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?

82% 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 3.9 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Stanford University?

Postdoctoral Fellow (348) , Research Assistant (347) , PhD Student (166) , Graduate Research Assistant (157) , Postdoctoral Scholar (135) , Graduate Student (132) , Postdoctoral Researcher (100) , 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 505 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 168 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 108 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 303 reviews)); "Low pay and very antiquated." ((in 302 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)); "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.

Stanford University reviews

4.3

82% would recommend to a friend

(5,725 total reviews)

Jonathan Levin

77% approve of CEO

68% positive business outlook

Company ratings over time

Ratings trend for the last 6 months (5,725 reviews)

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Stanford University has an employee rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars, based on 5,725 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).

Reviews by job title

6K reviews

5.0

Aug 8, 2025

great place to work

Analyst

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

excellent culture for collaboration, innovation, professional growth

Cons

highly competitive environment, both to get into initially and once you're in

5.0

Aug 7, 2025

Great job, people, pay

Development coordinator

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Entry-level job with good pay for relatively low work (depending on your team). Development is a lot of women so generally it's a more empathetic and flexible environment People in general are great here, there are bad eggs everywhere, including here, but majority of the people are helpful and kind

Cons

Stanford is great because it is stable (except right now due to Trump, but otherwise, quite stable), but it's not uncommon for people to take advantage of this and do less than the bare minimum for their job because they know they will not get fired. This is frustrating when in particular these may be people that your work and tasks depend on, or even worse they are managers who do not know how to manage. Luckily the latter is not my case but I see it a lot with coworkers who vent to me...

4.0

Aug 7, 2025

Great Place to Work

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Inspiring environment filled with thought leaders from all types of fields; competitive salary

Cons

Slow pace, not so much structured for such a leading institution when it comes to procedures

Viewing 247 - 249 of 5,725 Reviews

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