Does UCLA pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, UCLA employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.6 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at UCLA. This rating has decreased by 2% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at UCLA?

76% of UCLA employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated UCLA 4.0 out of 5 for work life balance, 3.9 for culture and values and 3.8 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at UCLA?

Research Assistant (202) , Teaching Assistant (170) , Graduate Student Researcher (164) , Administrative Assistant (120) , Postdoctoral Fellow (113) , Graduate Student (103) , Graduate Research Assistant (88) , Graduate Teaching Assistant (86) , PhD Student (67) , Postdoctoral Scholar (67) , Postdoctoral Researcher (65) , Student Worker (63) , Student Assistant (58) , Registered Nurse (56) , Researcher (55)

What are the pros of working at UCLA according to real employee reviews?

"Benefits are great and class material is interesting." ((in 536 reviews)); "The people I worked with were great and that was one of the best reasons I enjoyed my work experience at ucla." ((in 286 reviews)); "The campus is beautiful and it is a dream place to work if you like research in social sciences." ((in 230 reviews)); "Hours are flexible and easily available with overtime pay for holidays and late night shifts." ((in 206 reviews)); "I love teaching and work environment is good." ((in 117 reviews))

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

"Low pay and if you don’t publish you can really hurt your chances of getting a job after." ((in 318 reviews)); "half time only means low salary but that's on par for the course for grad students" ((in 240 reviews)); "Management was poor and slow to get back to you." ((in 116 reviews)); "parking is expensive and not always convenient to where you work." ((in 106 reviews)); "Many hourly staff leave the department or UCLA as a whole due to poor management and leadership." ((in 37 reviews))

What are employees saying about UCLA layoffs in 2026?

Explore Glassdoor’s employee reviews to understand what current and former employees are saying about UCLA layoffs and their outlook for job security at UCLA in 2026.

UCLA reviews

4.1

76% would recommend to a friend

(5,736 total reviews)

Gene D. Block

70% approve of CEO

61% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.2

Diversity & inclusion

4.0

Work/Life balance

3.9

Culture & values

3.8

Career opportunities

3.6

Senior management

3.6

Compensation and benefits

UCLA has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 5,736 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The UCLA 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

1.0

Oct 30, 2012

Poor Leadership

Administrative assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great benefits and a beautiful campus

Cons

Management is extremely condescending and has no training on dealing with employees. One supervisor made her employees write down on a white board the times they went to the bathroom. My direct supervisor was so afraid of her manager she would never stand up for us and let us down a lot.

4.0

Aug 18, 2023

Great university with issues typical for a university

Engagement director

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

-Many of the faculty and leadership are genuinely invested in the public mission through impactful science and addressing issues of equity on and off campus. -the benefits scheme is good -beautiful campus -never boring, especially if part of your job is understanding the portfolio of research underway

Cons

*take this with a grain of salt. UCLA is very big and it very much matters who your team and manager are, but per my experience: -Overly hierarchical, deferential to authority. Sometimes this results in people 'playing politics' by 'brownnosing', etc. I've had a manager take credit for my work with their manager. -Steeped in tradition, disinterested in trying new things -Prioritizing faculty interests over students' interests

1.0

Aug 1, 2019

I Hate This Place

Division manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Strong benefits package, but I got bitten by choosing the pension over the 403b (~401k). Got fired and they get to keep my contributions. Still, strong medical, 3 weeks vacation, 12 holidays a year. If you are an hourly worker and lazy, virtually nothing can happen to you, so you simply do not have to work hard if you don't want to.

Cons

Incredibly political. In this respect, the University's historic reputation is absolutely true. If you are exempt, then you won't be in the Union, so have no job protection. Conversely, if you are in management and have a dispute with an hourly wage worker, such as getting them to actually work, you are at a severe disadvantage as the Union will fight for that lazy person no matter what.

Viewing 7 - 9 of 5,736 Reviews

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UCLA

UCLA reviews

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Poor Leadership

Great university with issues typical for a university

I Hate This Place

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