Does Columbia University pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Columbia University employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.6 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 3.7 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 482 reviews)); "The people are great and it's a pleasure to work with students" ((in 325 reviews)); "Flexible hours and in an understanding environment while being able to develop real world skills." ((in 125 reviews)); "Flexibility and good work life balance" ((in 116 reviews)); "The campus is beautiful and being in an academic environment in NYC is wonderful" ((in 81 reviews))

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

"The pay can be low and slow" ((in 301 reviews)); "Salaries in the teaching and research tracks are low compared to private industry; many positions depend on grant funding." ((in 268 reviews)); "extremely low on pay and poor management" ((in 106 reviews)); "Senior leadership can be difficult to deal with." ((in 40 reviews)); "If you get a bad manager, not much can be done." ((in 38 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.

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Columbia University

Columbia University reviews

4.0

65% would recommend to a friend

(5,430 total reviews)

Lee C. Bollinger

60% approve of CEO

51% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.0

Diversity & inclusion

3.8

Work/Life balance

3.7

Career opportunities

3.6

Culture & values

3.6

Compensation and benefits

3.4

Senior management

Columbia University has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 5,430 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).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

5K reviews

5.0

Sep 10, 2012

A human place with flaws and genius. What is not prohibited is permitted.

Teacher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The ability and freedom to create. To work with creative people.

Cons

A subway campus where everyone goes home at night. It missed the relaxed enjoyment of an ordinary college campus.

5.0

Sep 3, 2012

Intellectual environment top notch

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Colleagues listen and are supportive. Students are intelligent and willing to work.

Cons

Lack of diversity. They are trying, but it is still an issue.

2.0

Aug 25, 2012

A lot of behind the scene power struggles not visible until you're at the very top.

Director

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

New York City is the most intense place you can find and has everything you can want or need...for a price.

Cons

New York City housing is tremendously expensive on a regular academic salary. If you are recruited without anyone that can stand up for you the first year it will be very hard for you to find your way through the morass of the very red-tape oriented administration.

Viewing 5239 - 5241 of 5,430 Reviews

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Jobs at Columbia University

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

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Ratings by category

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A human place with flaws and genius. What is not prohibited is permitted.

Intellectual environment top notch

A lot of behind the scene power struggles not visible until you're at the very top.

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