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

Caltech (California) has an overall rating of 4.2 out of 5, based on over 1,093 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 (13) , Summer Undergraduate Research Fellow (13)

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

"People are smart and nice." ((in 109 reviews)); "Campus is beautiful and location can't be beat." ((in 62 reviews)); "Good benefits are often given to employees here" ((in 41 reviews)); "Location is great and your colleagues hail from all over the world." ((in 33 reviews)); "Nice Staff" ((in 17 reviews))

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

"Low salary and lots of work" ((in 37 reviews)); "bad work life balance at" ((in 19 reviews)); "Siloed departments and lack of cohesive management" ((in 14 reviews)); "Bad culture internally (in terms of staff; things may be different in terms of research / academics)." ((in 7 reviews)); "Limited diversity." ((in 6 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

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Caltech (California)

Caltech (California) reviews

4.2

74% would recommend to a friend

(979 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 979 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

979 reviews

5.0

Feb 14, 2015

PhD research: amazing mentoring and learning experience. Salary high for a PhD position.

Phd student

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

- Best professors in the world - Smartest peers in the world - Interdisciplinary research all over the place - Nice town to live in

Cons

- Small institute (could be more diversity among researchers) - Salary is tiny in general, but high for a PhD student

5.0

Jan 29, 2015

World-class

Graduate student

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

* Top-notch research institute with world-class faculty and very smart graduate students and post-docs, many of whom are also very friendly and normal. * Pleasant weather and a pretty campus in a terrific city (Pasadena) * Some of the outlets for work-life balance are surprisingly good: the gym and music groups are excellent, especially considering Caltech's small size; great student-led clubs for alpine activities, kayaking, surfing, etc.

Cons

* It can be difficult for both single men and women to meet eligible dating partners. This is probably true of all small technical schools, but it's nevertheless an issue. * Some advisors turn out to be much less charismatic once you actually work for them. Talk to current students of any group before you join. * Teaching quality varies widely. Some courses are excellent, but more are poor and most hover around meh.

5.0

Jan 26, 2015

Postdoctoral fellow

Anonymous employee

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Great working environment, great opportunities for collaboration and learning

Cons

View opportunities to move on at the next level with the Institution after the postdoc

Viewing 829 - 831 of 979 Reviews

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Jobs at Caltech (California)

Administrative Assistant

Administrative Assistant

Administrative Assistant

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PhD research: amazing mentoring and learning experience. Salary high for a PhD position.

World-class

Postdoctoral fellow

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