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 495 reviews)); "The people are great and it's a pleasure to work with students" ((in 335 reviews)); "Great colleagues and talent employed" ((in 152 reviews)); "Flexible hours and in an understanding environment while being able to develop real world skills." ((in 117 reviews)); "Flexibility and good work life balance" ((in 110 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Columbia University according to real employee reviews?

"The pay can be low and slow" ((in 291 reviews)); "Salaries in the teaching and research tracks are low compared to private industry; many positions depend on grant funding." ((in 268 reviews)); "extremely low on pay and poor management" ((in 108 reviews)); "Senior leadership can be difficult to deal with." ((in 38 reviews)); "If you get a bad manager, not much can be done." ((in 36 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

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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

Jan 9, 2019

Depends on what office you end up in

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Benefits are good, tuition exemption, depending on the department, culture can be good

Cons

Tuition exemption (limited to cover only specific number of credit hours, no assistance for additional costs), no enforcement or oversight of flexible schedules, every office/school/department runs differently, does not promote internally, does not offer free opportunities for professional development, division between staff/officers/academics poor management,

1.0

Sep 13, 2018

Manager

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Campus, colleagues, decent pay, tuition reimbursement.

Cons

Run! Toxic work environment permeates Arts & Sciences . Incompetent, unprofessional managers allowed to bully employees. A huge lawsuit is on the horizon . Zero work life balance. Managers gossip about employees, lie, do not acknowledge the work/contribution of staff, tell staff to engage in illegal behavior. Senior leadership turns a blind eye.

1.0

Sep 10, 2018

Good pay, poor management

Office administrator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits, and compensation meets industry standards.

Cons

Management and Human Resources utilize unethical practices to remove highly efficient staff from employment. Very high turn-over rate, no room for growth, speculation takes priority above factual evidence. Human Resources do not assist in resolving work related issues nor will they defend an employee against verifiably inaccurate and false statements made by an another employee. Be prepared for Human Resources to tell you "Don't believe everything you read" in regards to university policies that are supposed to protect you and your employment.

Viewing 52 - 54 of 5,406 Reviews

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Ratings by category

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Depends on what office you end up in

Manager

Good pay, poor management

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