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) , Program Coordinator (44)

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 472 reviews)); "The people are great and it's a pleasure to work with students" ((in 322 reviews)); "Flexible hours and in an understanding environment while being able to develop real world skills." ((in 130 reviews)); "Flexibility and good work life balance" ((in 117 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 295 reviews)); "Salaries in the teaching and research tracks are low compared to private industry; many positions depend on grant funding." ((in 275 reviews)); "extremely low on pay and poor management" ((in 116 reviews)); "Senior leadership can be difficult to deal with." ((in 39 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 34 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

(5,425 total reviews)

Lee C. Bollinger

60% approve of CEO

51% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (5,425 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 5,425 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

5.0

Sep 1, 2011

Simply amazing, I harnessed my entrepreneur skills working here and learnt a lot about leadership.

Solutions architect

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Work on your ideas, collaborate with researchers, open environment, improve educational technologies, also have lot of free food in seminars. Culture helps in improving ones entrepreneur skills

Cons

not a corporate environment so fewer perks

2.0

Aug 22, 2011

Wonderful Faculty & Staff, but management does not recognize hard work or achievements

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Interaction with Faculty & Staff very open and helpful.

Cons

No acknowledgment or merit bonus for excellent work. 2% increase across the board, if you are a good worker or a bad one. Management does not care what happens. Decisions are monetary based, with no regard for work ethics.

4.0

Aug 18, 2011

Distinguished environment very low life standards in the middle of NY city.

Graduate research assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Full of distinguished faculties all around the world. Innovative research. One of the most eclectic student profile. Great international student affairs. Outstanding undergraduate education. It really recognizes the importance of its location. Best location

Cons

Payment is very low. It is really difficult with the graduate student salary. Paperwork is extremely slow. Limited resources channelized to research because of the new Dean's (engineering and applied science) austere measures.

Viewing 5305 - 5307 of 5,425 Reviews

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