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 (163) , 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 499 reviews)); "one of the best places If you like to do research and the campus is beautiful" ((in 352 reviews)); "Great faculty and colleagues and resources" ((in 166 reviews)); "Good work life balance is good" ((in 143 reviews)); "Everyone is appreciative of your work and hours are flexible as long as you do your assigned tasks." ((in 111 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 299 reviews)); "Low pay and very antiquated." ((in 286 reviews)); "Poor management; Discouraging and had unreasonable expectations as working from home began due to covid" ((in 63 reviews)); "Managers don't hold themselves accountable and you wonder what they do all day." ((in 47 reviews)); "poor leadership and slow moving" ((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

(5,705 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 5,705 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

Nov 25, 2009

Great academic environment to work.

Research associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Stanford offers great benefits for Staff employees. The working environment is great. The salary is however on the lower end.

Cons

The salary is pretty low in comparison to a similar job in industry. Since the economic downturn Stanford started to cut down holidays and stopped salary increases. Employees are forced to take their holidays within the year.

5.0

Nov 18, 2009

Working as a Research Assistant

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

I work surrounded by very smart people. Stanford drives a significant amount of the innovation that it's seen here in Silicon Valley.

Cons

In general, no downsides. The only downside is that you have to work a lot, and be thinking all the time about your work, so it leaves little time for other activities. But if you love your work and you are surrounded by people that understand it and respect it, that's fine.

4.0

Nov 12, 2009

Make sure you know what you're getting into.

Postdoctoral researcher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The bay area is a great place to work. At Stanford, you can walk, or ride your bike to work everyday. The research here is very good. If you want to do important work, this is one of the few places in the country to do it.

Cons

This place is a big pond, and while the people are great, everyone is very individualistic. It is hard to start and maintain collaborations because people are so focused on their own projects.

Viewing 5638 - 5640 of 5,705 Reviews

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Great academic environment to work.

Working as a Research Assistant

Make sure you know what you're getting into.

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