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 (55) , Associate Director (45) , Researcher (45)

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 482 reviews)); "The people are great and it's a pleasure to work with students" ((in 325 reviews)); "Flexible hours and in an understanding environment while being able to develop real world skills." ((in 125 reviews)); "Flexibility and good work life balance" ((in 116 reviews)); "The campus is beautiful and being in an academic environment in NYC is wonderful" ((in 81 reviews))

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

"The pay can be low and slow" ((in 301 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 106 reviews)); "Senior leadership can be difficult to deal with." ((in 40 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.

Skip to content Skip to footer

Notifications

Columbia University

Columbia University reviews

4.0

65% would recommend to a friend

(5,430 total reviews)

Lee C. Bollinger

60% approve of CEO

51% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (5,430 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Columbia University has an employee rating of 4.0 out of 5 stars, based on 5,430 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).

Reviews by job title

5K reviews

4.0

Nov 20, 2025

Good Organization To Work For

Associate dean

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The organization is supportive of administrators and families. Great Benefits.

Cons

The cost of medical benefits has increased significantly.

3.0

Nov 20, 2025

Good Benefits

Coordinator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Good Benefits I would say.

Cons

It was an okay place to work not the best.

5.0

Nov 20, 2025

Great place to be in if you want to be a researcher

Research assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

world-class research, being surrounded by great and smart people, living in New York

Cons

maybe an expensive living expense because it is New York. But I cannot complain.

Viewing 172 - 174 of 5,430 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

UC San Diego

3.6★Compensation & Benefits

Texila American University

3.8★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at Columbia University

Adjunct Lecturer, Solving Real World Problems with Analytics (ONLINE - Summer/Fall '26)

Adjunct Lecturer, Applied Deep Learning and AI (On-Campus, Fall '26)

Columbia University reviews FAQs

Reviews Columbia University reviews

Columbia University

Columbia University reviews

Company ratings over time

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Good Organization To Work For

Good Benefits

Great place to be in if you want to be a researcher

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

Company ratings over time

Columbia University reviews FAQs

Jobs at Columbia University