Does Stanford University pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Stanford University employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.6 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Stanford University. This rating has been stable over the past 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Stanford University?

83% of Stanford University employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Stanford University 3.9 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.1 for culture and values and 4.0 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Stanford University?

Postdoctoral Fellow (345) , Research Assistant (345) , PhD Student (164) , Graduate Research Assistant (157) , Postdoctoral Scholar (134) , Graduate Student (131) , Postdoctoral Researcher (99) , PhD Graduate Student (79) , Research Scientist (76) , Teaching Assistant (60) , Research Associate (56) , Postdoctoral Research Fellow (54) , Researcher (54) , Clinical Research Coordinator (52) , Administrative Assistant (47)

What are the pros of working at Stanford University according to real employee reviews?

"People were great and nice to work with" ((in 506 reviews)); "one of the best places If you like to do research and the campus is beautiful" ((in 346 reviews)); "Great faculty and colleagues and resources" ((in 171 reviews)); "Good work life balance is good" ((in 142 reviews)); "Everyone is appreciative of your work and hours are flexible as long as you do your assigned tasks." ((in 113 reviews))

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

"Low salary because of the way the fellowship works; can only work domestically not internationally" ((in 297 reviews)); "Low pay and very antiquated." ((in 284 reviews)); "Poor management; Discouraging and had unreasonable expectations as working from home began due to covid" ((in 62 reviews)); "Managers don't hold themselves accountable and you wonder what they do all day." ((in 47 reviews)); "poor work organization and leadership" ((in 29 reviews))

What are employees saying about Stanford University layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about Stanford University layoffs and their outlook for job security at Stanford University in 2026.

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Stanford University

Stanford University reviews

4.3

83% would recommend to a friend

(5,706 total reviews)

Jonathan Levin

80% approve of CEO

69% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.2

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Culture & values

4.0

Career opportunities

3.9

Work/Life balance

3.7

Senior management

3.6

Compensation and benefits

Stanford University has an employee rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars, based on 5,706 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Stanford 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

6K reviews

4.0

Feb 3, 2010

n/a

Biostatistician

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

stable, flexiable, good environment and place

Cons

low pay, if you are not faculty.

3.0

Feb 1, 2010

Life/Work at Stanford

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

If you like the University environment, there is no better place to work. There are so many things to do on campus. Staff was generally friendly and the students are motivated with motivating stories.

Cons

During certain seasons, the work/life balance was non-existence. It would be great if there was some more flexibility with work hours.

4.0

Feb 1, 2010

Good job if you're right for it

Research assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Incredible resources - Very little "red tape" or bureaucracy compared to other research schools - Brilliant colleagues, professors - Great reputation - Excellent fellowship opportunities

Cons

(These refer to being a graduate research assistant) - No benefits (at all). - Extremely low pay; salary is similar to schools like Univ. of Illinois, but with one of the highest costs of living in the country. - Schools is out to make money off of you; mandatory fees for healthcare *even if you provide your own health insurance*; bleeding sponsoring companies for $70k/year, while students only see $30k. - Graduate housing is ridiculous; $1200/month for a studio, when the land is free (donated to stanford), the buildings are subsidized (by donors), and presumably taxes are low (b/c it's a nonprofit). Plus, they won't let students out of their leases; they're locking them into this horrible above-market price b/c they didn't know better before they arrived. Seems ridiculous for a university that's supposed to look out for its grad students.

Viewing 5629 - 5631 of 5,706 Reviews

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Stanford University

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n/a

Life/Work at Stanford

Good job if you're right for it

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