Northern Ireland's top-earning academic collected more than £300,000 from the public purse in a single year.
A major study of public sector pay also found that more than 150 university staff in the north received in excess of £100,000.
As part of 'The Public Sector Rich List', the TaxPayers' Alliance (TPA) yesterday published a list of employees in the state education sector who had total annual remuneration exceeding £100,000 in 2013/14.
As funding from government to education institutions decreases, savings are being made in line with the rest of the public sector.
However, while the TPA said there was a need for pay restraint, packages for senior staff at many education institutions remained extremely generous.
A combination of Freedom of Information requests, alongside analysis of annual statements of accounts, was used to produce the figures.
Already this week, the TPA has shared details about the top earners in local government, health services and police forces.
Massive budget reductions have been forcing the north's two universities to cut staff and courses.
Ulster University (UU) plans to shut down its modern languages school, while it is also ending stand-alone maths degrees.
As many as 70 different courses are to go across six subject areas and up to 1,200 student places and 210 staff will also be cut.
Professor Patrick Johnston, vice-chancellor of Queen's University Belfast, has also confirmed more than 1,000 undergraduate student places will be lost over the next three years.
The cuts began in September 2015 with the removal of 290 degree places.
The TPA revealed that Queen's had 126 staff with remuneration in excess of £100,000, with a dozen receiving more than £200,000.
The individual who received the biggest remuneration package in the north was employed by Queen's and earned £305,000. However, their name or position was not disclosed.
This was still less than half of the largest total remuneration package in the UK in 2013/14 - one employee at the University of Oxford earned £690,199.
At UU, there were 26 staff that earned £100,000 or more.
Former vice-chancellor Richard Barnett received £221,722, while chief finance and information officer Peter Hope received £154,233.
TPA chief executive Jonathan Isaby said taxpayers would not begrudge a world-class academic a good salary if they produced great results and motivated their students.
"Too often this is not what we find," he added.
"Where institutions fail but financial rewards continue to flow to those at the top regardless, there is clearly a serious problem and taxpayers have every right to be concerned.
"The pay and perks enjoyed by those working at our schools and universities - and indeed across the entire public sector - must more accurately reflect how well they are doing their jobs."
