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

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (5,429 reviews)

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 10, 2012

CUIT - Low Stress, Low Expectation, Low Salary, Good Benefits, Antiquated

Software engineer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Low stress, good benefits including free tuition for self and family, job security, prestige, noble mission.

Cons

Talking specifically about CUIT - antiquqted systems, antiquated management, low expectation, limited career growth. A lot of open systems, so if your next target is the corporate world, this is not the place to be. Your marketibility will deteriorate, unless perhaps you are a new grad.

3.0

Jun 8, 2012

Postdoctoral Scientist

Postdoctoral research scientist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Working in the chemistry/physics field, the environment here is highly collaborative with access to a great range of valuable equipment. Salaries highly vary.

Cons

Ability is very dependent on the group you join. Your advisor may be completely inadequate to handle the responsibilities. Procuring items or dealing the the bureaucratic side very painstaking.

3.0

Jun 7, 2012

Brilliant people, demonic support staff

Research scientist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The academic intellectual environment here is untouchable. The depth of knowledge and ability to transfer and share information is astounding. Excellent place to learn lots!

Cons

Getting paid takes 6 weeks. Getting your health insurance, 6-8 weeks. Getting anything administrative done = 6-8 weeks. The people who are in charge of all of these duties seem to spend more time avoiding their jobs than they would spend if they actually _did_ them.

Viewing 5257 - 5259 of 5,429 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

UC San Diego

3.6★Compensation & Benefits

Texila American University

3.8★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at Columbia University

Associate Athletics Director, Facilities Operations and Capital Planning

Heavy Cleaner (Floater)