Does UCLA pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, UCLA employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.7 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?

77% 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 (165) , Administrative Assistant (121) , 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 518 reviews)); "The people I worked with were great and that was one of the best reasons I enjoyed my work experience at ucla." ((in 289 reviews)); "The campus is beautiful and it is a dream place to work if you like research in social sciences." ((in 221 reviews)); "Hours are flexible and easily available with overtime pay for holidays and late night shifts." ((in 201 reviews)); "I love teaching and work environment is good." ((in 119 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)); "Salary and raises very low for level of responsibilities and expectation (25% below fair market value)" ((in 235 reviews)); "Management was poor and slow to get back to you." ((in 112 reviews)); "parking is expensive and not always convenient to where you work." ((in 108 reviews)); "Low compensation and lack of growth" ((in 22 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

77% would recommend to a friend

(5,744 total reviews)

Gene D. Block

70% approve of CEO

59% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.2

Diversity & inclusion

4.0

Work/Life balance

3.9

Culture & values

3.8

Career opportunities

3.7

Compensation and benefits

3.6

Senior management

UCLA has an employee rating of 4.1 out of 5 stars, based on 5,744 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

4.0

Jul 29, 2015

Postdoctoral Researcher

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great research culture with lots of opportunities for collaborative projects. Lab environment depends a lot on the PI that runs the lab, but most at UCLA seem reasonable and likable.

Cons

Horrible traffic, compounded by the constant construction near campus. High rent and low wages lead to difficult financial situations.

3.0

Jul 11, 2015

Good for resume, not for wallet

Clinical data manager

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great to put UCLA on your resume; the name carries weight. Also, set working hours so you always know what to expect for your schedule.

Cons

Low pay due to being a state organization and so much red tape. Good workers have high turnover and poor workers stick around. Managers have their hands tied.

3.0

Jul 9, 2015

Grad Student, Strange Environment

Graduate student researcher

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Life as a grad student has its perks. There is really very little supervision of anything, which is a double edged sword, but it means as long as you keep your adviser happy, you can do anything you want. Work as much or as little as you want, pursue side gigs, career development. Benefits are good enough if you can get them (UCSHIP).

Cons

Life as a grad student is really strange--I imagine most of this applies to any institution. But it is really like the wild west in terms of employment practices. People can get hired or fired for any reason or no reason at all. Advisers insult and bring their students to tears. There is no pay standard. In some departments, advisers decide not to pay for some months because they're not happy with your progress. It's just a very strange and volatile environment. As always, time to PhD graduation is far too long.

Viewing 208 - 210 of 5,744 Reviews

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UCLA

UCLA reviews

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Postdoctoral Researcher

Good for resume, not for wallet

Grad Student, Strange Environment

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