 (President), fiscal year ending Jun 2025
Princeton University$1,657,737 (President), fiscal year ending Jun 2025
Northeastern University$3,045,428 (President), fiscal year ending Jun 2025
Common questions
MELISSA L GILLIAM (PRESIDENT (AS OF 7/1/24)) was paid $1,704,300 for the fiscal year ending June 2025: $1,350,089 from Boston University and $354,211 in other compensation (Part VII columns D and F). Boston University ranks 47th of 100 universities on this site by president's pay.
The president, MELISSA L GILLIAM, was the highest-paid person on the latest return, at $1,704,300. Next was PUSHKAR MEHRA (PROFESSOR & ORAL SURGEON), at $1,591,755. On the latest return, 16 people were paid more than $500,000, 9 of them more than $1 million.
Boston University paid its president, MELISSA L GILLIAM, $1,704,300 for the fiscal year ending June 2025. On the return for the fiscal year ending June 2024, the president was ROBERT A BROWN, paid $3,292,292. The earliest return on record is for the fiscal year ending June 2022, when the president was ROBERT A BROWN, paid $2,032,448. By fiscal year end: June 2022, $2,032,448 (ROBERT A BROWN); June 2023, $2,618,817; June 2024, $3,292,292; June 2025, $1,704,300 (MELISSA L GILLIAM).
From the 4 Form 990 returns Boston University filed with the IRS for fiscal years ending 2022 to 2025. Schedule J of the fiscal year ending June 2025 return breaks down pay for all 5 people in the pay breakdown above. The methodology page explains how they're chosen.