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.

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Columbia University

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 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 5,425 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).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

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Parent or family caregiver

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Reviews by job title

5K reviews

4.0

Aug 12, 2009

good place to work if you prefer a good balance between work and personal life

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

beautiful campus, very normal working hours, no stressful afterhours work good benefits package, vacations days depends on your level, you might enjoy tuition if you will be taking courses either for no degree, or towards a job related degree.

Cons

pay is relatively lower, even compare with other similar institutions full of office politics, and very bureaucratic. Can barely do anything thing easily

4.0

Jul 14, 2009

Great place for research experience.

Research assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Good pay and benefits for this type of position - Intelligent coworkers - Collaborative environment - Beautiful campus location - Good support of work/life balance, including flex time - Ability to take classes or enroll in a graduate program

Cons

- Less opportunity for advancement than a private company - Some experience with hierarchical prejudice - Certain employees seem to be riding the union wave of a minimal-work ethic

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.

Viewing 5416 - 5418 of 5,425 Reviews

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good place to work if you prefer a good balance between work and personal life

Great place for research experience.

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

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