Does Columbia University pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Columbia University employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.5 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Columbia University. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Columbia University?

65% of Columbia University employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Columbia University 3.8 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.6 for culture and values and 3.6 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Columbia University?

Research Assistant (330) , Graduate Research Assistant (162) , Teaching Assistant (162) , Graduate Student (150) , PhD Student (145) , Postdoctoral Research Scientist (95) , Administrative Assistant (79) , Graduate Teaching Assistant (78) , Postdoctoral Fellow (74) , Associate Research Scientist (72) , Assistant Director (66) , Director (56) , Postdoctoral Researcher (55) , Associate Director (45) , Researcher (45)

What are the pros of working at Columbia University according to real employee reviews?

"Columbia and the Business School are great to work for because of the benefits and the people." ((in 477 reviews)); "The people are great and it's a pleasure to work with students" ((in 314 reviews)); "Flexible hours and in an understanding environment while being able to develop real world skills." ((in 127 reviews)); "Flexibility and good work life balance" ((in 112 reviews)); "good work environment at this job" ((in 85 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Columbia University according to real employee reviews?

"low pay compared to state schools that pay more to perform the same exact duties." ((in 304 reviews)); "Low salary depending on the department and there is no way to know until you get the offer." ((in 277 reviews)); "extremely low on pay and poor management" ((in 111 reviews)); "I have seen on more than one occasion, staff members completely stop doing their jobs with no serious repercussions (b/c the managers don't want to deal with the strenuous process of terminating someone)." ((in 40 reviews)); "Senior leadership can be difficult to deal with." ((in 39 reviews))

What are employees saying about Columbia University layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Columbia University layoffs and their outlook for job security at Columbia University in 2026.

Columbia University reviews

4.0

65% would recommend to a friend

(5,431 total reviews)

Lee C. Bollinger

60% approve of CEO

51% positive business outlook

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Columbia University has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 5,431 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have a good working experience there. The Columbia 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

5K reviews

2.0

Dec 2, 2012

Academic work environment hampered by university bureaucracy and high turnover

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Being a university, there is a lot of freedom to pursue research interests applied to real-world issues in developing countries. Depending on the project, there is also opportunity for travel to remote parts of the world.

Cons

The community is vulnerable to high turnover caused by a combination of low pay and lack of investment in career development and opportunities for full-time staff.

3.0

Nov 30, 2012

Mixed feelings within Finance Departments

Finance professional

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Excellent benefits, employment opportunities abound within; great people to work with (depending on department); great work/life balance. Overall, CU is a progressive and forward-thinking organization with an abundance of opportunities for future growth and development

Cons

Limited ability to express ideas; short-sigthed approach to management; a lack of "lead-by-example" leadership; inadequate experience of certain members in executive-level positions.

4.0

Nov 29, 2012

Exciting graduate student life

Graduate research assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

A lot of smart people around. The University provides a lot of opportunities for you to learn, to achieve. Manhattan living is exciting

Cons

If your adviser is terrible, then everything is screwed. Most Ph.D. students spent spend a lot of time doing research, if you don't like research, it's painful.

Viewing 5218 - 5220 of 5,431 Reviews

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Jobs at Columbia University

Adjunct Lecturer, Solving Real World Problems with Analytics (ONLINE - Summer/Fall '26)

Adjunct Lecturer, Applied Deep Learning and AI (On-Campus, Fall '26)