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 (347) , Research Assistant (346) , PhD Student (165) , Graduate Research Assistant (157) , Postdoctoral Scholar (135) , Graduate Student (132) , 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 498 reviews)); "one of the best places If you like to do research and the campus is beautiful" ((in 336 reviews)); "Great faculty and colleagues and resources" ((in 167 reviews)); "Good work life balance is good" ((in 146 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 304 reviews)); "Low pay and very antiquated." ((in 293 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 45 reviews)); "Very low compensation and no bonuses compared to the rest of the Bay Area." ((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

(5,717 total reviews)

Jonathan Levin

79% approve of CEO

68% 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 5,717 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

2.0

Nov 29, 2008

Don't apply unless you know somebody, and if you do get hired w/o knowing somebody, then prepare to be frustrated.

Registrar

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

We're in a recession, so working anywhere is better than nothing.

Cons

Supervisors don't know what they are doing.

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

Aug 2, 2008

Hard to find a more stimulating work environment

Professor

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Diverse group of extraordinary colleagues and students. So much knowledge and information right at your fingertips. Creative energy everywhere, especially thanks to all the efforts to build cross-functional and interdisciplinary research and teaching connections throughout the University. I do truly feel proud to be a faculty member at Stanford.

Cons

Like all organizations, it can be bureaucratic and slow, which is very much at odds with surrounding Silicon Valley.

Viewing 106 - 108 of 5,717 Reviews

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Stanford University

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Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

Don't apply unless you know somebody, and if you do get hired w/o knowing somebody, then prepare to be frustrated.

Excellent colleagues and atmosphere overcomes sometimes bureaucracy

Hard to find a more stimulating work environment

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