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Boston University

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Boston University reviews

4.2

81% would recommend to a friend

(3,692 total reviews)

Dr. Melissa L. Gilliam

91% approve of CEO

64% positive business outlook

Boston University has an employee rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 3,692 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Boston University employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Educación industry (3.7 stars).

Reviews by job title

4K reviews
3.0
Feb 9, 2011
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

I came to BU largely because of their generous tuition remission benefit; I earned my masters' degree in 12 months and BU paid about 90% of the cost. It's a great place in the sense that there are tons of formal and informal learning opportunities--lectures, concerts, symposiums, professional trainings, classes with tuition remission, etc. In my personal experience (though this is not necessarily the norm in all depts), my boss is great--smart, available, fair, and encouraging.

Cons

After almost three years, I'm ready for a new challenge; and although I have my masters now and have been applying to new jobs within BU for about 10 months, I've only had 3 internal interviews and no offers. HR throws around the message that "BU wants to recognize and promote from within", but that has absolutely not been my experience--and it's extremely frustrating.

3.0
Aug 6, 2025
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

flexible hybrid work schedule; downtime during summer and winter breaks; good work-life balance

Cons

out-of-touch faculty; bureaucracy; low salary and lack of upward mobility

4.0
Mar 16, 2023
Recommend
CEO approval
Business Outlook

Pros

-Stable business, even under reorgs my department is able to help everyone stay. No jobs lost during covid -Manager who cares about my career growth and actively supports DEI initiatives. -Great hybrid team environment -Work feels rewarding, was a great transition from working as a vendor. -lots of vacation, sick time and covid sick time -remote work available

Cons

-Pay is not competitive with surrounding institutions and private sector. I'm willing to trade off less pay for better benefits and work life balance but with how expensive Boston rent is getting I am forced to reevaluate my position unless paid more. -Lots of politics to navigate naturally in this industry. A bit of a double edge sword, slower pace than private sector which is nice but also means decisions take a bit longer. -Legacy managers known to be emotionally abusive to staff in other areas wont be pushed out. Better to hop to another department or out of company to avoid rather then staying. I was never affected thankfully but quite a few folks have left over the years because of this.

Viewing 22 - 24 of 3,692 Reviews

Glassdoor has 4,078 Boston University reviews submitted anonymously by Boston University employees. Read employee reviews and ratings on Glassdoor to decide if Boston University is right for you.