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

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

2.0

May 4, 2011

average postdoc, disorganized hierarchy, horrible HR and international affairs office at the medical campus

Postdoctoral research scientist

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- intellect; lots of smart people - the city is full of opportunities to connect and branch out - good reputation

Cons

- highly disorganized bureaucracy - incompetent administrative personnels - those who are competent are overworked resulting in turnovers

5.0

May 3, 2011

Makes my dreams possible

Professor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Fantastic Brand. Unbelievable access to movers and shakers. Incredible depth of research talent. Strong and respected leadership. Solid financials. Beautiful campus. Helpful librarians and electronic resources. Very generous benefits. Highly flexible in terms of how I spend my time. Super smart students. Heart of New York City.

Cons

It's a university with a 250+ year old bureaucracy, with all that that implies. Space is at a premium. Students can be a tad "type A". You need to be a self-manager as there are not a lot of structured support processes - it is very easy to get lost in the system. The tenure and promotion process is byzantine and we lose a lot of great people as a consequence. It's also very siloed.

4.0

Apr 29, 2011

..

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

good place to meet people and to study to start an exciting career. living and working in ny is doubtless an amazing experience

Cons

living in the city is expensive and the salaries here are not as competitive as they may be in other institutions.

Viewing 5326 - 5328 of 5,425 Reviews

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