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 (70) , 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 111 reviews)); "Campus is beautiful and location can't be beat." ((in 63 reviews)); "Good benefits are often given to employees here" ((in 47 reviews)); "Location is great and your colleagues hail from all over the world." ((in 35 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 50 reviews)); "Low salary and lots of work" ((in 38 reviews)); "bad work life balance at" ((in 19 reviews)); "Siloed departments and lack of cohesive management" ((in 11 reviews)); "Limited diversity." ((in 7 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

Oct 13, 2012

A place for Research

Graduate student

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

Highest student-faculty ratio makes each student to have more opportunities to communicate professors. Professors in Caltech are really professional.

Cons

The department building is too small. My office is also small and I cannot control the temperature of air condition in my office. No windows are there in some offices.

3.0

Sep 25, 2012

It was ok

Analyst

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

The people were ok. Some were better than others.

Cons

The pay was lousy. Could have been better

5.0

Sep 10, 2012

An Intellectual Oasis in L.A. County

Research assistant

Recommend

CEO approval

Business Outlook

Pros

During my time there, I operated without any interaction with the school's management. As a research assistant, my life was entirely within the division where I was working. The campus is absolutely beautiful, the type of environment that rewards walking to collect one's thoughts. It's also a great collection of minds and eclectic tastes. (Speaking of tastes, I was also impressed by the dining hall on campus.)

Cons

I have heard some talk about recent funding difficulties in various departments, but this is a phenomenon hardly restricted to Caltech, and it did not affect me. Any other possible cons are based on hearsay and not my personal experience, so I won't list them here.

Viewing 934 - 936 of 979 Reviews

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Jobs at Caltech (California)

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A place for Research

It was ok

An Intellectual Oasis in L.A. County

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