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.

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Columbia University

Columbia University 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

3.0

Mar 7, 2009

Working in Labs at Columbia

Senior research assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Columbia is a great place to be from. Students need to be proactive about finding professors willing to bring them on as research assistants, but after that there are usually good opportunities to do interesting work and to co-author papers. Most professors are willing to pay, which is great for undergraduates who are usually expected to work for free.

Cons

The pay isn't great compared to other work-study jobs - I started at $8/hr and ended at $10, while people can make $12 for sitting and swiping cards. Columbia infrastructure is notoriously bad, and my paycheck has been sent to the wrong place for literally two years. Be prepared for red tape.

3.0

Feb 23, 2009

Staff Positions are Boring, but You'll Be Treated Well

Programmer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

They pay for schooling and if you enjoy the academic environment, it's one of the best.

Cons

The way people are promoted is awful. It's political and seniority based, which leaves a lot of under qualified people at the top. Also, the workplace is very stagnant - there's not a lot of room for growth or doing new things. In the end, its more of an easy way to make money in a relaxing environment than it is to do something where you'll learn and grow. It's definitely not a place for the intellectually curious (this is for staff positions, not faculty positions).

4.0

Feb 19, 2009

Nice place to work.

Financial analyst

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The benefits are amazing. 21 days vacation, unlimited sick leave, Private school scholarships, Medical, Dental, Vision, Retirement.

Cons

It's very decentralized with each department it's own little "company".

Viewing 5386 - 5388 of 5,406 Reviews

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Working in Labs at Columbia

Staff Positions are Boring, but You'll Be Treated Well

Nice place to work.

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