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 (329) , Teaching Assistant (162) , Graduate Research Assistant (161) , Graduate Student (150) , PhD Student (144) , Postdoctoral Research Scientist (94) , Administrative Assistant (78) , Graduate Teaching Assistant (78) , Postdoctoral Fellow (73) , Associate Research Scientist (70) , Assistant Director (66) , Director (55) , Postdoctoral Researcher (51) , 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 467 reviews)); "The people are great and it's a pleasure to work with students" ((in 324 reviews)); "Flexible hours and in an understanding environment while being able to develop real world skills." ((in 123 reviews)); "Flexibility and good work life balance" ((in 108 reviews)); "The staff is friendly considering it's a large mix of students and senior staffers." ((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 269 reviews)); "extremely low on pay and poor management" ((in 108 reviews)); "If you get a bad manager, not much can be done." ((in 40 reviews)); "Senior leadership can be difficult to deal with." ((in 39 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.

Skip to content Skip to footer

Notifications

Columbia University

Columbia University reviews

Compare reviews

4.0

65% would recommend to a friend

(5,406 total reviews)

Lee C. Bollinger

60% approve of CEO

51% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.0

Diversity & inclusion

3.8

Work/Life balance

3.7

Career opportunities

3.6

Culture & values

3.6

Compensation and benefits

3.4

Senior management

Columbia University has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 5,406 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).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

5K reviews

4.0

Apr 14, 2009

The graduate student experience at Columbia University will be different for everyone.

Graduate research assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

As a graduate student, lifestyle can be busy but is very flexible. Additionally, training is extremely good, and intellectual curiosity is strongly encouraged. Although individual situations are different, graduate students generally have a lot of freedom to pursue projects that they are personally interested in.

Cons

Work as a graduate student is heavily dependent on the mentor. Faculty have extremely diverse management styles, so that everyone's individual experience will be different. If not matched with a mentor whose style suits one's personality, the experience can be quite difficult.

4.0

Mar 20, 2009

A nice environment with good benefits.

Assistant director

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Nice campus environment, especially in NYC. Access to what the University has to offer such as libraries, gym, and courses. great benefits.

Cons

Administratively things are decentralized, bureaucratic and slow moving.

4.0

Mar 15, 2009

Overall good employer, pretty campus, good benefits.

Development associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits - including free tuition. University atmosphere attracts a lot of smart, intellectual people committed to education. Many people stay at Columbia for a long time, as moving between departments is relatively easy. For the most part the University is committed to retaining staff and encouraging professional development, and there are ample opportunities to build skills.

Cons

Bureaucracy. But no different than any other top-tier large research university. Processes are not very efficient and things that shouldn't take a long time take forever. This can be frustrating.

Viewing 5383 - 5385 of 5,406 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Texila American University

3.8★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at Columbia University

Administrative Assistant

Administrative Assistant

Part-Time Academic Secretary

Administrative Assistant

Columbia University reviews FAQs

Reviews Columbia University reviews

Columbia University

Columbia University reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

The graduate student experience at Columbia University will be different for everyone.

A nice environment with good benefits.

Overall good employer, pretty campus, good benefits.

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Jobs at Columbia University

Columbia University reviews FAQs

Want the inside scoop on your own company?

Bowls

Followed companies

Job searches

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Columbia University reviews FAQs

Jobs at Columbia University