Head football coach Steve Sarkisian retained his status as the University of Texas’ highest-paid employee in fiscal year 2025, earning $4.4 million in just base salary and $200,000 more in additional earnings.
Sarkisian also received a $100,000 base salary raise in 2024. He earned more than his boss, UT Athletics Director Chris Del Conte, by roughly $500,000.
All 25 of UT’s highest-paid employees brought home more than $900,000, and many received significant raises since the list was last compiled in 2024. Most of these employees worked in UT’s athletics department or at Dell Medical School, according to public records.
The total earnings represent all of an individual’s pay for the 2025 fiscal year. That includes their base salary and any additional funds from awards, moving stipends or commuter subsidies – an annual payment given to employees to help with commuting costs. Together, these programs can significantly increase an employee’s overall earnings.
For example, Dr. Charles Fraser, the executive director of UT’s Institute for Cardiovascular Health, earned a base salary of just over $1 million. His total pay was three times that amount at $3.3 million; he took home an additional $2.2 million from bonuses, putting him at No. 3 on the list.
Of the 25 highest paid employees, 13 worked within Dell Medical School, and 11 worked in the athletics department. Among the top earners, only former UT President Jay Hartzell worked outside these two departments.
UT’s athletics department, which pays some of the most expensive staffers on the list, functions under a self-sustaining budget. In 2025, the department earned nearly $353 million in revenue – none came from student fees, institutional or state sources.
Twenty one employees on the list were also on UT’s highest paid list in 2024, and received increases in their pay year over year. Claudia Lucchinetti, dean of Dell Medical School and UT’s senior vice president for medical affairs, received the largest increase in salary year over year of roughly $400,000. It’s unclear whether Lucchinetti’s pay increase came with added job responsibilities or new management duties.
A notable figure missing from the list is UT President Jim Davis, who ranked 31st of the school’s top paid employees – earning approximately $850,000 in fiscal year 2025. Executive Vice President and Provost William Inboden was also not included on the list.