Is Caltech (California) a good company to work for?

Caltech (California) has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5, based on over 1,095 reviews left anonymously by employees. This rating has increased by 2% over the last 12 months. 74% of employees would recommend working at Caltech (California) to a friend and 70% have a positive outlook for the business. The best reviews about Caltech (California) have been left by employees working as Teaching Assistant , PhD Student and Researcher .

Does Caltech (California) pay their employees well?

According to anonymously submitted Glassdoor reviews, Caltech (California) employees rate their compensation and benefits as 3.8 out of 5. Find out more about salaries and benefits at Caltech (California). This rating has improved by 4% over the last 12 months.

How satisfied are employees working at Caltech (California)?

74% of Caltech (California) employees would recommend working there to a friend based on Glassdoor reviews . Employees also rated Caltech (California) 3.8 out of 5 for work life balance, 4.0 for culture and values and 4.1 for career opportunities.

What are the top reviewed jobs at Caltech (California)?

Graduate Student (71) , Postdoctoral Fellow (63) , Graduate Research Assistant (56) , Postdoctoral Scholar (44) , PhD Student (42) , PhD Graduate Student (40) , Research Assistant (35) , Postdoctoral Researcher (27) , Researcher (21) , Research Scientist (17) , Teaching Assistant (16) , Administrative Assistant (15) , Research Technician (15) , Postdoctoral Research Associate (14) , Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow (13)

What are the pros of working at Caltech (California) according to real employee reviews?

"My PI is great and the people I work with are fantastic." ((in 109 reviews)); "Campus is beautiful and location can't be beat." ((in 63 reviews)); "Good benefits are often given to employees here" ((in 42 reviews)); "Location is great and your colleagues hail from all over the world." ((in 34 reviews)); "Nice Staff" ((in 17 reviews))

What are the cons of working at Caltech (California) according to real employee reviews?

"Low pay and you lab may expect you to work a lot" ((in 54 reviews)); "Low salary and lots of work" ((in 35 reviews)); "bad work life balance at" ((in 20 reviews)); "Siloed departments and lack of cohesive management" ((in 14 reviews)); "long hours and having to work a sunday" ((in 12 reviews))

What are employees saying about Caltech (California) layoffs in 2026?

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

What are the top reviewed Caltech (California) locations?

Pasadena , Los Angeles , Baton Rouge , Livingston , Chesterfield , Charlotte , Livingston , Big Pine , Claremont , Glendale , Glendora , Montrose , South Pasadena , Moreno Valley , Rancho Cordova , Palomar Mountain , San Diego , Berkeley , Redwood City , Sausalito , San Jose , San Luis Obispo , Richland , Boston , Pasadena

Skip to content Skip to footer

Notifications

Caltech (California)

Caltech (California) reviews

4.2

74% would recommend to a friend

(981 total reviews)

Dr. Thomas F. Rosenbaum

77% approve of CEO

70% positive business outlook

Ratings by category

4.1

Diversity & inclusion

4.1

Career opportunities

4.0

Culture & values

3.8

Work/Life balance

3.8

Senior management

3.8

Compensation and benefits

Caltech (California) has an employee rating of 4.2 out of 5 stars, based on 981 company reviews on Glassdoor which indicates that most employees have an excellent working experience there. The Caltech (California) employee rating is in line with the average (within 1 standard deviation) for employers within the Education industry (3.7 stars).

Ratings by demographic groups

Race / Ethnicity

Gender

Sexual orientation

Disability

Parent or family caregiver

Veteran status

Reviews by job title

981 reviews

4.0

Oct 16, 2015

A great place for tech-minded people

Postdoctoral fellow

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Working with smart people! it is a great place for tech-minded folks.

Cons

The culture could be a bit more diverse. Caltech lacks a bit of humanities touch.

3.0

Oct 2, 2015

Software Development and Astrophysics Intern

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

I learned many new tools on Python to study interesting light curves from stars. In addition, I learned how to apply computer programming to a scientific field.

Cons

I did not get as much collaboration and one-on-one time with mentors. In addition, there was not really an organized system for the projects

4.0

Sep 29, 2015

Grad student life

Graduate student

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Caltech is full of really smart motivated people. The campus is beautiful. It is small enough that you won't be anonymous and you can easily end up collaborating across departments and interacting with people outside of your field.

Cons

If you are a young single graduate student, you might find the gender ratio and small size socially frustrating. If you decide things aren't working out with the professor you came to work with, the institute is small enough that there might not be someone else working in your area of interest

Viewing 793 - 795 of 981 Reviews

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

University of Michigan

3.9★Compensation & Benefits

University of Washington

3.5★Compensation & Benefits

NYU (New York University)

3.9★Compensation & Benefits

Stanford University

3.6★Compensation & Benefits

Jobs at Caltech (California)

Administrative Assistant

Administrative Assistant

Administrative Assistant

Caltech (California) reviews FAQs

Reviews Caltech (California) reviews

Caltech (California)

Caltech (California) reviews

Ratings by category

Ratings by demographic groups

Reviews by job title

A great place for tech-minded people

Software Development and Astrophysics Intern

Grad student life

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Jobs at Caltech (California)

Caltech (California) reviews FAQs

Want the inside scoop on your own company?

Bowls

Followed companies

Job searches

Top companies for "Compensation and Benefits" near you

Caltech (California) reviews FAQs

Jobs at Caltech (California)