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 495 reviews)); "The people are great and it's a pleasure to work with students" ((in 321 reviews)); "Flexible hours and in an understanding environment while being able to develop real world skills." ((in 120 reviews)); "Flexibility and good work life balance" ((in 113 reviews)); "Good work environment at Columbia University" ((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 293 reviews)); "low salary very far from my home not much increase yearly not much chances of growth departments are not well interconnected" ((in 273 reviews)); "extremely low on pay and poor management" ((in 112 reviews)); "Senior leadership can be difficult to deal with." ((in 36 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

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

Jul 22, 2011

Tremendous opportunity with incredible benefits

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Working at Columbia allows you access to some of the best and the brightest. They make it easy to maintain your job while pursuing additionally degrees to further your advancement in the working world.

Cons

The location of the hospital and research facilities is out of the way and somewhat difficult to get to. This makes for larger travel expenses.

3.0

Jul 8, 2011

Great Quality of Life. However, whether you work hard or not there is no difference in the recognition you receive.

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great Work and Life Balance

Cons

Low Pay and not much room for advancement; Starting to cut benefits

1.0

Jun 29, 2011

My experience at Columbia is horrible, for an Ivy League institution ALL of their administrative staff is horrible.

Senior benefits specialist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Decent tuition benefit if you have children going to college and they can either (a) make it into Columbia University or (b) your income is too high to get government assistance for your child go to a 3rd party school. If you want to work in the same job, same position, same responsibilities for the next 30 years of your career and you like lazy people who do not care about doing their jobs well.

Cons

Benefit cuts are coming, tuition is the only benefit that is still somewhat good but that will go too. Management is horrible. No promotion opportunities. Alot of "lifers" with no incentive or motivation. A lot of broken / old systems. Negotiate a good salary because once you get there you are not getting anything. Their system for increases is as follows this year 2% for everyone who makes above a certain $ amount in a certain salary grade and more for those who make below a certain level. No performance is taken into account.

Viewing 5311 - 5313 of 5,425 Reviews

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