Average IQ of a professor: 116
The average IQ of a college professor is about 116. In the Wisconsin Longitudinal Study, the median IQ of men working as college professors was about 115 and of women about 118, and the middle half scored between roughly 104 and 125.
Professors average about 116. What's yours?
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Key facts
- Best estimate
- 116, median, college professors (WLS, men about 115 and women about 118)
- Middle 50% of professors
- 106 to 125 (25th to 75th percentile, men and women averaged)
- Main source
- Hauser 2002. Wisconsin Longitudinal Study.
Professors rank near the top of the jobs in that study, but their median sits below that of physicians, and the spread is wide.
On the standard scale, where 100 is the average, 116 is higher than about 86% of people. See what an IQ of 116 means, or check any score with the IQ percentile calculator or the IQ chart.
Your score next to professors
Inside the typical range for professors, 6 points below the middle.
In the general population, 110 is higher than about 75% of people. Shaded band: middle 50% of professors (106 to 125).
What the studies show
The Wisconsin study followed people who left high school in 1957 and recorded the job they held in the early 1990s. College professors are one of the occupation groups Hauser reports, for men and for women separately. Reading his charts, men had a median of about 115 (middle half 104 to 124; 10th to 90th 97 to 133) and women about 118 (middle half 109 to 125; 10th to 90th 102 to 133). Values are read from a chart and are good to about 1 to 2 points.
The group covers professors at all kinds of colleges, so it will not match the staff of the most selective research universities. Professors in maths, physics and philosophy are often assumed to score higher than professors in other fields, but we found no published figures split by subject.
The range matters more than the middle. A quarter of professors in the study scored below about 104, and a tenth scored about 133 or above. Success in academia also depends on persistence, writing, funding and good mentors, none of which an IQ test measures.
The Wisconsin study is one US state, one generation born around 1939, and almost entirely white. Its IQ scale is anchored to Wisconsin high-school juniors in 1951, not to a national norm. Treat every figure as an estimate within a few points.
Published figures relevant to professors
Median about 115 (middle half 104 to 124)
Hauser (2002), WLS, Figure 12. Men working as college professors, 1992 to 1994. People in the job.
Median about 118 (middle half 109 to 125)
Hauser (2002), WLS, Figure 11. Women working as college professors, 1992 to 1994. People in the job.
Professors next to other jobs
Best estimates from the same sources, so the jobs can be compared. Ranges overlap a lot: every job has people well above and well below its average.
| Job | Median | Middle 50% |
|---|---|---|
| DentistsClosest group | 120 | 112 to 127 |
| Doctors | 120 | 112 to 127 |
| SurgeonsClosest group | 120 | 112 to 127 |
| Professors | 116 | 106 to 125 |
| Electrical engineers | 113 | 103 to 121 |
| Lawyers | 113 | 109 to 124 |
| Mechanical engineersClosest group | 110 | 99 to 123 |
| Software developers | 110 | 102 to 120 |
| Software engineers | 110 | 102 to 120 |
| ActuariesClosest group | 109 | 99 to 117 |
| Civil engineersClosest group | 109 | 99 to 120 |
| Nurses | 107 | 99 to 117 |
Medians from Hauser (2002), Wisconsin Longitudinal Study. “Closest group” rows have no study of their own and use the nearest published group.
What the job demands
Cognitive load is High. That means sustained reasoning is required, not occasional cleverness.
LifeScore role ratings, 1 to 10. Editorial, not measured.
- Logic and analysis
- 9
- Stress
- 7
- Social contact
- 7
- Structure and routine
- 7
- Creativity
- 8
Making the career sustainable
A common misconception is that IQ alone predicts success. In reality, discipline and environment design often dominate outcomes once you’re above a baseline competence threshold.
General reasoning affects how fast people learn a role, but it is not a gate. Qualifications, practice, domain knowledge, tools, teamwork and job design all change performance.
Average IQ of a professor: questions people ask
What is the average IQ of a professor?
Do professors have a higher IQ than doctors?
What IQ do you need to be a professor?
Is the average IQ of a professor 130 or higher?
Do maths and physics professors have a higher IQ?
Is being a professor stressful?
What personality traits help a professor?
Can I succeed as a professor if I’m below the “recommended” IQ?
Next in Careers and IQ
More in Careers and IQ
- Average IQ by college majorRanked, from SAT and GRE research
- Average IQ by universityEstimated IQ and student profiles
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Professors average about 116. What's yours?
Treat your score as one data point next to your skills, interests and experience. It is never a reason to rule a career in or out.
25 questions · about 12 minutes
Sources
- Hauser, R. M. (2002). Meritocracy, cognitive ability, and the sources of occupational success. CDE Working Paper 98-07, University of Wisconsin-Madison (Figures 11 and 12).
- Schmidt, F. L., & Hunter, J. E. (2004). General mental ability in the world of work: Occupational attainment and job performance. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86(1), 162-173.
- O*NET OnLine. Occupational tasks, skills and work context. US Department of Labor.
Reviewed October 2026 by the LifeScore Editorial Team. Editorial policy