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

5.0

Mar 1, 2010

Exciting and stimulating place to work

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Faculty, postdocs and students are highly motivated and really smart. Ground-breaking research happening all around campus. Easy to collaborate on interdisciplinary projects.

Cons

the cost of living and the workload.

5.0

Feb 26, 2010

Great place to work!

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

-Competitive hourly wages -Excellent offices -Kind and friendly coworkers -Stanford is a very prestigious university.. one of the most on the west coast

Cons

-Some professors we work with seem a little uptight. -Parking is always an issue for us hourlies.. especially expensive for convenient spots

4.0

Feb 26, 2010

Pleasant environment and inspiring colleagues

Research assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Working as a research assistant here will help you to get a higher-up job elsewhere due to the name recognition of the institution.

Cons

Research assistantship positions are increasingly scarce due to the poor job market, which leads PhD students to remain at the University continuing to conduct research and competing with current students.

Viewing 5644 - 5646 of 5,706 Reviews

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Stanford University

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Exciting and stimulating place to work

Great place to work!

Pleasant environment and inspiring colleagues

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