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 481 reviews)); "The people are great and it's a pleasure to work with students" ((in 325 reviews)); "Some great students and colleagues" ((in 155 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 120 reviews))

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

"The pay can be low and slow" ((in 297 reviews)); "Low salary depending on the department and there is no way to know until you get the offer." ((in 275 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 38 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

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Reviews by job title

5K reviews

3.0

May 6, 2016

Decent place to work

Postdoctoral research associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Columbia University has a good campus vibe, good intellectual atmosphere, good range of students and great library facilities. It also has good retirement benefits and reasonable health insurance plans.

Cons

The administration is extremely uncooperative and extremely hard-to-navigate bureaucracy makes life often very difficult here. If you are a foreign scholar, expect even worse.

1.0

May 2, 2016

Full of micromanagers

Leasing assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great health benefits, tuition exemption, vacation, sick, and personal days, and proximity to classes if you're a student at Columbia.

Cons

Insane amount of micromanaging, bullying, spying, berating, humiliating, and talking down by at least three of my supervisors.

4.0

Apr 5, 2016

It's worth it!

Program coordinator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Columbia University is located in Morningside Heights, which is beautiful. The university offers great benefits and access to an amazing library and museums across the city.

Cons

Depending on the Department, School, or Office where one is located, political maneuvering can proceed productivity. This may be an unworkable environment if one expects collaboration and the ability to take ownership of projects. Take it or leave it some offices are autocratic.

Viewing 64 - 66 of 5,406 Reviews

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Decent place to work

Full of micromanagers

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