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 (54) , 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 488 reviews)); "The people are great and it's a pleasure to work with students" ((in 320 reviews)); "Flexible hours and in an understanding environment while being able to develop real world skills." ((in 117 reviews)); "Flexibility and good work life balance" ((in 111 reviews)); "Great staff and a community that helps you grow" ((in 84 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 298 reviews)); "low salary very far from my home not much increase yearly not much chances of growth departments are not well interconnected" ((in 278 reviews)); "extremely low on pay and poor management" ((in 113 reviews)); "Senior leadership can be difficult to deal with." ((in 41 reviews)); "If you get a bad manager, not much can be done." ((in 37 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

(5,429 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 5,429 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

3.0

Jun 15, 2012

Not much institutional respect for support staff

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Depends on the dept you are in, but some are extremely flexible. Tuition benefits have recently been gutted for most classes of employee, but used to be the big reason to endure the low salaries and minimal pay increases.

Cons

Low salaries, v hierarchical structure between job classes, not often much training or room for advancement.

4.0

Jun 14, 2012

Challenging, but not rewarding.

Teaching assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

good reputation; good on resume; wonderful connections; learning environment.

Cons

Terrible salary for lower ranking jobs; stressful

2.0

Jun 14, 2012

Columbia needs to make its Administration Staff feel more appreciated

Associate business process analyst

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

* Vacation time is great * Healthcare benefits are good * Relaxed environment * No Stress * No Pressures

Cons

* You're basically going nowhere * HR keeps changing benefits w/out notification --Tuition benefit has changed 5 times in the ONE year I've been ehre * NO movement whatsoever * Compensation SUCKS and they use "The Economy" as an excuse

Viewing 5254 - 5256 of 5,429 Reviews

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Jobs at Columbia University

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