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 488 reviews)); "The people are great and it's a pleasure to work with students" ((in 326 reviews)); "Flexibility and good work life balance" ((in 120 reviews)); "Flexible hours and in an understanding environment while being able to develop real world skills." ((in 118 reviews)); "Great staff and a community that helps you grow" ((in 79 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 306 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 113 reviews)); "Senior leadership can be difficult to deal with." ((in 39 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

(5,425 total reviews)

Lee C. Bollinger

60% approve of CEO

50% 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

3.0

May 13, 2011

Very intersting place to work - very bright people with an oppressive bureaucracy.

Director

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Columbia has some good benefits overall, but the tuition and vacation benefits are the most generous. There are many interesting people from a huge variety of disciplines, with corresponding great information and research.

Cons

There is a huge disconnect between departments and it is terribly inefficient. It is very difficult to find informaitn and to dig beneath the many layers of bureacracy to find the right people.

3.0

May 12, 2011

There is very little room for growth

Photographer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Columbia provides excellent benefits to it's employees.

Cons

Columbia often hires supervisors who are not qualified to run a department . Columbia in general does not value employees education or skills.

3.0

May 12, 2011

There were ups and downs with some exciting projects to work on but overall poor senior management affecting happiness

Project manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Descent benefits, often exciting projects to work on, linked in to other parts of universities, free classes.

Cons

Poor management, university systems don't talk to each other, lots of red tape, and low salaries.

Viewing 5320 - 5322 of 5,425 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

UC San Diego

3.6★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at Columbia University

Manager-Safety and Security

Non-Student Short-Term Casual