Although academia is not traditionally known for high salaries, 27 presidents of private colleges earned more than $500,000 last year, a survey by The Chronicle of Higher Education shows.

The survey of 595 private colleges found that the median pay for the presidents of research universities increased 30 percent from the 1997 fiscal year to the 2001 fiscal year. In contrast, the pay for presidents of liberal arts colleges grew by 4 percent in that period.

But the survey, to be published tomorrow, found that the president of a liberal arts college topped last year's chart. Claire L. Gaudiani, the president of Connecticut College, who resigned under pressure, left with a severance package that raised her compensation to $898,410.

Gaudiani's compensation included her regular pay, $346,000, and the golden parachute that aroused the ire of the faculty, the majority of whom had sought her ouster.

Gaudiani's severance package - which was not paid in the 2001 fiscal year, but over the next two years - is far greater than deals given to more prominent college presidents who stepped down last year.

Harold T. Shapiro, who ranked third in the survey of highest-paid officials, received $705,863 in the year he stepped down as president of Princeton University, including deferred compensation estimated at $200,000.

Ruth J. Simmons received about $145,000 in deferred compensation when she left Smith College to become Brown University's president, bringing her compensation from Smith for that year to $539,169.

No. 2 on the compensation list - and the highest-paid of presidents staying at their jobs - was Judith Rodin, who received $808,021 last year at the University of Pennsylvania.

Others on the top 10 list are William R. Brody of the Johns Hopkins University, at $677,564; L. Jay Oliva, the former president of New York University, at $651,000; Constantine N. Papadakis of Drexel University, at $637,839; Richard C. Levin of Yale University, at $612,453; Steven B. Sample of the University of Southern California, at $605,086; H. Patrick Swygert of Howard University, at $603,031; and Jon Westling of Boston University, at $591,017.