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 (156) , Postdoctoral Scholar (134) , Graduate Student (131) , Postdoctoral Researcher (98) , PhD Graduate Student (78) , 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 504 reviews)); "one of the best places If you like to do research and the campus is beautiful" ((in 351 reviews)); "Great faculty and colleagues and resources" ((in 173 reviews)); "Good work life balance is good" ((in 142 reviews)); "Great opportunities to perform cutting edge research and collaborate with experts in almost any field." ((in 107 reviews))

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

"Low pay and very antiquated." ((in 300 reviews)); "Low salary because of the way the fellowship works; can only work domestically not internationally" ((in 296 reviews)); "Poor management; Discouraging and had unreasonable expectations as working from home began due to covid" ((in 66 reviews)); "Managers don't hold themselves accountable and you wonder what they do all day." ((in 43 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

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4.3

83% would recommend to a friend

(5,703 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 5,703 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 23, 2008

Excellent colleagues and atmosphere overcomes sometimes bureaucracy

Trainer

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

commitment to quality (starting with academics but pervading everything), prestige (pays off in finding next job), perks (tuition, library, workout facilities), excellent benefits, links between university and business, vibrant alum community, parking (expensive and hard to get), generally healthy environment with many lovely buildings, and finally, location, location, location (sunny Palo Alto, easy access to Silicon Valley and SF)

Cons

lower pay than corporate, some lack of flexibility (hard to get days off), very difficult (but not impossible) to get part-time work, some silly bureaucracy (this is getting better as more processes are automated), some decisions less than transparent, faculty wrangling,

5.0

Nov 16, 2008

Autonomous collaboration and inspiring environment

Research assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Flexible work hours, great environment, short walk to work and coworkers that inspire me to excellence. The salary that I forgo to work as a research assistant is more than five times what I am paid. The lost salary is more than made up for by external factors such as subsidized housing in one the the greatest places on earth and the above mentioned environmental factors. My daughter has no concept of parents who work (even by professional standards) since we breakup our days to accommodate her and our work schedules. The compensation package that one would need to offer me to leave is likely far more than anyone would offer, indicative of the value I place on the living environment opposed to monetary compensation.

Cons

One day I likely must leave and return to a corporation. By then I may have forgotten the skills of corporate gladiatorial combat.

3.0

Nov 11, 2008

Mixed bag

Administrative associate

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Being on campus and having access to all that goes on there in the class room, at the various schools and within the community. Being surrounded by people who whole-heartedly believe that what they are doing is important..

Cons

Arrogance of some senior staff and faculty. Lack of support and mentoring for support staff. The assumption that just having a Stanford job is enough to compensate for a smaller salary. The amazing tolerance for inefficient people as well as systems and processes. It can take 14 working days to get an approved PO faxed to the vendor.

Viewing 5677 - 5679 of 5,703 Reviews

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Excellent colleagues and atmosphere overcomes sometimes bureaucracy

Autonomous collaboration and inspiring environment

Mixed bag

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